Richmond's walk with Cr Single

Five people joined Cr Single for a leisurely walk around Lake Fred Tritton (1.2 kms).

Lake Fred Tritton is conveniently located at the edge of Richmond. With a 1.2km circumference and a maximum depth of eight metres, the lake allows visitors and locals the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of water sports. The lake is stocked with a variety of fish including: barramundi, gulf grunter, sleepy cod, spangled perch, yellow fin, freshwater prawns and redclaw crayfish.

Hughenden team results

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The per capita results for the 15th and 28th of April

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Per capita results & Richmond takes the lead

On the 28th of April the total steps are:

Richmond 17,922,099 steps
Hughenden 16,638,222 steps

And the per capita results mean that Richmond is way out in front.

Richmond 18,495 steps per capita
Hughenden 7,594 steps per capita

Stay tuned for per capita results!

While this Blog has been reporting actual steps, the Challenge will ultimately be measured on a per capita basis.

The per capita steps have been compiled and will be available shortly.

Richmond closes the gap

As of Sunday the 25th of April:

Hughenden 14,968,555 steps
Richmond 14,391,697 steps

It's getting close again... Richmond is only 576,858 steps behind.

Walk with Cr Kulh in Richmond

A bunch of keen Richmond walkers did the Town Walk (which is 4 km) with Cr Kulh on Monday afternoon.

That'll get the steps up!

Come along for the next walk with a Councilor in Richmond on April 26th with Cr. Stephen Single.

Keep your eye out when walking

On the recent walk with Cr Kulh a bunch of Richmond walkers came across these few camels.

Tell us what you've seen while walking (add a comment below).

Walking can be an adventure as well as a fitness activity.

Movement is an opportunity, no an inconvenience

It is great to live in a society where things are so easy to come by: going to the supermarket for food, strolling
through the mall for clothes, even our electricity and hot water can be turned on and off by the flick of a switch.  With things so accessible these days, life tends to become busier and busier, as people try and cram more things into a single day. Does this in turn decrease our physical activity levels?

For some people, it really comes down to a need for a lifestyle and attitude change. Try and slow down your life a bit and do things step by step. The human body is designed to move, so you should move it. Next time you’re in the shopping centre, ditch pushing around one big trolley full of groceries, and try shopping with the hand basket three times a week instead of once a week as you would with the trolley.

The ongoing water restrictions are another example of seeing an activity as an opportunity to move, and not just an inconvenience. If you’ve always wanted to wash your car, you can still do it with a bucket on designated days.  It is interesting to see that we are probably saving water partly due to people not being bothered to use bucket water as the regulations do not specify how many buckets of water we are limited to each time.

So get into the frame of mind for a good workout, and use the bucket to do some long overdue cleaning and
watering!

Article written by Kevin Su, Diabetes Australia Queensland, http://www.daq.org.au/

Barriers to physical activity

(In this article) we are going to take a slightly different approach and are thinking more about the barriers to physical activity.  Instead of hearing more about how good it is for you to be active, you likely need to develop a management plan to overcome the barriers you face to doing the many things we know are good for you.

One of the key skills to this self-management plan is problem solving. The excuses we all make for not being active and really not excuses at all, they are simply problems that we experience along the way to long-term behaviour change – problems that we can become more skilled at solving.

The first step in problem solving is one of problem definition.

Many people say that they have no time for activity. This problem needs more definition. On examination we may find that activity is simply a low priority in a busy day.

Many possible solutions can be generated, including a morning walk for a paper, a noon hour swim instead of the usual fast food lunch, and setting up a treadmill in front of the TV in the evening.

In the end, it may be that simply using a pedometer on a daily basis to monitor ‘incidental’ activity works to raise the awareness of the many opportunities we have presented to us during the day to move more.

In the end a solution is generated because the problem was more clearly defined, giving the person the ability to generate alternatives to overcoming the barriers that were preventing the intention of activity being realised. With a little practice we can all mange our own behaviour a little more successfully! Why don’t you try starting today?

Article by Professor Kerry Mummery, Central Queensland University

10,000 steps gossip

The blog administer met with two friends out in front of the supermarket... and what did they do?

Popped open their pedometers, compared steps, and shared tactics!

Hughenden steps ahead

Today's figures (14th April at 7.30am) reveal that Hughenden has stepped way ahead of Richmond (for now...).

Hughenden 6,971,900 steps
Richmond 5,606,920 steps

Come on Richmond, get stepping!!!!!

Richmond's walk with the Mayor postponned

Due to the threat of rain, the walk with the Mayor has been postponned.

So, how do you keep you steps up when it's raining?  If you've got any good ideas post them below in the comments section.  Why not abit of vacuuming or house cleaning?  That's still all good exercise.

Hughenden still ahead

Hughenden 4,898,349 steps
Richmond 4,172,049 steps

Richmond has a chance to make up those steps on the walk with Mayor Wharton, Monday afternoon at the Lake from 5.30pm.

The margin closes

At as 9.00am Friday the 9th April

Hughenden 2,954,331 steps
Richmond 2,643,199 steps

The latest stats

As a 9.00am 8th April...

Richmond 1,672,699 steps
Hughenden 2,214,218 steps

The steps are quickly mounting up.

Setting steps goals

Using a pedometer allows you to set yourself daily step goals. Once you have worked out your baseline steps it is then recommended that you progressively increase the number of steps you do each day. Make active choices and aim to increase the number of steps by no more than 1,000 to 2,000 per week. Increasing your steps too quickly may result in an injury . If you have a pre-existing medical condition or have not been active for a while it is recommended that you consult with your doctor prior to starting the program.

Example of setting steps goals

You can set your steps goal after you have worked out your baseline steps. Then by applying the SMART
principles, your goal setting may look something like this:

Date: 1st January 2006
Baseline Steps: 6 775
Date: 1st February 2006
Goal Steps: 8 000
Date: 1st March 2006
Goal Steps: 10 000

You may then identify a couple of extra activities that you could add to your week to help you keep your goal achievable. (See our Extra Activities For You topic for some ideas)

• cycle to work once a week
• play touch football once a week
• walk to a cafe that is 10–15 minutes away for lunch once a week

A great way to assist you in reaching your goals is to get into a routine and put your extra activities in your diary, like you would an appointment.

Give use your tips for increasing your steps using the comments link below...

Setting your goals

Many people are aware that goal-setting is important and benef icial when starting and maintaining a physical activity or exercise program. However, the trick is identifying the right goal for you - it may not be enough to simply say that you are going to lose weight or be more active.

A good way to remember goal setting is the SMART principles, consider these when setting your goals:

1. Specific – goals should indicate precisely what is going to happen
2. Measurable – you should be able to quantify your goal
3. Achievable – you have to be confident that you can achieve your goals
4. Realistic – ensure that your goals are realistic and maintainable, it may not be beneficial to say you are going to add an extra hour walk every day if you realistically may not be able to stick with it
5. Time-bound – ensure that your goals can be achieved within a reasonable time frame

You may also find it beneficial to set short, medium and long-term goals. If you do this, re-visit and if necessary amend your goals regularly to ensure they are still achievable and realistic.

The steps are tallying up!

As of today (6th of April) at 11.00am....

Hughenden 1,096,664
Richmond 575,037

Come on Richmond, get those steps logged in!!!

Latest Challenge statistics

After 4 days of the Challenge and 3 days of Easter the results are:

Hughenden 310,314 steps

Richmond 205,640 steps

But there are still so many people who haven't entered their steps in.  Log in and get those steps registered... your team needs you!!!

Not to mention getting back on track after all those Easter eggs you've eaten!

After the first day

Richmond 45,949 (with only 3 steppers entered)
Hughenden 45,616 (with only 4 steppers entered)

Richmond 104 team members
Hughenden 119 team members

The stepping has begun!

Clip on those pedometers and get stepping!!!  The Richmond versus Hugehnden 10,000 steps challenge has begun today, the 1st of April.

Check the Blog regularly for news about how the Challenge is going, who's winning and who the steppers with the highest steps are.