More than 4,500 Louisianians are eating right and moving more
The New Orleans Saints’ talented young fullback, Mike Karney, has joined a new team.
The Saints’ No. 44 is now a spokesperson and the model for a “virtual coach” on the Louisiana 2 Step program website at www.Louisiana2Step.com. Site visitors can read Karney’s 2 Step blog, check out some of his favorite recipes and fitness tips and even choose “Coach Mike” to encourage and motivate them as they take steps toward a healthier lifestyle.
“Being fit makes you feel great, and that feeling is contagious,” says Karney, who is originally from Washington state. “Louisiana is home for me (now) – this is where I play ball – and I know that obesity is a challenge here. But together we can overcome obesity if we all get educated and educate our kids.”
More than 4,500 users have registered with the Louisiana 2 Step campaign, which was developed by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana and the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and have pledged to better their health by eating right and moving more.
Those two steps are the foundation of the Louisiana 2 Step, a statewide public health campaign encouraging Louisiana residents to take two small daily steps toward better health. The campaign urges Louisianians to visit www.Louisiana2Step.com to learn more about ways to make these small changes, and more than 23,000 unique visitors have done so.
“The momentum behind the Louisiana 2 Step campaign just keeps building,” says John Maginnis, vice president of Corporate Communications at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana. “The website is educational, but it’s also entertaining and fun. Mike Karney’s contributions add a lot to both of those aspects of the site.”
Much of the information on www.Louisiana2Step.com is available without registering, but registered members have access to a broader range of interactive tools for health management. The site offers healthy recipes, fitness tips, a list of 100-calorie snacks and interactive trackers for recording weight, daily activity and calories taken in.
“The website gives people everything they need,” Karney says. “Education and tools, information – it has all the answers.”
The Louisiana 2 Step program has added several other new facets in recent weeks. Some of the highlights:
- The six virtual coaches at http://www.louisiana2step.com/ now have their own voices. Previously they “spoke” to site visitors through speech bubbles, but 2 Step participants now have the option to hear Mike Karney motivate them in his own words or to hear the voices of the fictional Doc, Mrs. Fitz, I.E. Fontenot, Pepper and Coach.
- Louisiana 2 Step registrants can also earn a plush doll version of their favorite coach by participating regularly in the interactive portions of the website.
- ENSCO, an offshore oil and gas drilling contractor, joins Digital FX, Inc., and Gerry Lane Enterprises in Baton Rouge as the latest companies to promote the Louisiana 2 Step to their employees. These firms are encouraging all employees to sign up and Do the 2 for better health.
- The Louisiana 2 Step Participating Restaurant program debuted with four restaurants already signed up. These restaurants pledge to be friendly toward requests for healthier menu choices, such as vegetable side dishes, grilled and baked items, clear soups and lighter desserts.
Blue Cross – the state’s largest health insurer – and the Baton Rouge-based, world-class Pennington research center joined forces in January to fight obesity, one of the leading causes of preventable illness in our state. “We know even small changes in a daily routine to add movement and eat a little less can have significant health benefits,” says Pennington Center scientist Phil Brantley, Ph.D.
The burden of obesity hits our state hard:
- Louisiana ranks fourth in adult obesity in the nation.
- Being overweight and/or obese substantially increases the risk of hypertension, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis and various cancers.
- Obesity-related diseases account for nearly half of Louisiana’s healthcare budget.
- Almost 1 in 3 Louisiana school-aged children is overweight or obese.
Recent research has shown that small lifestyle changes can add up to better health and lowered risk for obesity-related diseases. For example, eating five or more servings of fruits or vegetables per day can help prevent heart disease, cancer and other chronic conditions. Yet in 2003, 84 percent of Louisianians reported that they did not consume at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
About Blue Cross
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is Louisiana-owned and -operated. Marking its 73rd anniversary this year, the company is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. It is a tax-paying mutual company, owned by its policyholders. Headquartered in Baton Rouge, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana also has district offices in Alexandria, Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans and Shreveport. The company’s subsidiaries include HMO Louisiana, Inc. and Southern National Life Insurance Company, Inc.
About the Pennington Biomedical Research Center
Opened in 1988, the Pennington Biomedical Research Center now houses 14 research laboratories, 17 core service laboratories, inpatient and outpatient clinics, a research kitchen, an administrative area and more than $20 million in technologically advanced equipment. Located in Baton Rouge, the Center was expanded in 1993 to include the C.B. Pennington Jr. Conference Center, residence apartments, and an exercise and fitness facility. More than 70 faculty members and over 600 physicians, scientists and support personnel focus their research efforts on six key areas: Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome, Experimental Obesity, Functional Foods, Nutrition and Chronic Diseases, Health and Performance Enhancement, and Nutrition and the Brain. For more information, visit www.pbrc.edu.
