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.
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!
We have a guest blog post from Mark Stinneford from the Corporate Communications department at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Mark joined the Million Step March for two days last week:
As the Million Step March walkers trudged along a rainy and lonely rural road last week, you couldn’t have blamed them if they had wondered if it was all worth it. But their impact became clear as they met cheering school children during sun-splashed rallies Friday at Stoney Point Elementary and Bill Hefner Elementary schools in Fayetteville.
The schools' third graders are competing this week to see which can log the most steps. Gary and guest walker Kim Hargrove, a BCBSNC customer service specialist, pumped up the crowd. The children at Stoney Point did a special Million Step March cheer. But Bill Hefner PE teacher Greg Beasley said his group would not be outdone. Wearing a safari hat that looked like a rattan lamp shade, Greg insisted that Hefner kids would walk during art class, music class and lunch.
Getting North Carolinians enthused about walking and other simple forms of physical activity is what the Million Step March is all about. The energy of the Fayetteville students was a good boost for the walkers as they make the final push to the sea.
We entered Pitt County and quickly found our way to the emerald city in eastern North Carolina. Greenville and East Carolina University was our host site for our Million Step March mobile wellness tour, and both the day and the people we met were perfect!
There is something special about this community and how it comes together to rally and collaborate around important issues, such as the health and well-being of its residents.
When we knew that Greenville would be on our statewide walk route, the first call we made was to the well-known community spark plug, Alice Keene. When it comes to doing anything about making Pitt County better, Alice is one who is eager to be at the table. She is a person of creativity, commitment and resourcefulness, and as such, Alice became our point person in planning our community impact event for the Million Step March. Alice enlisted the support of other key "can-do" residents and leaders by tapping Nance Mize of ECU and others. Before you could say "Walk this way," this small but mighty group had a great idea for a unique community fitness event.
Their answer to the Million Step March was to engage enough school children, senior centers, worksite wellness programs and community groups to all walk at least a mile on this day and deliver the collective equivalent of a million steps, or about what it takes to walk from the mountains to the coast in North Carolina.
The road to personal health is started by taking your first step and by making a commitment to keep on going. The ability to inspire a community to adopt the culture of a healthy environment requires leadership and collaboration on many levels. We found these key ingredients in Greenville and we salute your efforts and commitment to better health!
Thank you for inspiring us, and best wishes for your continued success in building health into your community!
