WEBSTER Street Warriors are spurring each other on, even if a little competitively, to make 10,000 steps each day.
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Each Webster contender is putting her foot down on a mission to raise money for supporting people with cerebral palsy in Australia this Steptember. But the mission is two-fold, each step they take is a move to improve their own health and create a routine to keep moving more.
Walker Lindsay Ward said hitting the streets had been hard in a Ballarat winter, especially compared to Steptember based teams in warmer climates across Australia. But they could be a little creative and make it count – when one person gets ahead, others feel the need to step up.
“I do the gym for spin classes...another member uses the treadmill or we do laps of the house,” Ms Ward said. “I think most of us will keep going when the challenge is finished, especially when the weather improves. We’ve at least become more conscious of how much we’re moving.”
Participants are equipped with a pedometre to track their progress and upload to the official website or app.
They are challenged to walk 10,000 steps for all 28 days in September – the equivalent of almost climbing the highest peak on every continent.
The daily steps target fits the World Health Organisation’s recommended 10,000 daily steps in a bid to significantly lower the risk of cancer, type two diabetes, heart disease and dementia.
Australia is the 19th most sedentary country in the world, according to Steptember. Further Steptember research revealed more than half full-time employees blame workload as the main barrier to exercise, with only one in three leaving their desks long enough to reach 10,000 steps a day.
Webster Street Warriors have teamed virtually with Australian Community Media colleagues based in Tasmania to motivate each other to keep moving and take time away from the desk.
The Warriors are hosting a fundraising barbecue at Woolworths Sebastopol, 10am to 2pm.