Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota is hoping to encourage people to walk more through strategically placed messages in mall parking lots, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. The insurer is spray-painting remote parking spaces with the message, "Today is the day we burn calories by parking here." By choosing spots that are farther away from shopping mall entrances, Blue Cross hopes to remind shoppers that small choices, like taking a few extra steps each day, can have a big impact on their health.
"If you talk to anybody who at one point was inactive, you find they started making one little change--they took the steps up one flight at work instead of the elevator ... or they started carrying in their groceries one bag at a time," said Marc Manley, chief prevention officer at Blue Cross. "Pretty soon, they were doing a lot more physical activity." The campaign runs through August at nine malls throughout the state. Article