Lighten Up Louisiana will begin its third fitness competition Jan. 17, 2007. Sponsored by the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, the competition is designed to help promote physical activity and healthy eating habits.
Lighten up Louisiana is a five-month competition running from January through June that will recognize team and individual weight loss accomplishments as well as accumulated miles that result from physical activity.
Since Louisiana's obesity rate has risen in the past 10 years (from 49 percent in 1991 to 63 percent in 2004 as reported by the Louisiana Public Health Institute), the competition is an important way to help encourage people to actively participate in developing a healthier lifestyle.
Lighten Up participation is reported and tracked online at www.lightenuplouisiana.org. Team captains simply log on, enter their teams and information and update their accomplishments each week.
