AUSactive announces highest achievers in its Fit For Office challenge

AUSactive has revealed the high achievers in its Fit For Office challenge - a friendly four-week challenge, which ran from 25th September to 22nd October - that encouraged Federal MPs and their staff to set an example to the population and to more active.

With the support of 26 Federal parliamentary members and over 140 of their staffers, the campaign set out to highlight Australia’s inactivity and health crisis and emphasise how exercise and physical activity can relieve the economic burden.

Australians to be active more often and raise awareness of the importance of regular physical activity.

Overall Active Challengers Total: 170
Workouts - 3,807
Duration - 14,714 Hrs
MEPs - 395,835
Calories burned - 2,021,867

Top MP/MEP Earners
Dr Andrew Leigh MP
Angus Taylor MP
Dr Helen Haines MP

Top Office MEP Earner and Lead Male Political Office staffer
Scott Burgess - (Office of Angie Bell MP)

Top Office MEP Average- with 4 or more office participants
Angie Bell MP

Top Office Highest Total MEPs
Dr Helen Haines MP

Lead Female Political Office staffer
Camelia - (Office of Dr Helen Haines MP)

An example of AUSactive entrepreneurship in action, Fit For Office has been modelled on earlier campaigns in the USA and UK and 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.

During the campaign, in addition to participating, Shadow Assistant Minister for Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Melissa McIntosh endorsed Fit for Office in an interview on Sky News Australia.

In a communication to stakeholders, AUSactive advised “thank you to all the politicians who got involved, our goal for the Fit For Office challenge, was to encourage more movement and for our politicians to inspire from the top.

“At AUSactive we appreciate that our members and the 26 politicians involved in the challenge have been incredible role models to our communities, setting the example of how important it is to be active for our physical and mental health.”

Why is physical activity important?
Australia is ranked 140th out of 146 countries for the highest physical inactivity levels for adolescents and over 56% of Australian adults are not meeting recommended physical activity guidelines.

Physical inactivity is the second leading risk factor contributing to chronic disease in Australia. Not getting enough physical activity is associated with anxiety and depression and increases the risk of many diseases such as type 2 diabetes, bowel cancer, dementia, coronary heart disease, strokes, uterine and breast cancer in females.

Increasing rates of chronic disease are having an alarming impact on workforce productivity, and economic opportunity- the Australian health system spends an estimated $27 billion per annum treating chronic diseases and we spend $450 each year for every man, woman and child in Australia treating mental health issues.

The campaign will return in 2024.

Click here for more information.