It may be wet and cold outside, but that's no reason to stay cooped up inside all day.

Why not venture out and walk off the winter blues? It will warm you up and make you feel better about your day.

If you're looking for a little more inspiration, try the Walking Maps website to find a new scenic route to explore.

The site by Victoria Walks features walks from all over the state, with details about distance, difficulty rating and the estimated time it might take to complete.

And if you want another reason to get moving, Victoria Walks is also encouraging people to take walking selfies and be in the running to win a new Fitbit. See further details below.

So get your walking shoes ready and pick out your next adventure by visiting the Walking Maps site here.

Winning a new Fitbit could be as easy as stepping out the door and snapping a selfie.

Victoria Walks is running a competition to encourage residents to help build a collection of photos which will inspire Victorians to get back on their feet.

Participants could be in the running to win a Fitbit valued at $119, or a number of Coles/Woolworths supermarket vouchers.

To enter, visit the Victoria Walks website here.

Submissions close at 4pm on Friday, July 8.

Victoria Walks will contact finalists and post their photos on Facebook for public voting.

Local councils are being urged to act to ensure residents across the North East have access to healthy food.

The North East Victoria Food Policy working group, formed in August 2015, has released a discussion paper calling on councils to work together on developing healthy food policies and strategies.

The paper argues that in North East Victoria, a wide range of fresh produce is grown locally and a variety of nutritious and culturally appropriate food is generally available.

Despite this, there are significant challenges affecting the health and wellbeing of the community including:

• Increasing numbers of people accessing emergency food relief;
• High and increasing rates of overweight and obesity; and,
• Pressures on agricultural production such as reduced profitability, climate variability, shifting demographics and regulation.

The paper suggests local government in the Alpine, Indigo, Wangaratta, Wodonga and Towong regions are well placed to take action on these issues.

The working group, comprising health representatives from the Wodonga, Indigo, Alpine and Upper Murray regions, as well as North East Catchment Management Authority, Beechworth Urban Landcare and Wodonga Council, presented the paper to local councils on Tuesday, June 28.

Further information is available at the Healthy Together Wodonga website found here.

The Wodonga Healthy Catering Guide is a partnership between Wodonga Council, Gateway Health and six local caterers, that together aim to assist workplaces, associations and groups everywhere make healthy choices when catering.

This partnership has shown that providing healthy food and drink options can be easy and delicious. 

We thank the six local caterers for working in collaboration with us to create this local resource, and encourage the healthy eating message in our community.

The caterers are:

• Bean Tree Central;
• Border Catering;
• Café Grove;
• Nutrition Station Wodonga;
• Yum’s Food Bar; and,
• Zilch Café.

All menu items included in the booklet have been assessed by Nutrition Australia, using the Healthy Choices Guidelines.

These guidelines are aligned to the Australian Dietary Guidelines and use the ‘Traffic Light’ rating system.

Only green and amber menu options have been included.
When ordering from the booklet, please let the caterer know you are ordering from the Wodonga Healthy Catering Guide.

If you wish to find out more about the guide or find out how your business can be part of the next edition, please contact the Health Promotion Team at Gateway Health on (02) 6022 8888 or email Health Promotion Coordinator Megan Hunt at megan.hunt@gatewayhealth.org.au

A series of workshops to improve the resilience and mental health of young people in Wodonga will be held this month.

According to workshop presenter and director of The Resilience Project, Hugh van Cuylenburg, one in four adolescents have a mental illness yet 65 per cent do not seek help.

Hugh will present information on resilience and how to practice strategies in children and ourselves including mindfulness, gratitude and empathy.

Sessions are being held for Year 3 and Year 7 students (key developmental times in
a child’s life), teachers, and workplaces.

Interested people (including parents and carers) can join the community session on Thursday, July 28, from 7pm to 9pm at The Cube Wodonga – tickets are $10 from The Cube Wodonga box office or online at thecubewodonga.com.au

Local workplaces are invited to join the workplace/corporate session on Wednesday, July
27, from 10am to noon at La Trobe University.

Tickets are $50, book through theresilienceprojectcorporatewodonga.eventbrite.com.au

The Resilience Project is brought to Wodonga by Gateway Health and Wodonga Council.

Most kids love technology, but there are amazing connections to be found outside in nature.

Swap some screen time for 'Wild Time'; an app for your mobile phone which provides time-based activities for you and the kids to get outside and explore.

Use the app to find wild things in your own backyard, at a local park, or take advantage of Wodonga's extensive network of reserves which offer opportunities to view wildlife, birds, flowers and plants.

Known as the Wodonga Retained Environment Network (WREN), these areas of bushland run from the southern urban edge of Wodonga, across Leneva and Baranduda.

A map of local reserves is available here.

Roy Royce is helping kids across Victoria make a healthy choice.
The Roy Royce Healthy Food Education Program, offered by Nutrition Australia, is a fun 45-minute healthy eating incursion available to schools for Foundation to Year 2 students.

Based on the children's book Did Roy Royce Make A Healthy Choice?, this active workshop enriches students with the knowledge and motivation to enjoy healthy foods.

Through active game play, story-telling and discussion, children learn:

• About the 'everyday' food groups that give us energy and make us feel happy;
• What are 'sometimes' foods and why they can make us feel tired or go a bit silly; and,
• Ways they can be responsible for making healthy choices.

Further information about the Roy Royce Healthy Food Education Program, or to register your school's interest, click here.