The next Walk North Dakota challenge will begin Sunday, Jan. 11. The program is an NDSU Extension Service program that encourages people to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. That is the equivalent of five miles a day, five days a week, or 200 miles during the eight-week program. In comparison, people take an average of 2,000 to 4,000 steps a day.

Participants can sign up as individuals or as a group. Anyone who wants to form a group should contact Walk North Dakota coordinator Linda Hauge at linda.hauge@ndsu.edu. Participants are not required to live in North Dakota.

The registration fee is $10 for adults and $5 for youths age 18 and younger. Members and leaders of 4-H clubs can participate free of charge. To register, go to the Walk North Dakota Web site at www.walknd.com or send a check payable to the NDSU Extension Service to WALK ND, NDSU Dept. 7280, Box 6050, Fargo, N.D. 58108-6050. You also can pay online by credit or debit card.

To participate, register and keep track of your steps each day, then report those steps by the designated dates every two weeks. You can report your steps online or on a mail-in card.

To keep track of your steps, put on a pedometer the first thing in the morning and record the number of steps you've taken at the end of the day. If you don't own a pedometer, list one mile or 2,000 steps for every 20 minutes you walk.

"Programs such as Walk North Dakota are time and money well spent," Hauge says. "They can help motivate participants to make healthier choices and stay committed to increasing the amount of physical activity that they get each day."

Since Walk North Dakota began in May 2004, 3,507 people have walked 1.35 billion steps, or about 678,150 miles. This year's Walk North Dakota challenge goes until Saturday, March 7.