About the Steps Challenge
The Queensland Walk Explore Steps Challenge is a key activity within Queensland Walks Month. It’s a month-long physical activity challenge starting on Tuesday 1st of August 2023. The step total from 10,000 Steps members located in Queensland will be automatically tallied during the Challenge. The Challenge will be completed on Thursday 31st August.
People of all abilities can participate. Whether you walk, run, roll, stroll, swim, cycle or dance - however you choose to be physically active, all activities count and every move matters!
Promoting physical activity within your workplace or community
Workplaces
Creating a great place to work, and fostering a culture where everyone cares for each other’s health and wellbeing, will support your people to be their best and reach their full potential. Embedding the promotion and support of physical activity into your everyday work practices is a key element in creating this healthy workplace. No matter the sector you work in, or the size of your organisation, there is much that you can do to support the health and wellbeing of your people.
Communities
People who live in communities where streets and neighbourhoods provide options for people to walk, cycle and be active enjoy the benefits of good physical and mental health, and stronger social connections. Physically active communities also see broader positive outcomes for their local environments and economies.
Get involved in the August Challenge to activate your workplace or community
Queensland Walks Month is a great campaign that can support you to promote walking and physical activity within your workplace or community. That is why we have partnered with Queensland Walks to create a state-wide steps challenge as a key activity. The Queensland Walk Explore Steps Challenge aims to motivate and support people to be active every day.
There are two main ways to be involved:
1. Start a 10,000 Steps team Tournament within your workplace or community
- Create a 10,000 Steps time out Tournament beginning 1st August.
- Encourage teams to get involved in your Tournament from your workplace or community (smaller communities can run a team tournament).
2. Promote broader participation in the Challenge
- Encourage people to sign up or log in to 10,000 Steps and start logging their steps or activity to make every step count in the Queensland Walk Explore Steps Challenge.
- Consider ways you can promote and increase participation in walking and physical activity as a part of people’s everyday.
- Identify how physical activity fits in to your workplace or community, to help you focus your activities. For example, if you're a local Council you may be looking to increase social connection in your community. What ways could you activate local parks or green spaces to support this goal? Or perhaps you're a local hospital or health service looking to address health disparities within your community. Using a free program such as 10,000 Steps to provide accessible physical activity opportunities to an underserved population can help you provide equal access to all members of the community.
- Use your social media and communication channels to showcase and highlight the places to walk and be active in your communities such as local walking paths, beaches, national park hikes, playgrounds and other green spaces.
- Think about ways you can create a workplace culture that supports physical activity during the month. How can you encourage conversations about physical activity? Are there new ways you can highlight the importance of incidental and planned physical activity at work? Is there way to inspire active transport options when travelling to and from work?
- Lead by example! Start tracking and logging your steps and minutes of physical activity on the 10,000 Steps website or mobile app and invite others to join you!
Resources to help you get started
Team Tournament for your community or workplace
We provide established, evidence-based resources for your use including comprehensive guides, spreadsheets and email templates.
To read more about using 10,000 Steps to run team tournaments and consider other community strategies, check out our 10,000 Steps for Workplaces and Communities page.
Additional supporting information including our Tournament Guide and Active Workplaces Guide are available in the Resources section once your Coordinator registration has been approved.
Stakeholders promoting participation
Key messages - Overarching
- Walking is an easy and accessible way to stay active – you can do it anytime, anywhere.
- Make every step and every move count!
- Walking is the most popular physical activity in Australia.
- When you go for a walk it’s not just your body that benefits, the way you think and feel changes too.
- Physical activity produces hormones to improve sleep and releases muscle tension.
Key messages - Queensland Walk Explore Steps Challenge
- Queenslanders are invited to signup or login to the 10,000 Steps program and make every step count by logging steps and activity during August.
- Take part in the Queensland Walk Explore Steps Challenge, launching 1 August 2023, by walking and exploring our beautiful state! Walk, run, roll or stroll with your family, friends and workmates and make every step count.
- People of all abilities can participate. Whether you walk, run, roll, stroll or dance, all activities count and every move matters!
- Get involved as an individual or challenge your friends / workmates to log steps and activity during August as part of the Queensland Walk Explore Steps Challenge.
“Use this month as a booster to your activity, find ways to move more that suit your everyday routines. Whether it be getting from A to B, exploring destinations in your community or neighbourhood, connecting with nature on a bush walk, every move counts towards your health and wellbeing – and our State’s steps Challenge!”
What action do we want Queenslanders to take?
- Make your activity count for you and the Queensland Walk Explore Steps Challenge.
- Login or signup to the 10,000 Steps program.
- Record your steps and/or minutes of activity on the 10,000 Steps website or mobile app.
- Encourage workmates, friends and family to get involved.
- Make your steps count from 1 August 2023.
- See how many steps Queenslanders have taken.
How to get your workplace or community involved?
An additional page for communities and workplaces has been made in the 10,000 Steps Support section if you want to take the next step and get your workplace or community involved.
Graphic Resources
A variety of resources will be made available below to share and promote the Challenge in your workplace, among your community and networks, or with your friends and family. These will include social media tiles for Facebook and Instagram, and a newsletter banner graphic.
You can share posts from the 10,000 Steps Facebook page or 10,000 Steps Linked In page, or if you prefer, spread the word through your own social media channels using our social media graphics or by creating your own (we would love photos of where you are being active!).
Queensland Walks Month
During August, we are encouraging the celebration of walking in our communities in partnership with Queensland Walks. We invite you to get your organisation involved in the conversation about walkability and where to walk explore in your region.
Visit the Queensland Walk website for more information about the 2023 Queensland Walks Month and make sure you visit the Walk Hub for some practical resources to get started.
Contact from us
We'll be sending weekly updates to our Learn & Discover Email recipients on the progress of the challenge throughout August. Please feel free to update your subscription preferences if you do not wish to receive emails during this time.