Tiffiny Hall Steptember Interview

Tiffiny Hall Steptember Interview

Question: What is Steptember?

Tiffiny Hall: Steptember is Cerebral Palsy Alliance's leading annual fundraising initiative, which challenges Aussie's to complete activities equivalent to 10,000 steps a day with colleagues, friends and family for the month of September.


Question: What is the goal of Steptember?

Tiffiny Hall: This year Steptember is aiming to rally 55,000 people to raise over $5 million to help continue the work supporting individuals living with cerebral palsy and to fund ground breaking research into therapies, preventions and cures.


Question: Why should we join Steptember?

Tiffiny Hall: The Steptember challenge is a fun way to stay healthy with a competitive twist and a chance to join together with family, co-workers and friends. Steptember not only gives you clear daily goals, but also a deeply motivating reason to get moving and change the way people think about health and wellbeing. Plus you can do it anytime, anywhere and at any level of fitness, so it can work around your life.


Question: Can you talk about how Steptember supports the Cerebal Palsy Alliance?

Tiffiny Hall: There are approximately 17 million people globally living with cerebral palsy, including 34,000 in Australia. The money raised from Steptember helps Cerebral Palsy Alliance provide therapies and support to more than 4,000 people living with the condition and their families, and funds life changing research.

Question: How can we reach our 10,000 daily steps target?

Tiffiny Hall: Here are my top tips!

1. Marching dishes: a few nights a week, give the dishwasher a night off and wash the dishes yourself, whilst you wash the dishes march on the spot to increase your daily step count.
2. Letterbox laps: call a friend you haven't spoken to for a while and whilst you catch up walk laps from the back of your house out to the letterbox and back. A 15 minute phone catch up will really clock up your steps.
3. Active ad breaks. Whilst watching your favourite show on the TV, every ad stand up and walk laps around the kitchen table.
4. Take a proper lunch break at work and take a walk.
5. Return your shopping trolley back to the front of the supermarket instead of dumping it in the carpark.
6. If it's raining don't give up. Go walking in a shopping centre. Many shopping centres have fantastic morning walking groups before the centres open. It's a really safe and fun way to meet new people and get your steps in.
7. Mobile catchups: instead of catching up with friends for coffee, catchup with friends for a walk. Walk and talk.
8. Movement meetings: suggest to your boss to take a movement meeting where instead of meeting in the office or boardroom you take a walk together to discuss work.
9. Walk the dog, even better find some hills or stairs to tackle.
10. If you work in an office building, take your team to the stairs and walk the stairs at lunch.
11. Forget the escalators and take the stairs.
12. Treasure hunts are fun with the kids.
13. Get off public transport one stop early and walk the rest of the way to work.
14. Initiate a walking bus to school.
15. Walk every street in your neighbourhood, ticking them all off over Steptember.

During Steptember you can also take on other activities to help reach the daily step target including:
Rugby league - 6,560 steps Cycling - 6,327 steps
Pilates - 4,160 steps
Water skiing - 4,920 steps
Golfing - 4,985 steps
Tennis - 4,985 steps
Basketball - 5,106 steps
Ultimate frisbee - 4,985 steps
Boccia - 6,000 steps
Cricket - 4,960 steps
Gardening - 1,000 steps
Swimming - 6,048 steps
Yoga - 4,060 steps
Zumba - 6,825 steps
Tai chi - 4,060 steps
CrossFit - 6,754 steps
Manual wheelchair - 6,000 steps
Soccer - 5,960 steps
Surfing - 5,118 steps


Question: Why is it important that Australians reach a 10,000 daily steps target?

Tiffiny Hall: The World Health Organisation recommends walking 10,000 steps or an equivalent activity a day to stay healthy and active. While the daily target sounds like a lot, there are more than 40 different activities that you can use to reach the goal including yoga, rugby and manual activities. There is really something for everyone regardless of physical ability and differing interests.


Question: Are you surprised that only 32% of Australians walk 10,000 steps a day?
Tiffiny Hall: I'm not surprised. We are dominated by screens and technology. For many working 9-5 is a luxury now. With the demands of technology, carrying work on our devices in our pockets 24/7 it's easy to throw the work/life/health balance out of whack. We sit down to watch TV, to work at the computer, to scroll through our phones. The less we move, the more tired we become, the more unhealthy, the less motivated. It's a vicious cycle. Moving more, stepping out, will increase your energy. As a nation it's important to come together with our friends, families and colleagues to create more balance and prioritise our health by starting with the goal of reaching 10,000 steps a day.


Question: Do you wear a step-tracking device? How many steps do you get, a day?

Tiffiny Hall: I do. I train with a heart rate monitor. It's not unusual for me to hit 10,000 steps before breakfast, but I train in the mornings. 1 hour of resistance training converts to about 10,000 steps so if you wake up and go to the gym, you'll get your 10, 000 steps in before breakfast too. The Steptember website converts all activities to steps. It's really helpful and cool.


Question: How can Australians sign up for Steptember?

Tiffiny Hall: All you need to do is visit www.steptember.org.au and register in a team of four, it costs $25 per adult and $10 per child and you get a free Steptember pedometer to track your process.


Question: Why did you decide to become an ambassador for Steptember?

Tiffiny Hall: I am passionate about health and fitness and encouraging Australians to be more active. What better motivation to be more active. Cerebral palsy is the most common physical disability in children, and in Australia, a child is born with Cerebral Palsy every 15 hours, accounting for 1 in every 500 babies. It's important that we convert our steps to dollars and help those living with cerebral palsy. It's fantastic motivation to get moving.


Interview by Brooke Hunter