DeWitt Township resident Bob Johnson isn’t just walking for his health during this year’s Blue Cross® Winter Warm Up – he’s walking for his late wife, with whom he started his walking journey a couple of years ago.
“My wife had dementia, and the last two years we did a lot of walking together. It was one of our things,” said Johnson, 76. “She got pretty bad, where she really couldn’t walk very far. So, we kind of gave up (on doing the Winter Warm Up) last year. She died in January and I kind of thought this would be something she would want me to continue. I look at it as something that can help me heal.”
The Blue Cross Winter Warm Up aims to help mid-Michigan residents work their way through a free, walking-based, eight-week training program. This includes bi-weekly sessions led by Blue Cross partner the Playmakers Fitness Foundation and its “Good Form Running and Walking” programs.
Participants of all ages and abilities receive weekly tips for training, nutrition and motivation. The program concludes with a 5K walk/run at Hawk Island Park in Lansing, which took place on March 21 this year.
Burdened by two knee replacements and a hip replacement, Johnson decided to take control of his health by making a concerted effort to walk more. Walking increases circulation, which can prevent blood clots, reduce swelling and restore strength and range of motion in new joints. It’s a low-impact rehabilitation activity that can reduce long-term pain and helps people like Johnson regain independence and mobility.
“If you ever have a hip replacement or something, the people who do well are the people who move,” Johnson said. “So, that was one of my wife and I’s things, we’d go walking in the woods and go walking in parks and stuff.”
Walking 3.1 miles consecutively – the exact distance of a 5K – is unchartered territory for Johnson. But he went into the 2026 Winter Warm Up with two goals in mind, and he achieved them both.
“My goal was to finish and not finish last,” he said.
Getting back to her roots: The Winter Warm Up helped Pam Brown walk the way she used to
Delta Township resident Pam Brown signed up for the 2025 Winter Warm Up for two reasons: she wanted to improve her walking form, and she wanted to get into more of a consistent walking routine.
When she lived in a more rural area, she walked all the time. But the 73-year-old said she had drifted away from her healthy habit just a tad since moving into the suburbs.
“I used to live out in the country, so that was a wonderful place to walk,” she said. “So, this is about getting back out and doing it even though I’m not out in nature all the time.”
Additionally, walking more was a suggestion from Brown’s Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine (OMM) doctor, and Playmakers was happy to help her not only walk more, but practice good form.
Playmakers’ Good Form Walking initiative has helped walkers of all ages and abilities move more efficiently and healthier, whether it be during exercise or everyday activities. It’s a program that has helped Michiganders walk better, farther and more frequently without pain.
Brown’s walking group met Tuesdays and Thursdays at Lansing Mall, where participants began by stretching before walking throughout the mall for nearly an hour and wrapping up with cooldown exercises and feedback from the walking instructors.
“Learning more about walking form each day was reinforced throughout the last eight weeks,” she said.
Training sessions were also hosted with community partners in Delhi Township/Holt, Delta Township, DeWitt, Meridian Township, Michigan State University and St. Johns.
Brown went into the eight-week leadup to this year’s 5K expecting to get into better walking shape, which she said she did. But one thing she didn’t necessarily expect was the bonding and shared experience she enjoyed after convincing a friend to sign up for the program alongside her.
Having a workout buddy can boost accountability and consistency, making a person far more likely to stick to their fitness routine. It also enhances motivation and performance, while providing social and emotional benefits that can improve overall well-being.
“That was really nice, having a buddy to meet with,” Brown said. “Seeing her twice a week and walk and hang out. That was nice. It helped keep us both motivated, too.”
Blue Cross’ 2026 Winter Warm Up resulted in nearly 200 more registrations compared to the 2025 event. Check out the event’s Facebook page to see more photos and posts about this year’s 5K.
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Photo credit: Playmakers
