Million-Step Monday — Making their first million

From left: Jessica Brummer, Julie Carstens and Kim Minino make a virtual visit to Chimney Rock. All three have reached 1 million steps as part of the UNMC’s virtual trek across Nebraska. (Photo has been digitally enhanced.)

Three UNMC employees have reported reaching Chimney Rock as part of the virtual trek across Nebraska.

Julie Carstens of the Munroe-Meyer Institute reached the 1 million-step milestone — which represents the distance between Omaha and Chimney Rock — last Tuesday. Public affairs’ Jessica Brummer reached the milestone on Wednesday and Kim Minino of ITS telecommunications reached 1 million steps on Friday.

Both Carstens and Minino racked up their step totals simply by walking.

Carstens has had a daily goal of walking 10,000 steps for years. When the 1 Million Step Challenge came around, she decided to increase her daily goal to 15,000 to 20,000.

“I decided that it would take very little effort to increase my steps,” Carstens said. “When my daughter would go to soccer practice or games, I would walk during practice or before the game started instead of just sitting around the whole time. I also live around a lake with a 3.6 mile paved walking path, so I try to walk this every day.”

Minino is training to participate in a 60-mile walk in Chicago in August to raise money for breast cancer research. On weekends, she said it’s common for her to walk 30,000 steps in a day as she takes walks around Chalco Hills Lake or Lake Zorinsky.

A key to her stepping success, Minino said, has been to bring along a good book — on tape that is.

Stepping out Click here to see blog entries from Carstens and Minino about how they logged 1 million steps.

“I check the tapes out at the library and they have been my lifesaver,” Minino said. “Sometimes I’m listening to a book and I have to walk a little longer because I’m at a good part in the book.”

Brummer, a fitness enthusiast, amassed her total with daily four to six mile jogs, walks over her lunch hour and other forms of exercise.

“My goal was to reach 1 million steps in 10 weeks,” Brummer said. “Well, it’s been nine weeks and here I am.”
By reaching 1 million steps so quickly, Brummer, Carstens and Minino showed hitting the milestone in a year is a very realistic goal for all UNMC employees, said Jayme Nekuda of the Center for Healthy Living.

“These walkers provided some effective tips on how we can all increase our activity and reach 1 million steps,” Nekuda said.

Nekuda challenged Brummer, Carstens and Minino to keep on stepping.

“At this rate, they all should be able to top 5 million steps by the time the challenge ends next year,” Nekuda said.

The following is a list of UNMC employees who have recently reached one of the 250,000-step markers in the 1 Million Step Challenge. Send an e-mail to today@unmc.edu with your name, department and tell us what step milestone you reached and we’ll post it on the list.

250,000 steps

• Jean Balsano, internal medicine
  
• Laura Bashus, College of Public Health
  
• Steve Brown, budget office
  
• Jolene Gulizia, printing services
  
• Lana Hammel, purchasing
  
• Deanna Hansen, internal medicine
  
• Pat Hoffman, information technology services
  
• Bill Johnson, adult restorative dentistry
  
• Barb Wright-Kennedy, information technology services
  
• Kaleb Michaud, Ph.D., internal medicine
  
• Cyndie Poffenbarger, sponsored programs accounting
  
• Craig Poole, sponsored programs accounting
  
• Virginia Powers, radiation science
  
• Steve Ryan, epidemiology
  
• Stacie Sabatka, psychiatry
  
• Carol Toris, ophthalmology
  
• Lynda Volcheck, telecommunications
  
• Hongmei Wang, Ph.D., health services research and administration

500,000 steps

• Mary Ann Bernal, pathology/microbiology
  
• Jeff Broberg, sponsored programs accounting
  
• Chuck Brown, public affairs
  
• Lori Cervantes, ophthalmology
  
• Lori Clapper, College of Medicine Dean’s Business Office
  
• Puttappa Dodmane, pharmacology and experimental neuroscience graduate student
  
• Bonnie Johnson, College of Dentistry — preclinical dispensing
  
• Cynthia Plate, Eppley Institute
  
• John Reinhardt, D.D.S., College of Dentistry
  
• Eric Rush, M.D., internal medicine
  
• Dana Teeters, human resources
  
• Denise Wessling, facilities management and planning
  
• Yanyan Zhu, sponsored programs accounting
  
• Diane Strnadm, College of Medicine Dean’s Business Office

750,000 steps

• Jill Daley, ophthalmology
  
• Tom Keenan, procurement

1,000,000 steps

• Jessica Brummer, public affairs
  
• Julie Carstens, Munroe-Meyer Institute
  
• Kim Minino, ITS telecommunications