When listening to hours of testimony while seated on the bench at the front of her Helena courtroom, Judge Dorothy McCarter says it's more likely her bottom will fall asleep than that she'll wind up with a well-earned charley horse.

So, McCarter hits the sidewalks for a brisk walk during breaks from court activity and jumps on her treadmill when she gets home.

Like McCarter, Dick Meeker doesn't get the greatest workout ushering young offenders to and from court appearances and consulting with concerned parents in his cramped office as part of his duties as Lewis and Clark County's chief juvenile probation officer.

Instead, he looks to his daily walks with his dog to get some essential fresh air and exercise.

While McCarter and Meeker catch their daily doses of physical activity when and where they can, both are working toward the same goal - improving their health one step at a time.

McCarter and Meeker are two of about 3,000 state employees from across Montana who are breaking away from their potentially sedentary lifestyles by participating in state government's spring wellness program, "Moving Across Montana."

The new program encourages teams of up to nine members to log the number of miles they walk each day on a pedometer purchased through the program, then report those scores to their team captain. That person, in turn, passes on the information to LaDonna Grotbo, the state wellness officer.

The goal of the program is for each team to accumulate enough miles among its members to walk across Montana in an eight-week time period.

Grotbo posts each team's progress on the state employee Web site so participants can keep track of their team's success, along with monitoring how other teams are doing.

"I felt like I was taking a chance when I decided to do this," Grotbo said recently of her decision to break away from the competitive exercise and nutrition programs the state has pursued in recent years.

"But I didn't think I was reaching the people I really wanted to reach - the ones who have never participated in the wellness programs before."

Grotbo doesn't know whether state employees were prime to make a lifestyle change, or if it was the promise of a nifty little gadget to monitor their progress, but response to the "Moving Across Montana" program was overwhelming.

In the past, the best response was 150 teams that signed up for the spring wellness program. This year, 342 teams, consisting of about 3,000 state employees, are in the walking.

The spring program is one of several wellness programs Grotbo coordinates as part of the state's employee wellness initiative.

Others include health screening, Weight Watchers, smoking cessation and educational brown-bag seminars - all parts of a healthy lifestyle, Grotbo said.

"The whole basis of this is active living," Grotbo explained, adding that the rising cost of health care is a national issue. "Giving employees the tools to become more physically fit makes a difference in the overall cost to the state in health care in the long run."

Of all the programs Grotbo coordinates, she says the "Moving Across Montana" event has been among the most enjoyable ... and the most ambitious.

"I sent out an e-mail to the captains this week calling them overachievers," she said, explaining that several teams have already accumulated enough miles on their pedometers to have walked across the state.

As a result, Grotbo has modified the program by directing the teams to different destinations across the country, while some of the teams have set their own goals such as walking to the moon.

"I've had to get a little creative and add some twists along the way," she said.

McCarter and Meeker's team - the Newbie Nine - has already made it across Montana and is on its way to Bismarck, N.D.

Meeker estimates that he averages about 8 miles a day while McCarter logs about 6 miles.

McCarter said the pedometer provides her with the incentive to up her exercise ante on a weekly basis.

"You get to see your results every day on your pedometer," she said, adding that the fact her husband, Mike, is a member of another "Moving Across Montana" team inserts a fun element of competition to her participation.

Both Meeker and McCarter said they have particularly enjoyed the team aspect of the wellness program.

"You're part of a group," said Meeker. "So it's fun, as a group, to see how many miles you're putting on the map."

McCarter said she also appreciates the morale building benefit of the program, explaining that the program encourages interaction among co-workers that isn't work related.

"There are no disadvantages to participating in this," she said. "I think this is one of the best things the state could have done."

Given the apparent success of the "Moving Across Montana" program, Grotbo is already making plans for the second round of the wellness initiative.

She anticipates offering the program again next spring, but if all goes well, she may be able to convince her department to endorse a fall version of the fitness program.

This time, in honor of the Lewis and Clark Bicentennial, Grotbo hopes to have teams follow the route the famous explorers took on their historic journey.

Wellness Web page open to anyone

While state-sponsored wellness programs are open only to state employees, that doesn't exclude other Montana residents from looking to the state for some assistance in becoming more health conscious.

LaDonna Grotbo, a state health promotion coordinator, has organized a wellness page on the state Web site that provides health information ranging from low-fat recipes submitted by state workers to links to medical information resources.

"People need to take more responsibility for their health," Grotbo said. "And they have some resources here."

Along with information about the specific state wellness programs, the site provides a roundup of area races, a map outlining the Capitol 1-mile walking course and even weekly health tips on issues such as stretching prior to exercising.

To visit the state's wellness page, go to www.discoveringmontana.com/doa/spd/css/benefits/wellness/wellness.asp.

Easy pedometer/journal program info online

LaDonna Grotbo doesn't expect Montana state employees participating in the spring wellness program to walk across the United States to prove their dedication to physical fitness.

However, the program coordinator didn't think it would be a bad idea to recruit someone who has accomplished that feat to guide her in her effort to transform state employees into walking fanatics.

Enter entrepreneur Robert Sweetgall, who walked 11,208 miles in 1984 in a year-long effort to walk around the U.S.

Since Sweetgall's trek - which included a brisk trot through Helena with an enthusiastic group of Helena Middle School students - he has taken to the lecture circuit, delivering motivational seminars to groups and corporations across the county.

In addition, he has translated his vision of walking as a means to achieving physical fitness into a program that incorporates technology (pedometers) with journal-style workbooks.

Sweetgall said establishing a pattern of wellness doesn't get much simpler than this.

"When you get dressed in the morning, you clip on your pedometer and go about your day," he said last week. "It's non-threatening and it's easy."

For more information about Sweetgall's trek and his fitness products and programs, log on to his company Web site at www.creativewalking.com.