When Elizabeth Zatschler entered a competition to win a bike in 2010, she had no idea it would change her family's whole outlook on life.
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Back then, the Canberra mother-of-four says, she wasn't fit by any stretch of the imagination, but she was determined to set a healthy example for her children.
Eight years after winning the bike, a "bottom-of-the-range cheapo one", she can't imagine commuting from Nicholls to her office in the city any other way.
Three of her children have followed suit, with 12-year-old Sophie taking her bike to and from school, while university students Mark, 18, and Erin, 20, also get around on two wheels.
Mrs Zatschler is sharing her story as the Heart Foundation ACT launches its Activate My Day awareness campaign, with the warning that one in two Canberrans are not doing enough physical activity.
Physical inactivity costs Australia $805 million each year and is responsible for up to 20 per cent of diseases including coronary heart disease and stroke, as well as diabetes, cancer, and dementia.
Mrs Zatschler said she didn't learn to ride until she was in her 20s, and was 46 by the time she started to take it seriously in 2010.
She said building cycling into her daily routine had changed her whole outlook on life and made her much healthier.
"I arrive at work just full of energy and ready to go," Mrs Zatschler said.
"It also just gives me that downtime between the kids and work, and I've seen all kinds of things.
"There was a kangaroo climbing out of Lake Burley Griffin one morning, and the sunrise at certain times of the year is just spectacular."
While her drink bottle has frozen on her way to work on a few cold winter mornings, she said the hardest thing about cycling to work had been making the initial commitment to do it.
"I don't fit the stereotypical 'skinny in lycra' image and cycling is something I just never thought I'd enjoy, but I love it," Mrs Zatschler said.
"You don't need a really expensive bike. I started with a bottom-of-the-range cheapo one and it did the job for seven years until I replaced it."
Ahead of the Activate My Day campaign launch on Friday, Heart Foundation ACT chief executive Tony Stubbs said everyone should give being more active a go.
"Some of the tips are as simple as parking further away or catching a bus and walking, having a walking meeting, taking the stairs or riding a bike as part of your journey," Mr Stubbs said.
The campaign, which begins on Friday, will give Canberrans a series of reminders and tips on how to be more active, and will include radio ads and animations.
Canberrans can start to see Activate My Day animations of "top tips" on Facebook, in the Canberra Times digital space, and on the Heart Foundation's YouTube channel. A series of radio "top tips" will also air on 2CC, 2CA and FM106.3 between now and June.
The campaign is funded through an ACT government grant, which aims to improve health though less sedentary lifestyles.
HEART FOUNDATION'S TOP 8 TIPS TO GET ACTIVE
1. Active travel - discover different ways to get from A to B
2. Part way drop off to school
3. Park and Pedal - park the car at free sites around Canberra and ride the rest of the way
4. Walk or ride to local destinations
5. Have walking meetings in the workplace
6. Walk with a friend
7. Make physical activity part of family time
8. Take the stairs instead of the escalator or elevator
