The Global Corporate Challenge® (GCC) is an exciting new health and fitness initiative involving corporate Australia. With Herb Elliott as the company Chairman, our aim is to solve the inactivity problem facing corporate Australians through a fun and interactive virtual journey around the world. The Global Corporate Challenge® involves corporate teams of seven people tracking their daily step count by wearing a pedometer. At the end of each day, all team members enter their step count in the website. These daily totals are automatically added together and converted into a kilometer distance. The team is then progressed along a 20,000km map, which treks the four corners of the globe (for a full demonstration please visit http://demo.globalcc.com.au).
Participants do what they can to accumulate as many steps as possible each day. Activities such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to work, and getting out for a walk at lunch time all help improve participants daily step count. Some teams in the 2004 event went bushwalking together on weekends - all in the name of steps! Pratish Pratel, Senior Manager at Ernst & Young (Qld) "organised a trip to the southern part of Queensland in the Laminton National Park (World Heritage Listed)...and did the Oriley's to Binna Burra, return walk (with a total distance of) 42.8km".
Although the event has brought out the competitive spirit in corporate Australia, it is not a race. Rather, a challenge to finish, get fitter and healthier in the long term. Herb Elliott believes Australia should aim to be the healthiest country in the world. In 2004, GCC teams walked nearly 3 Billion steps (or 2 Million kilometers), and so far the 10,000+ participants in the 2005 event have already walked a combined total of more than 10 billion steps!
Elisa Iurato, from Telstra Consumer Marketing, says, "Rather than taking the lifts or taxis like staff would have, they are walking to meetings, or taking the stairs to other levels. Team members make sure that during lunch times they go for a walk." This positive attitude towards being active is extremely encouraging, especially in light of recent evidence that shows that physical inactivity increases the risk of developing at least 35 chronic health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
One of the features of the program is the online data available to each participant through the website. Participants can access personal statistics on their average daily step count and average monthly step count (for example you can compare your step average for July against August). These statistics are also displayed in a km distance, while there are also graphs displaying your average daily / monthly energy expenditure. There is an overall leaders' board, and a section that shows how your company is fairing. You also get to learn some intriguing facts about the destination you are in, as you travel virtually around the world.
Participants receive their own Welcome Pack prior to the start of the event which includes a pedometer, sports bag and sponsors goodies. There are many prizes awarded on behalf of event sponsors Sony Walkman, Asics & Samsonite. Each week we randomly award fantastic prizes - so just by being part of the event you have the chance to win! Prizes include Asics trainers and clothing, Samsonite travel luggage, as well as special discount offers from Sony Walkman and much more.
There are regular health tips on the website from some of Australia's leading dieticians and nutritionists which aim to help educate participants about healthy dietary alternatives, as well as how much walking certain foods take to burn off.
Deakin University senior lecturer and scientific advisor for the Global Corporate Challenge®, Dr David Cameron-Smith worked with Shane Bilsborough (GCC Director) on a medical study on the event. The study investigated how taking small steps each day can reduce the affect of major risk factors affecting Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes. "In order for programs to be successful and beneficial to health then they must be sustainable in the long term. We currently have little information in this area regarding health and physical activity for corporate people", says Cameron-Smith.
After the 2004 GCC, men needed to tighten their belts by 1 more cm and women on average went down a dress size (4cm). In the people who maintained 10,000 steps per day their average waist measurement fell from 82 to 80cm.
The event has proven immensely popular in the corporate sector with senior management leading the way. Companies have embraced that the event allows them to mix up teams with people from different divisions and positions within their organization.
The 2006 Global Corporate Challenge® will begin on May 25th, 2006 and will conclude on October 25th, 2006.
