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Man Lives In Glass Apartment Inside Mall Of America

By Kerry McNally, WCCO-TV

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (WCCO) -- Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota's campaign "Let me see you move" is now on display at Mall of America.

St. Paul's Scott Jorgenson, the "Human Doing" is spending a month in a glass apartment in an attempt to show us all how to live a healthier life.  For 30 days and nights he'll be under the watchful eyes of thousands of people on-line and hundreds right outside his door.

"When they spoke to me about the Do Campaign, it's that nobody moves anymore. I was living proof I didn't think of myself as lazy," Scott said.

Three to five times a day Scott will exercise.  Through Facebook and Twitter, online followers vote on precisely what he will have to do for a minimum of 10 minutes.

"When the time comes, whichever activity has the most votes he comes out and does it," Dr. Marc Manly, chief prevention officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota, said.

Dr. Manly added that he's already seeing a major shift in Jorgenson's lifestyle.

"He's also doing other things that aren't even on the list. He's taking walks around the mall, he's doing some special activities. So he's an active guy now and that's a big change from just four days ago."

Despite the prying eyes, Jorgenson does have all the comforts of home and was even allowed to bring some food in from his fridge. I discovered a Tombstone Pizza on the bottom rack.

"OK, I like pizza but I'm going to find out some healthier choices," Jorgenson said.

It's easy to see why Jorgenson has so many online followers. He seems genuinely interested in being a positive role model.

"They cheer me on and I just keep looking at the clock -- 10 minutes, 10 minutes -- and I get there and I get done and I try to update everyone on how it went and wait for the next one," Jorgenson said.

Whether you see this as a publicity stunt, performance art or social experiment Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota says a lot is at stake. Six out of 10 Minnesotans are currently overweight or obese.

They claim that if that number doesn't change, health care costs in Minnesota could increase by up to $4 billion by 2020.

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