By Thomas E. Kottke

Jayne Watts of Byron began walking six years ago as part of a weight loss program and has maintained a 50-pound weight loss ever since. Earlier this month, Jayne took another walk. She walked away with a new pair of shoes from Lair's for naming the CardioVision 2020 physical activity challenge, "Walk a Billion, Feel Like a Million."

What's the billion? The billion is a billion steps. CardioVision 2020 thinks that Olmsted County residents and workers will show the world that they care about themselves by logging a billion steps on our web site (www.cardiovision2020.org) between May 11 and June 12. Registration started Tuesday, and Woman's Day magazine is covering the challenge.

We'll top a billion if 3,300 people will log 10,000 steps a day for 33 days. To create some excitement, we're asking people to organize themselves into walking teams of 10 or more and design team t-shirts to wear.

Mayor Ardell Brede and Olmsted County Commissioner Matt Flynn will judge the shirt designs on May 12 in Rochester's Central Park. Joe Powers is donating the prize for the T-shirt design competition, and Corporate Travel is donating a pair of airplane tickets for a raffle among the people who log 330,000 steps.

Don't know nine people? Use Walk a Billion, Feel Like a Million to meet them. Can't meet nine people? Register as an individual.

But why does CardioVision 2020 emphasize physical activity?

Consider Margaret Pellegrini. This week she wrote me to say that CardioVision 2020 helped her to act on her inner desire to eat well and be fit. It helped her to keep trying to exercise in any way she could devise until she found something that she was really driven to do. She had tried aerobics, volleyball, soccer and skiing. She had shoveled snow, raked leaves, and dug holes. She had moved dirt, sand, and retaining wall blocks. She had lifted weights, walked, and swam. She had tried to run but kept finding excuses not to do it. Then she found figure skating. Now she skates for the love of skating, not just for the exercise.

Each one of Margaret's exercises -- even carrying cement blocks -- would qualify for Walk a Billion, Feel Like a Million. If it makes you sweat, you can credit it: 1,000 steps for every five minutes of activity. If it is measured, you can credit it: 2,500 steps for every mile. If you can get paid while you do it, all the better. Our goal is to get you to do nearly anything but sit on your duff. Do you need all of those steps at one time? Absolutely not. I pick up 2,500 steps on the way to work and another 2,500 on the way home. By taking the long way to lunch, I can walk another 1,000 or so, and I usually pick up 5,000 during the work day.

What's the magic about 10,000 steps? For most people 10,000 steps is about an hour of physical activity, the amount that research shows is necessary to maintain fitness and ideal weight. But 10,000 steps does more than control weight, it saves money. In an analysis done in the Twin Cities, walking one day a week saved $28 in health care costs each year. Walking every day saved $196.50 people walking every day of the week would save nearly $1 million in health care costs every year. If half the people in Olmsted County walked every day, we'd save $10 million. Do you know anyone who could use $10 million right about now?

Organize or join a team of your co-workers, friends or neighbors. The only requirement is that they live or work in Olmsted County. Buy a pedometer and start walking. If you don't want to buy a pedometer, measure some miles and walk them, or clock your more vigorous activity. If you and 9 other people on your team each log 330,000 steps, you'll be eligible for the airplane tickets. Enter the T-shirt design contest. Have fun, stay healthy, help CardioVision 2020 walk a billion and feel like a million.

Thomas E. Kottke, is a medical doctor at Mayo Clinic and project director of CardioVision 2020.