In this edition of our No Excuses Series, we hear from Katie Redhead who recently came on board as Event Leader for Tour de Office. During our chat with Katie, she shared how she keeps herself motivated to maintain an active and healthy lifestyle. 

Tell us about yourself and what you do.

Following 8 years in the events industry, November will be my second month in the role of Event Leader… and I’m loving it! This role involves managing the Tour de Office event for Healthy Workplaces, as well as planning client and industry events for Scout Talent. To make these events happen, I am supported by and work with many amazing people. Collaborating with lots of stakeholders is a part of my role that is really enjoyable.

What does your average day of being active look like? 

My partner and I spend our mornings together in the kitchen preparing yummy and healthy meals for the day. Breakfast is usually eggs and avocado on toast, with a delicious hot cup of coffee from the Breville machine (my most prized possession). From there, I’m off to work where it usually gets pretty busy but I do make a conscious effort to take a lunch break to stretch my legs and get some Vitamin D. 

I am very grateful to work for a group who supports the health and wellbeing of its employees. We use standing-desks in the office so I try to spend part of my day standing up – although I would like to achieve longer periods of standing in the future. In addition, there is an in-office yoga group that I participate in once a week for an hour.

After work, 5 days a week, I will go to the gym to either do some Olympic Weightlifting or a CrossFit class. Training normally takes 2 – 2.5 hours, so after that, it is pretty much home, cook, clean, and go to sleep. All that weightlifting makes me tired!). 

How do you stay motivated and continue to do this (nearly) every day?

I have stuck to this routine for about 5 years now so it is pretty much habit. But that’s not to say that some afternoon’s I don’t feel like going straight home to relax or catch up on housework or emails. I try to keep in mind how I feel after eating well and exercising. No matter how tired or stressed I am, I know that I will always feel better after a workout. 

Olympic Weightlifting and CrossFit are both sports too, which I think is key to staying motivated. Being a sport, you have teammates and a coach who checks in on you if you miss a few sessions in a row. You also have competitions to work towards and goals to meet that helps get you to training. My partner also trains at the same gym so it is something we enjoy doing together.

What do you find the most challenging about keeping an active and healthy lifestyle?

It’s very time-consuming! I sometimes think of all the things I could achieve if I gave up sport… but that’s not going to happen anytime soon.

When did this routine begin? And why?

My routine of working out regularly started about 5 years ago. That is when I first started training in Olympic Weightlifting, and I become really addicted, really quickly. It was the first sport I participated in after high school, and it was the challenge of getting better at particular skills and movements that kept me going back. I found that to be very motivating.

Do you ever change it up?

Not really. If I am sick or injured, I will always listen to my body and give it a rest. Otherwise, I’m pretty content with the routine I have going at the moment.

What is your tip for others? 

If possible, join a sport or make working out as social as possible. Having other people involved can help you to feel accountable, and you can motivate one another too.

What is your favourite exercise?

If I have to do cardio, I’ll go for rowing or cycling. I try to avoid running as it tends to result in sore knees. In terms of weights, I’m not fussy but I will make sure there is a lot of variety so that I don’t get bored. Anything that requires a bit of skill or technique is my favourite, as you become so focussed on that, you forget you’re working out!

Read Part 1 of our No Excuses to see how Helen, a mum of nearly three balances work and keeping active. Or Part 2 if you want to know how Alex stays fit and keeps his nutrition in check.

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63,000 dollars raised. 8300km cycled. 595 riders. 12 organisations. 9 charities. 3 countries. 1 month.

These are just some of the incredible statistics from a very busy October at the Tour de Office Foundation.

As always we had some friendly competition amongst our hosts, with Pure Storage taking first place for total funds raised, and The Motorama Group in a very close second place.

Pure Storage

Pure Storage were the hosts of the first Tour de Office ride week for October, and the first international Tour de Office ever. During their ride week, Pure Storage hosted a bike in their offices in Singapore, Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney. Together, the four locations fundraised $10,824 to support their selected charities – Cancer Council and SPCA – and cycled over 1400km, all while taking in some spectacular city views. 

Aon Melbourne

Aon riders supported the Beacon Foundation and raised $3,133. With two bikes set up in the office, no one was lonely on their ride and the level of competition was high.

Employment Office Brisbane

Employment Office Brisbane clocked up the most kilometres on the bike during our October Ride Week. Opting for two bikes this year, they rode 1185km and raised $7,266 for the Lung Foundation Australia. Among their riders was an Elvis Presley impersonator and a 34-week-pregnant mum.

EY Brisbane

EY Brisbane supported Youngcare, with their riders fundraising $7,738. Perhaps this result was thanks to encouragement from special guests Bananas in Pyjamas and Batman’s sidekick, Robin. These visits helped keep the spirits high as the riders pedalled over 700km. 

News Corp Australia

Funds were collected the old-fashioned way at News Corp, as riders donated their time to collect cash contributions from anyone who hadn’t made their way to the online event platform. News Corp Australia raised $3,285 for The Courier Mail Children’s Fund.

Optiver

We were excited to have Optiver on board as a host for the first time this October. They raised $225 for Beacon Foundation while riding over 400km on the bike.

PwC Brisbane

PwC Brisbane’s riders fundraised $3,431 for Starlight Children’s Foundation. Their cycling efforts were incredible as they rode over 870km. To create some internal competition, they kept track of their rides with a leaderboard – maybe this is why they rode so far.

PwC Melbourne

PwC Melbourne participated to raise money for Starlight Children’s Foundation. The riders fundraised $5,685 for the charity and rode over 500km. Similar to the PwC Brisbane office, they used an internal leaderboard to create some healthy competition and encourage riders to #quitthesit.

State Street

State Streets riders raised $1,390 to support the Beacon Foundation and covered over 570km. One rider at State Street cycled over 130km during the October ride week; that is the second-highest distance travelled by any rider that week.

The Motorama Group

The Motorama Group joined us for their fifth year with Tour de Office. As they were familiar with the event, we expected great things from the riders… and they delivered. They supported both Starlight Children’s Foundation and White Cloud Foundation, with the riders raising a total of $10,565. In Halloween costumes and a green morph suit, the riders impressively completed over 860km on the bike.

Wiley

Wiley’s first event with Tour de Office saw their riders raise $9,627 to support FareShare. The riders distance was just as impressive as their fundraising, as they pedalled over 950km. Though it is no surprise as they had an amazing set-up for their riders that featured a 6ft screen where riders could pick a program of their choice – how could you not be motivated?

Hobart Airport

Hobart Airport hosted a 5-hour pop-up Tour de Office event in late October to raise money for Beacon Foundation. Riders managed to cover 168km in their short amount of time on the bike. This incredible feat was managed with an audience of airline passengers as the bike sat in the middle of the airport terminal. 

 

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