Stepping Up to Fitness in Walk This Way

A second group of employees in the State Treasurer’s Office stepped up to the challenge of Walk This Way, a fitness program that encourages state employees to increase their physical activity.

Four employees in the Nebraska Child Support Payment Center completed the Walk This Way program and exceeded the goal of logging 450,000 steps by March 31. Of those participating in the challenge throughout state government, 3,884 people met or exceeded the goal, which is more than twice the number who achieved the goal in 2010.

Five of the Treasurer’s Office employees who met or exceeded the goal were featured in an earlier article; four more are featured here.

• Sarah Muller, a research analyst in the Child Support Payment Center, walked more than 3 million steps in the Walk This Way challenge. She says she “walks all the time” and plays regularly in volleyball and basketball leagues.
• Jen Johnson, a banking specialist in the Child Support Payment Center, said she stopped recording her steps after she reached 600,000. In addition to walking, she runs and jogs outdoors when she can, or she works out on the treadmill and the elliptical machine at Gold’s Gym. She also plays in a summer softball league
• Jeremy Kaiser, also a banking specialist, said he, too, stopped counting just under 600,000 steps. He goes to the gym for weight training and cardiovascular workouts two to three times a week.
• Jamison Hawk, a research analyst, also met the goal, even though he only began working for the Child Support Payment Center less than a year ago and entered the walking challenge in September.

A total of 881 state workers and their spouses logged at least 1 million steps in the Walk This Way program; 350 people reached 2 million steps; 156 logged more than 3 million steps, including Gov. Dave Heineman; and 73 people logged at least 4 million steps, according to a news release from the governor’s office. For the second year in a row, one of the top walkers was Robert Timme of Lincoln, who logged more than 8 million steps. Timme works with the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services.