Jennifer's Share Your Story item shows how starting with just a little physical activity can lead to a healthy, active and enjoyable lifestyle:

"Two years ago I was a size 18 and out of shape. I wanted to get healthy to try for a 5K - something I had always wanted to do, but had never run farther than a mile at one time. I started training, and now I'm a size 8 and have lost 50 pounds.

"I finished my first 10K this spring and hope to run a 10-miler in the fall. Maybe a half-marathon after that. I'm just glad to be healthy. I weigh less than I ever have in my (adult) life! I have a healthy BMI and am comfortable in my swimsuit for the first time. I lift weighs two to three times a week. I play basketball twice a week. I do yoga once a week and run five to six days a week. I also ride my bike, swim and play volleyball whenever I can.

"I'm very active now and love every minute of it. My four daughters have to keep up with me now instead of me trying to keep up with them!"

Shared on June 10, 2008 Share your story

Throughout the Million Step March, Kathy and Gary are joined by a guest walker from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Tom Robertson, resource/technical manager in Information Services at BCBSNC, joined the walk last week between Fayetteville and Wilmington, and gave us this report from the road:

There are a few things one learns very quickly when beginning a walk on an open country road: Look out for very big, very aggressive dogs; don’t pet the snakes crossing the road, and 18-wheelers can create hurricane force winds.

Oh yes, it is hot and sticky and the sun is relentlessly beating down. As each day becomes a little hotter, a little longer with temperatures reaching 100, we’re marching along, talking about the benefits of a healthy lifestyle.

Everyone we meet along the way looks at us quizzically and asks the same exact question: “What are you doing?”

“Well,” we say, “We’re walking from Asheville to Wilmington.”

“Why on earth would you want to do that?” they ask.

It is then one comes to realize the not so obvious part of the Million Step March. This walk is more than just one foot following another. With each step, one becomes a part of a much larger picture – a picture painted in the shared imagination of Kathy Higgins and Gary Marino, the walking man.

The team of Kathy and Gary imagine a world where everyone is healthier, happier, and feeling better than they did yesterday. They’re walking to prove it. How cool is that?

They don’t ask for money. They don’t ask for anything. Their request is quite simple: Just walk, go as far as you can and then go a little farther. You will feel better, you will probably live longer, you will be happier and you might just hear yourself laughing. I learned that if walking is good, walking with Kathy and Gary is better.

I’m glad my “get up and go” got up and went walking this week, for 40.23 miles (that’s 102,885 steps if you’re keeping track). After all, I won this chance and wasn’t about to waste it wondering why I’m out in the woods walking the five hottest days of the year. This walk is a meditation, a vision of winning a healthier me earned one step at a time. You can win too.

We all can’t walk with Kathy and Gary but you can take them with you when you decide it’s time to go walking. These two have given a new meaning to “walking the walk.” If they can walk 600 miles, I’m sure you can walk one or two or perhaps even 10. It’s so simple.

For today, I’m glad to be walking with them, watching their commitment in real time while strolling down the country roads and picking up the pace to put a little distance between me and the last curious dog. Thank you Kathy, thank you Gary, thanks to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. The Million Step March really matters.

Tom Robertson

Posted by BCBSNC on June 10, 2008

A Share Your Story item from Sharon points to a successful approach to staying in shape and maintaining a healthy weight:

"I walked faithfully five to seven days per week for two to four miles each time, but did not have the weight control I have now until I added weight training at the YMCA three times per week (30 minutes on the 18 Nautilus machines). Also, choosing foods with low glycemic impact in mind has helped. I have now KEPT the 30 pounds off I lost in 2005 when I added the weight training to the aerobics.

"About eight to 10 hours per week of exercise is not drudgery at all. I belong to the Uwharrie Running Club now and am meeting the nicest people and enjoying running nearly every day. Even in this unusually hot weather, the early morning runs are very doable and exhilarating!"

Shared on June 9, 2008 Share your story

Staying in shape and playing sports often go hand-in-hand. Today we learn how weight training is paying off for Spence, who's enjoying success on the playing field:

"Last year about this time I started a program of weight training. The equipment was available at my place of employment so it was easy to take advantage.

"I had a wonderful buddy who helped me learn the most effective and safe methods of weightlifting. My goal was to better my performance in church softball this year in addition to maintaining my usual 60 minutes or more of activity per day.

"Yesterday, opening day of the season, with temperatures in the low 100s, I drove in six runs, hit safely four times and had an inside-the-park grand slam. I'm sure the regular weight training contributed to my success on the field. I'm 55 years old."

Shared on June 9, 2008 Share your story