Lars Leon, Lawrence, takes a walk across the Kansas University campus on Friday, March 25, 2016. The KU librarian will be a member of team participating in the Walk Kansas program that Kansas State Research and Extension offers each spring.

Although Lars Leon is dedicated to fitness, he says his job as a resource sharing librarian at Kansas University’s Watson Library doesn’t lend itself to staying active.

“It’s not physically demanding,” he said. “Sitting before a computer screen all day between going to meetings doesn’t get you much exercise.”

He and five co-workers have found a way to jointly address that with the arrival of spring. Three years ago they formed the Stax Trekkers to participate in the annual spring Walk Kansas program offered through Kansas State Research and Extension.

The team started with the least demanding of the three levels of the Walk Kansas challenge, which is to log miles equal to the 423-mile distance between the Missouri to Colorado state lines, Leon said. After “knocking that off pretty easily,” the team decided last year to take on the most demanding level of walking the 1,200 miles of the state’s perimeter. The mid-level equals the 750-mile distance from the state’s northwest to southeast corners.

Leon said the team aspect helped keep him and other team members motivated last year, and they will again take on the parameter challenge this spring.

“It’s the accountability,” he said. “Not in a bad way, but that team spirit of ‘Oh my gosh, we’re going to walk around Kansas together’ way.”

Douglas County Kansas State Extension family and consumer science agent Susan Johnson said the team approach to fitness was one of the research-based aspects of Walk Kansas.

“That’s why I think it works so successfully in the workplace, because it does motivate people to get out and walk together or take a break for physical activity,” she said. “Research shows 10 minutes of physical activity does motivate workplace productivity.”

About 80 percent of the 122 teams and 740 participants in Douglas County’s 2015 Walk Kansas program were work-related, Johnson said.

Walk Kansas addresses more elements of healthy living than walking, Johnson said. Teams also get mileage credits for eating fruits and vegetables or engaging in other forms of exercise such as weight training, bicycling or jogging.

“It’s not just walking,” Johnson said. “It’s any kind of cardiovascular activity. It’s really meant to get your cardiovascular going for 10 minutes at a time.

“There’s several components of Walk Kansas. We want to get more people motivated to get fit. We want them to eat more fruits and vegetables and drink more water.”

Research shows the Walk Kansas activity and healthy eating have a number of benefits, including increased muscle strength, lower blood pressure, healthier attitudes, better sleep habits and improved stress management, Johnson said.

“We have had a number of diabetics who said their participation improved their blood numbers,” she said.

The 2016 program starts April 2 and will continue through May 28. Team registrations will be accepted through April 8 at walkkansas.org or by returning forms to the Douglas County Extension Office, 2110 Harper St., Johnson said. Teams are to have six members with a team captain who logs miles online, although there are some five-member teams.

Registration is $8 per team member.

The Walk Kansas website is more interactive this year, which will allow participants to communicate with other team members or participants online, Johnson said.

“It’s another little nudge to increase motivation to get moving,” she said. “The idea is never to get too caught up on minutes, but to enjoy movement. It’s a program that inspires you to get outside again.”