BLOOMINGTON -- The Bloomington-Normal YMCA believes there are 7 million steps to a healthier community.

The Y, 602 S. Main St., wants to register 500 people who will each walk at least 2,000 steps (about one mile) each day during the week of Sept. 20. You don't have to be a Y member to participate, said YMCA Business Manager Marianne Gillmeister.

If 500 people walk at least 2,000 steps each day for the entire week, that will total 7 million steps, she said.

"If we set someone in motion for a week, then it might be the beginning of health and movement for a lifetime," said Sandy Zarndt, the Y membership and marketing director.

The campaign is part of a week of free activities called America on the Move Week, a national initiative of Activate America, co-sponsored by YMCA, the nonprofit America on the Move Foundation Inc. and Pepsico. The goal is to get families to eat healthfully and be physically active to reduce obesity.

"We're all aware of the obesity plaguing our country and the Y is poised to deal with it," said Y Executive Director B.J. Wilken. "We're not asking the community for money, we're asking for steps."

Sixty percent of American adults gain 1 to 2 pounds each year, Zarndt said. By adding 2,000 steps and eating 100 fewer calories each day, the average adult won't gain weight, she said.

Registration forms are available at the Y, at www.bnymca.org or on Sept. 19 at CommUniversity on the field beside the University High School parking lot. Participants will be given a guide to track their steps.

The Y also is planning a walk at 1 p.m. Sept. 20, classes for older adults on Sept. 21, classes for families on Sept. 22, classes for kids on Sept. 23, classes for adults on Sept. 24 and a Pack the Gym Zumba Happy Hour from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Sept. 25.