Wellbeing at Monash Steptember 10,000 Steps Challenge 2008- FAQs

What is the Steptember 10,000 steps Challenge
The Monash Steptember 10,000 Steps Challenge is a 5 week event that encourages you to use a step-counting pedometer to track your daily activity levels. Because the number of steps you take each day varies, your 10,000 Steps pedometer can provide you with motivation to make active choices throughout your day. All participants will log their steps each day and follow a virtual walking route visiting all Monash campuses, the challenge is open to all staff, students, friends and family.

When does the 10,000 steps Challenge start?
The challenge starts on Monday, 15th September

When does the 10,000 steps Challenge finish?
The challenge finishes on Thursday, 16th October.

How do I achieve 10,000 steps?
As a guide, to achieve 10,000 steps in a day, participants will need to couple their usual daily activities together with a 30 minute daily walk. The number of steps walked per day can be counted using pedometers which will be included as part of each participant's pack.

How Far Is 10,000 Steps?

10,000 steps is approximately 8 kilometres and 1 hour 40 minutes of walking. However these figures will vary according to stride length and walking speed.

How do I log my steps?
You are required to log into your profile on www.10000steps.org.au and log your steps.

When do I log my steps?
You are encouraged to log your steps every day throughout the challenge.

Why 10,000 steps?
The '10,000 steps' goal puts a focus on the accumulation of activity across the whole day. With continual advances in technology and our workplaces becoming more sedentary it now takes a concerted effort to make active choices. Some ideas are:

Walk and talk with a colleague instead of emailing
Parking the car further away from the entrance to shops
Walk to the corner store for milk and the paper

It is sometimes easier to make these choices when you have a motivational tool such as a pedometer reminding you how many, or how little steps you have done for the day.

10,000 steps is the recommended daily step goal for a healthy adult. The following pedometer indices have been developed to provide a guideline on how many steps are enough.

Steps Per Day	Activity Level
<5,000	sedentary
5,000 - 7,499	low active
7,500 - 9,999	somewhat active
>10,000	active
>12,500	highly active

How Do I Convert Other Activities Into Steps?

There are many enjoyable activities where a pedometer does not count accurately. You can add 1000 steps to your daily pedometer count for every 10 minutes (100 steps per minute) of moderate activity you do such as swimming, cycling, weight training.

For more vigorous activities such as running, brisk rowing and some sports (football/basketball/squash etc) you can double the step count - 2000 for 10 minutes (200 steps per minute). For more information view our conversion sheet.

Is this a team event? How many people are in a team?
Participants are encouraged to form teams of 8 (led by a team captain) which can consist of Monash staff, family or friends, or students.

What if I don't have a team to join?
If you don't have a team to join ask around your colleagues, family or friends to see if anyone would like to form a team, alternatively notify the Monash 10,000 steps administrator here who can place you in a workplace team.

How do I see my progress throughout the challenge?
Team progress can be monitored by the team members using the www.10000steps.org.au website. Team captains will be responsible for encouraging their team members to log their daily steps and reach their daily goals. To assist, weekly progress postcards will be sent to all team captains. In addition, to boost enthusiasm, there will be prizes for campuses, teams and individuals.

How do I/my team register?

Get a group of work colleagues/family/friends together - no more than 8 members in one team. If you don't have a team to join, please notify the Monash 10,000 steps administrator here who can place you in a team after you have registered on the 10,000 website.
All participants (including participants who don't belong in a team) must go to the 10,000 steps website at www.10000steps.org.au between Monday 21st July and Friday 8th August. Enter in your email address and password in the blue 'Your Step Log' box to make sure you are still registered from the 2007 event.
If you participated in the challenge in 2007 but cannot remember your password, you will need to type in your email address and click on the 'Forgotten your password' button. The 10,000 steps site will automatically email you a new password.
New participants who have not previously registered with the 10,000 steps website, should go to the website and click on the 'Your Step Log' box, click on 'Register Now' and follow the instructions.
Once all team members have logged in/registered on the 10,000 steps website the team must decide on a team name.
After selecting a team name, the team must then decide on the team member who will become their team captain.
The team captain now finalises the team registration process.

What does the team captain need to do?
After all team members have registered on the 10000 steps website as individuals and thought of a team name, the team captain must please complete the online form found on the registration page. To be eligible for the early bird prize draw, teams must register using the online form below no later than Friday 15th August. Teams can still register online up until Thursday 21st August, but they will not be eligible for the early bird prize draw. upon submitting the below form, the Monash 10,000 steps administrator will then be in touch to finalise your team online registration profile.

How much does it cost?
The cost is $12 per person, this includes your online registration and your participant pack -with your pedometer and other goodies!

When can I make payment and collect my participant pack?
When all participants have registered online and the team captain has submitted the above form, the team captain will receive payment/collection information enabling team members to purchase their participant pack, at a cost of $12 per participant.

There are 2 options for making payment:
1. Team captains can collect all team members payment and then make payment and collect the participant packs at the one time; or
2. Departments wishing to pay for team/s, can make payment via IDN. Upon payment being made the team captain can then collect the participant packs.

The payment/collection information can be found here http://www.adm.monash.edu/ohse/wellbeing/2008/payment.html

Packs can be collected between Wednesday, 3rd September and Thursday, 11th September.

When does payment close?
Payment must be made by Thursday 11th September

Where do I collect my participant pack from?
The payment/collection information can be found here http://www.adm.monash.edu/ohse/wellbeing/2008/payment.html

When and where is the Challenge launch event
The Steptember Challenge will be officially launched at the Berwick Campus on Monday, 15th September at 10am with a morning tea. Just in time for the AFL finals, Hawthorn Football Club CEO Ian Robson will be a special guest speaker. All participants are encouraged to attend the launch. More information about the event to come soon. To register your attendance click here. If you can't attend the Berwick launch, many campuses will be hosting their own morning tea event. More information to come soon.

When and where is the finish/celebration event
All participants are encouraged to attend a celebration event to mark the conclusion of the Steptember Challenge. Proudly supported by OHS, Office of Environmental Sustainability and Health, Wellbeing and Development and hosted by Monash Sport, the event will take place at Monash Sport Clayton Campus on Tuesday, 21st October at 12pm. The event will guest list includes the Vice Chancellor and Dr John Tickell followed by a light lunch and prize giveaways. Dr John Tickell is a Medical Doctor, an international speaker, best selling author and television personality, who has spent the last 25 years researching the health, well-being and longevity patterns of people around the world. You may know him as the doctor from Channel 9's TV show, Celebrity Overhaul. More information about the event to come soon. To register your attendance click here. If you can't attend the Clayton event many campuses will also be hosting their own wrap up lunchtime event. More information to come soon.

How do I enter for the early bird prize draw
To be eligible for the early bird prize draw, the team captain must register the team using online using the form no later than Friday 15th August. Teams can register online up until Thursday 21st August, however they will not be eligible for the early bird prize draw.

What prizes can I/my team win?
There are some great prizes to be won by competing in the Challenge. If your team completes the online registration form (below) by Friday, 15th August all team members go into the draw for the chance to win:

A Global Ballooning hot air balloon ride over the Yarra Valley for 2 people, valued at $450 (www.globalballooning.com.au )

A weekend escape to Sydney donated by Voyager Travel. The escape includes return flights for 2 people to Sydney (www.voyagertravel.com.au)

Other prizes up for grabs include:
$10 & $20 Coles Myer gift vouchers given out randomly at each campus if you are seen out walking and wearing your green tshirt (provided in your participant pack)

A 'Physio-pack' kindly donated by Integrated Health Physiotherapy Clinic. Pack includes a wheatbag, lumbar roll, flex-ice, a free 10min assessment with a podiatrist, and a 10min physio assessment.

A $100 Coles Myer gift voucher if you log on to Wellbeing at Monash Online, see info below at bottom of page.

Prize winners will be announces at the celebration event on Tuesday, 21st October. The Global Ballooning prize winners name will be selected from all registrations that are received by Friday, 15th August. One individual will win the Global Ballooning prize. Prizes will also be awarded to individuals and teams throughout the challenge.

How do I win a $100 Coles Myer gift voucher
Wellbeing at Monash online is a confidential health and wellbeing website designed specifically for Australia based Monash staff.

The website includes a comprehensive health resource centre and a number of specialist information areas, interactive tools, and information regarding wellbeing activities and events at Monash.

Log on to the site by going to monash.healthlogix.com.au using your authcate username and password and click on the ‘Profile Yourself’ button and complete your online profile. Also click on the ‘Wellness Tracker’ to add your health assessment results and track your own health indicators. Staff who complete a profile by Friday, 19th September will go in to the draw to win the $100 Coles Myer gift voucher. The prize winner will be contacted on Wednesday, 24th September.

Any other questions?
We encourage you to read all the information available on this FAQ page and the registration webpage, also ask your colleagues if they know the answer. If you still cannot locate the answer please email the 10,000 steps administrator here. Questions will be responded to as early as possible. There may be a small delay due to the high number of registrations currently being processed.

Where do I find other information?
Timeline of the registration process