Walk of life

The average office worker drives to work, sits at a desk, drives home and then spends the night on the couch in front of the telly.
Jacqui Norris from Synergy Health, which specialises in workplace health programmes, says that sort of sedentary lifestyle equates to about 3000 steps a day which, in terms of energy usage, burns off an apple.
Now, think of your four closest friends. And consider that one in four adults in New Zealand is obese. Obesity is a risk factor for a host of diet-related chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke and some types of cancer. More than 200,000 New Zealanders have diabetes. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the country. Both are on the rise.
But the good news is the solution could be as simple as putting one foot in front of the other.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says better health can be achieved by taking 10,000 steps a day. Walking, in isolation, will not give the svelte figure of a Hollywood starlet or buff physique of an All Black, but the daily goal of 10,000 steps is a proven way of getting office workers walking towards better health.
The Global Corporate Challenge has embraced the WHO recommendation and turned the goal into a health initiative aimed specifically at those in the workplace.
In teams of seven, employees record their daily steps with a pedometer and enter the information online over a 16-week period.
The team's progress is mapped as they embark on a virtual walk around the world. Their results are compared to the other 100,000 participants from over 800 companies internationally.
Before you scoff at the idea of walking for exercise, note that last year 42 per cent of participants lost weight. Men lost an average of 5kg, and women 6kg. Results from 2009 showed 54 per cent improved their blood pressure levels from high to low-risk. Others reported lower cholesterol levels, better-quality sleep, greater productivity and a boost to their emotional well-being.
Norris says: "It's about getting people active at the most basic level. It's all incidental, it's about telling them how to get their steps into their day."
This can include making simple changes such as taking the stairs rather than the elevator, getting off at an early bus stop and visiting colleagues across the office rather than emailing a message. It's walking to the dairy to get the milk or choosing the furthest carpark from the office door.
One of the teams at Heinz Wattie's in Hastings had the most steps in the country for last year's challenge, adding up to 11,724km. Participants enjoyed the challenge so much they did it again for the next 16 weeks.
Part of the challenge's success lies in its accessibility. Once conscious of clocking up those steps, exercise becomes incorporated into daily life. Healthy choices become a habit.
However, as the Global Corporate Challenge proved, taking 10,000 steps a day is the most basic target. The challenge quickly gains momentum as participants strive to exceed 10,000 steps and take up other forms of exercise.
Norris lists the many excuses office workers find to neglect exercise. Busy lifestyles, family commitments and longer working hours are common refrains, but top of the list, she says, is low self-esteem.
"When it comes to getting involved [in exercise], for the people that need it most it's the confidence and self-esteem that holds them back," she says.
"At the start, 10,000 steps seems a lot but you quickly gain confidence to try things that were previously in the too-hard basket. Once people get into the swing of walking they find very quickly they do feel better and see a difference."
Walking isn't going to stop the global obesity epidemic alone. There's nutrition to think about, eating habits and high-intensity exercise to get the heart rate into fat-burning mode.
But it is, it seems, the first step.
TIPS FOR STEPPING OUT
* Park your car further from the office.
* Get off the bus one stop earlier.
* Have "sneaker meetings" instead of sitting at the table.
* Use the stairs instead of elevators.
* Walk to colleagues rather than emailing or calling.
* Print documents one at a time and collect each one separately.
* Use a glass on your desk rather than a bottle and get up to refill.
* Volunteer for tasks such as clearing the mail box/running office errands.
* Walk around the block during breaks.