Steptember is an experience at work
That time of the year is upon us again and the Big Red Group is about to launch into Steptember 2018.
Let me ask you — do you track your steps daily? You might be surprised to learn how little you actually walk, especially if you’re working in an office like me.
I have said it before, but in case you’re not aware, the average office worker only takes around 3,000 steps a day. It doesn’t sound like many at all, but sadly it’s more than some kids living with cerebral palsy will take in their entire lifetime.
As a permanent, lifelong condition caused by injury to the brain, Cerebral Palsy is a physical disability that affects movement and posture. In fact, it’s the most common childhood disability and the impact of Cerebral Palsy is felt by many Australian families.
It’s a cause close to my heart and I have been involved with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance for over 10 years. RedBalloon have actually been participating in Steptember for many years too.
Steptember challenges you to take 10,000 steps a day for 28 days, while raising much needed funds for kids and adults living with the condition. The funds raised go toward additional therapy, services, equipment and assistive technology for people living with Cerebral Palsy, as well as some funds going towards life-changing research.
Because we’re all about shared experiences at the Big Red Group, we love participating in Steptember as it’s also an experience that can be shared at work! It is a chance for teams to be band together and have some fun.
The experience delivers so much more than you getting healthy and raising money for a great cause; it builds the connectedness of teams at work.
At the BRG, we have split our greater team into groups of four and made sure that they are cross-team, so we are connecting with people that perhaps don’t work intimately on a day-to-day basis.
When you register for Steptember you receive a pedometer to record your steps and there’s even an online calculator that converts a range of activities, like swimming, yoga, wheelchair rugby and boccia, into the equivalent steps. It’s not only an activity that promotes healthy behaviours. For example, walking meetings are one of my favourite things, so that really works for me in September. Getting your steps up is not a burden, it is a matter of changing routines.
I am looking forward seeing how many people we can get on board this year. You can register at www.steptember.org.au — get in quick as it starts on Tuesday 4 September 2018.
So, will you join me and my team and step up to Steptember?
Also published on Medium.
