70945

Aiming to tackle Australia’s inactivity and health crisis and relieve the economic burden on the healthcare system, AUSactive has today launched its ‘Fit for Office’ campaign at Parliament House in Canberra, challenging Federal MPs and their staff to be part of a friendly four-week challenge.

More than 14 Federal parliamentary members and 70 of their staff have so far signed up for the challenge - which runs from 25th September to 22nd October - to encourage Australians to be active more often and raise awareness of the importance of regular physical activity.

Looking to inspire Australians to be more physically active and to spark the conversation about the importance of exercise, the MPs and their teams’ efforts will be measured via wearable Myzone heart rate monitors that can be worn on the chest, wrist or upper arm to log their physical activity before, during and after the workday. Participants will be able to follow a live leaderboard to monitor their progress against each other.

In November, the winners will be awarded for the most active MP, the most active staff member, the office staff with the highest points and most office staff participants to reach the World Health Organization Guidelines for Physical Activity - 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity (or at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity) per week.

Modelled on successful US and UK campaigns, the AUSactive campaign stems from the peak body’s commitment to promoting exercise as preventative health. The campaign strongly supports the Australian Government’s commitment (in 2018), to the WHO’s Global Action Plan for Physical Activity and we want to help the government to inspire 15% more Australians to be more active by 2030.

AUSactive thanked the following Parliamentarians who attended and made extremely valuable contributions to the discussion about improving the health of the nation through physical activity:

• Dorinda Cox, Senator for Western Australia
• Dr Helen Haines (who led the launch), Independent Member for Indi
• Dr Andrew Leigh, Assistant Minister for Competition, Charities and Treasury, Assistant Minister for Employment & Federal Member for Fenner Health and Suicide Prevention
• Melissa McIntosh, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention and Federal Member for Lindsay,
• Senator David Pocock, former Australian Rugby Union player and Independent Senator for the ACT
• Senator Anne Ruston, Shadow Minister for Health, Aged Care and Sport and MP for Renmark
• Allegra Spender, Member for Wentworth

AUSactive is urging industry stakeholders to share their workouts on social media with #fitforoffice and to tag your local Federal Politicians.

Click here for more information.

Lower image shows Myzone's Emmett Williams addressing Parliamentarians and industry representatives at today's ‘Fit for Office’ campaign launch at Parliament House in Canberra.

Related Articles

4th August 2023 - National Sports & Physical Activity Convention reaches new heights with record breaking attendance

1st August 2023 - AUSactive to stage ‘Mini MBA in a Day’

1st August 2023 - ASC and AIS back global Hamburg Declaration initiative to boost physical activity

27th July 2023 - AUSactive launches 2023 Digital Futures Consultation

19th July 2023 - Walking, swimming and fitness centre training are the most popular activities Australians do regularly

6th July 2023 - AUSactive invites industry input in predicting hottest fitness trends for 2024

3rd July 2023 - Study finds gym exercise and resistance training guidance based on male research

6th June 2023 - AUSactive to stage industry Summits in four states

5th June 2023 - ActiveXchange releases community profile tool for AUSactive members

1st June 2023 - Myzone Premium adds features to give more people more ways to get physically active

30th May 2023 - Countdown for entries to AUSactive National Awards 2023

25th May 2023 - Study suggests major sporting events fail to inspire mass physical activity

28th April 2023 - AUSactive Chief Executive says fitness can ‘save’ Medicare

28th April 2023 - Latest AusPlay data shows exercise worth $16.4 billion a year to Australians

6th March 2023 - AUSactive highlights urgent need for Federal Budget to prioritise physical activity

25th January 2023 - AUSactive calls for boldness and creativity in Federal health system review

30th December 2022 - AUSactive survey suggests fitness programs for older adults will be key exercise trend in 2023

21st October 2022 - World Health Organization reveals high cost of physical inactivity in first-ever global report

3rd October 2022 - Myzone ventures into the metaverse to encourage more people to get active

6th October 2022 - World Health Organization backed summit calls for sustainable mega sports event legacies which boost physical activity

23rd September 2022 - New calls for Australia to adopt a National Strategy on Physical Activity

30th June 2022 - Myzone continues to reward people for moving by adding 10 years of status badges

15th September 2021 - ESSA launch statement on the role of physical activity in the management of obesity in adults

3rd September 2021 - World Economic Forum study identifies fitness as the most popular physical activity globally

16th October 2014 - Fitness Australia campaigns for FBT system changes for a healthy workforce

---

Support our industry news service
We hope that you value the news that we publish so while you're here can we ask for your support?

As an independent publisher, we need reader support for our industry news gathering so ask that - if you don't already do so - you back us by subscribing to the printed Australasian Leisure Management magazine and/or our online news.

Click here to view our subscription options.