Soon, the Million Step March will take its final twists and turns toward its inevitable conclusion in Wilmington, N.C. One day very soon, after I’ve hung up my walking sneakers and road warrior hat for yet another campaign, I’ll lie in the sand during a late afternoon on Wrightsville Beach and reflect on the entire 600-mile, 75-day campaign from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.

And I’m sure while I’m lying there I’ll think about the people I’ve met and the places I’ve seen over the course of this journey, and I’ll ask myself one very important question: Will the inspiration and education of the Million Step March keep people in this area motivated long after Kathy Higgins and I have written our last blog posts and returned to a more structured, normal existence? I sure hope it will. Keeping the fire and staying in the fight – for your health – is an important part of an unfinished struggle.

You meet America when you do walks like this – you honestly do. What’s more is that you end up having a front row seat to the obesity epidemic in our country. You spend a lot of time walking through farm country, past the cattle industries, through the agricultural heartlands. Eventually, and in time, you find yourself walking down Main Street USA, past the staggering amounts of fast food and barbecue places, the restaurant rows and the grocery stores where most of the processed food ends up.

And finally, you end up at the campaign events like the 50 or so that Kathy and I have been to over these past three months. You meet the people, see the faces and look into the eyes of people struggling with obesity every day – and the 51 associated diseases such as diabetes, stroke, sleep apnea and others.

Finally, and not to get too deep here, it touches your soul. So where did our “land of plenty” take such a wrong turn? Well, that can be debated all day long. But in the end it’s up to us as individuals to take control of our health. It’s our responsibility to stay in the fight, to be vigilant about getting and staying healthy in a world of hectic schedules and toxic food environments. And no one knows better than yours truly.

The fight didn’t end for me when I lost 110 pounds with the help of a nutritionist and therapist. It didn’t end for me when I lost 40 more walking from Florida to Boston a few years ago. It wasn’t finished when I completed the Boston Marathon back in 2005. And it won’t be over when I hit the finish line of the Million Step March in Wilmington in just a few days. You take it day by day. You wake up and try to walk a healthy path every day. Some days you succeed and some days you don’t. But here’s the rub: You’ve got to make an honest effort of it every day. You know the future if you just give up.

The good news is, if someone like me can achieve health, then you can do it too. And remember, as I’ve said a million times at every event we’ve done on this march, it’s about the long-term fix versus the short-term fix. It’s about being around for your kids and grandkids. It’s about living long and productive lives – and about living life the way it was meant to be lived.

I know you can do it North Carolina. I have faith in you.

See you in Wilmington this Thursday!

Posted by Gary Marino on June 10, 2008

After a day of walking with the Million Step March team near Fayetteville this week, I sat down with Gary Marino to talk about his experiences walking across the state. This podcast touches on some more topics, including advice for anybody wanting to start a physical activity program and a look ahead to the Million Step March finale in Wilmington.

You should find two ways to listen: Simply click on the link to start playing it, or right-click the link, then select "Save target as..." and save the file. The conversation lasts about 7 1/2 minutes.

Click to listen to podcast

Posted by Kyle Marshall on June 6, 2008

Throughout the Million Step March, Kathy and Gary are joined by a guest walker from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Kimberly Hargrove, a customer service specialist at BCBSNC, joined the walk last week near Fayetteville and gave us this report from the road:

I must say that after last week, I can't be the same! When I was chosen to participate in the Million Step March, it felt like winning the lottery. To me it was a long shot. I mean, I was probably in the worst shape I have ever been in my whole life, and my three beautiful and vivacious kids were paying for it. I was in denial. I thought, "Hey, I've been an athlete all my life. I can never be out of shape." I was wrong, and after having kids, reality set in and I had to come to terms that I don't get enough physical activity - and some weeks I wasn't getting any. I needed an intervention, and BCBSNC gave me that, and I couldn't be happier or more appreciative.

I had a short week because of the holiday, so we got started early Tuesday morning. I met the road crew and Gary and Kathy, and I must say I had never felt so comfortable around a group of strangers in my life. Gary is the definition of "real" and Kathy is an inspiration!

About two miles in we were joined by Gary's longtime friend, Russ Surrette, and he added many laughs to the journey. At first I thought while walking, "This is easy. The pace isn't grueling and although I'm out of shape for the most part, I'm keeping up." But then reality set in. In the words of fitness instructors everywhere, I started "feeling the burn." But Kathy made sure that I was stretching and wasn't pushing myself to the point of injury. She would always assure me that even if I don't do 15 miles, the miles that I can do are all worthwhile! She would say, "Take this time to really focus on your health, Kim," and for once I was.

By day two, however, we traded in our sun for rain. I was so sore I couldn't feel my legs anyway. The rain was icky at times, and walking and dodging huge mud puddles was the task of the day so everyone picked up the pace to try to get the miles in a little quicker. Once I got loose it was better and I could feel my body starting to relax, and my feet were practically moving on their own. The ride home was uncomfortable because our backs were wetter than our fronts, but Gary and Russ had jokes galore to make the ride enjoyable. I also got a nickname from Gary. For the rest of the week I was known as "Little Kim."

A few hot baths and bag of Epsom salts later, I was leading the pack for a while on day three. I finally got over my plateau and I was feeling good. The wind felt good on my face even if it was courtesy of the big stinky livestock 18-wheelers that flew past. I just kept thinking of how I couldn't stop now if I wanted to.

My mind raced with thoughts of how to incorporate 10 miles a day into my schedule (just kidding - more like two or three, but that's still good compared to the zero I was doing before I left). We were joined on that day by another BCBSNC employee, Mark Stinneford from Corporate Communications. He was a great guy and he added even more humor to the pot. I also began to look around at my surroundings more and appreciate what a beautiful state we live in. I thought to myself that you really don't even notice these things when you're driving by so fast, but when you're walking you see everything.

My last day was bittersweet because I had begun to miss my kids, but I really didn’t want to leave. We had two events that Friday at Stoney Point and Bill Hefner elementary schols in Fayetteville. They were having a great contest between them to see which third grade could take the most steps during their day, and they had fabulous prizes for the winning school, teacher and top five third-graders. The children's excitement and energy was infectious! If adults had half that much energy we would not have an obesity epidemic.

After my walk last week, the hard part was over. The pains in my limbs are gone and I feel great and very energetic. To be healthy you have to make a lifestyle change, and I am making the decision to do just that. Change is necessary and it's guaranteed to happen, so why not go with it? Besides, I'm hoping that over the next few months instead of me telling my kids to slow down, they'll be telling me that.

I am just an average person. I'm not getting paid to say anything about BCBSNC or write nice things about my experience. I was just lucky enough to be afforded this opportunity. But we don't necessarily need to walk 600 miles to make a difference in our health; we just need to take the first step in the right direction. Small changes in our daily routines can do so much. Take the stairs instead of the elevators or park farther from the store than you usually do. If you don't want to do it for your family, do it for yourself. We only get one body and it is past time for us to start treating it better.

I just want to say thanks a million to Gary, Kathy, Russ and Tangela and the other road crew and BCBSNC employees that have worked so hard to make this a success. You guys have really changed my life. I owe you big time!

Kimberly Hargrove

Shared on June 5, 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. Linda Jurgensen, a case manager in Member Health Partnerships at BCBSNC, joined the walk last week near Greenville and gave us this report from the road:

Monday: Today was so awesome. Gary is great – I felt like I had known him my whole life. We left the hotel at 7:30 this morning and were transported out to the place where they stopped the last day they walked.

Gary and I walked and talked for about two hours, then we decided to put in our iPods and listen to music. While I totally enjoyed the conversation, it was almost spiritual to just walk along with music playing... the smells of nature, a gusty breeze, and nothing to do but take step after step. We completed 12 miles by about 1:15 p.m. I was so amazed at how much I enjoyed it. I guess it made me realize how great life is and how much we take for granted.

Since we had no events today, after showering, I went across the street to the Rehabilitation Unit at Pitt Memorial Hospital. I am so grateful to have aching legs. I realize that there are so many people who are unable to walk at all – I know I cannot complain!

Tuesday: I want to start out by saying that today totally kicked my butt! Today Kathy, Gary and I put another 10 miles under our belts. The wind was so fierce that it felt like 20 miles to me. Luckily, other than a brief shower, the rain held out until evening.

Gary and Kathy have so many responsibilities. Today we started out with a TV interview for a local station, then they did two radio interviews by cell phone in the car. When we finally started walking, we were able to do 10 miles in about 4½ hours. Then we did an event at a local Kids Café (an after-school program) and spent two hours with some really great kids, jumping rope, playing basketball and making fruit smoothies with a blender that is operated by pedaling a bike. All the kids got pedometers and were excited about our adventure. When we asked the kids why they would want to join us on this walk, one said to feel healthier and another said to make friends. I completely agree with them!

Thoughts on today: People in this state are generally great. We were asked to give directions to a trucker who was lost looking for the airport, a sheriff stopped to make sure our support car was OK, and multiple people asked us if we needed rides when the rain started. It made me smile.

Wednesday: Friends are asking me exactly where I am in North Carolina. We have been walking along U.S. 13 from Greenville to Goldsboro. Today we passed through Snow Hill and will be entering Goldsboro tomorrow.

Whereas yesterday was the hardest day for me, today was a great day! This morning we put in about four miles then returned to Greenville for a wellness event at East Carolina University. This event was a lot of fun and I was surprised how many BCBSNC people were in attendance. It was a well-oiled machine. After finishing up the event at ECU it was a long drive out to the walk site again, and another six miles through what was the absolute best area so far – rolling farm land. I actually could have walked farther!

I think the highlight of today was a really cool guy who came racing up to us at an intersection, waving a walking stick and yelling "Walkers!" He proceeded to tell us that a home health care nurse had come to his house to care for his mother and said the Million Step March is out by such and such church. He immediately calculated how to intersect with us and came out to join us for the morning. What a great guy. He loved the message we were spreading and is planning his own walk in October to raise awareness of childhood obesity. Mr. Jones waved down the mayor of Snow Hill to meet us and generally brightened our morning.

Thursday: Here it is Thursday night, and again I am alive and still moving. Today we walked into Goldsboro and along fast food and store alley. I do not recall the name of the road we were on, but I did spot a Starbucks and a McDonald's, so I know it was civilization.

We got in six miles this morning while the weather was good, and then went to an event at a turkey processing plant. I kept looking for the roasted turkey samples, but all I could find was the fruit smoothies we were making on the bicycle blenders. Again, it was a nice group of people, and they were very receptive to our message of promoting physical fitness.

After the event it was back onto the road. The weather was good today but a bit hot with the sun shining so bright. We left at 7 a.m. and were back by 4 p.m. Gary and Kathy went in search of the famous B's Barbecue while I opted for a hot shower. I think it is a good thing, but this walk has definitely curbed my appetite. I find that amazing, but will take it while I can.

For those of you considering walking 10 to 15 miles a day, Gary said to not dwell on distance, but rather think of it as just your daily walk exaggerated. I am still trying to do this, but my blister on my toe keeps reminding me of the distance!

Friday: This entire week was incredible, and my only regret is that it has come to an end. I would have gladly signed on for the entire 600 miles. Today we were fortunate to enjoy some sidewalks, which is a luxury on a walk like this. The afternoon event was at Lenoir Hospital in Kinston. What a great turnout we had – definitely one of the biggest this week.

I feel like I should wrap up my journal with some profound statement or some humorous stories, but after a lot of thought I have not come up with anything real creative. So I am just going to tell you briefly how this walk has affected and changed me.

I think as the week progressed, I felt so much more connected to BCBSNC customers. At events we gave beautiful carved walking sticks to the CEOs of the companies or the chancellors of the universities. While I appreciate the support of the CEOs and chancellors, I know I was walking for our members – the ladies walking laps outside a business we passed on the road, the winner of the iPod drawing at ECU, and the man coasting on the bike who wished he could walk but was unable to, but still came out to greet us and encourage us.

I came home with personal gains. I feel like I can do anything I want to do. I don't think I will ever again sit on the sidelines thinking "I don't think I can do that." There was a time when if something was even just a mile or two away, I'd have driven. Now I will tend to lace up my shoes and walk. My wish for you is that you never let sweat, aches and an occasional blister prevent you from living your life to the fullest. I am so grateful for this opportunity and I know it has changed my life for the better!

Linda Jurgensen

Posted by BCBSNC on May 28, 2008