Health-e-Steps, locally developed at the School of Health and Human Performance at Central Queensland University, has 300 free places available for residents.

The 12-week physical activity program, commencing on Monday, July 5, uses proven strategies to assist participants in adopting and maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle along with stress and time management, nutrition and resistance training.

Health-e-Steps will give you the skills and opportunity to lead a healthy active lifestyle as well as improve your fitness and quality of life, stated Professor Kerry Mummery of CQU. He also added that with two out of every four Rockhampton residents not meeting activity guidelines for health, this program will be useful.

The first 300 participants to register not only receive the Health-e-Steps program for free but they will also be given a free 10 000 STEPS pedometer, stated Rebekah Steele, designer of the program and PhD Student at CQU.

"All we ask is that participants commit to the 12-week program," added Ms Steele.

Participants will be randomly assigned into three different groups.

One group will receive Health-e-Steps via traditional face to face methods and another group will receive the program via an interactive Health-e-Steps website. The third will be a combination.

To be eligible to participate you have to be over 18 years of age, have internet access and be inactive. Places are strictly limited to 300 and a can be secured by contacting Jen on 4930 6751.

Health-e-Steps is part of a research project being conducted by Central Queensland University's School of Health and Human Performance that is comparing the effectiveness of a traditional face-to-face program with an internet-based program. For further details about Health-e-Steps contact Rebekah Steele on 4923 2116.