Friendly competition encourages groups to eat right and move more

Companies, clubs, schools, even cities or parishes can now form Louisiana 2 Step Teams and help each other take steps to better health.

The Louisiana 2 Step is the innovative wellness program from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana that encourages members to take two small steps to improve their health and fitness: eat right and move more.

Getting in shape and improving your diet is a lot easier when you’re not doing it alone. That’s why any group of people can set up a 2 Step Team to encourage healthy lifestyles among members.

• Employers can use the free program and the tools it offers at Louisiana2Step.com to encourage participation, set goals and give out rewards for teams of employees. 
• Clubs, organizations, cities or whole parishes can use 2 Step Teams to promote friendly competition among members of their groups. 
• Teachers can include teams of their students age 13 and over in their health and fitness education.

When an organization signs up as a 2 Step Team, its manager or representative can set goals, order 2 Step materials to encourage participation and view non-personal information about members such as date of last visit and number of log-ins. Individual members who sign up can see team goals and statistics on their personal 2 Step pages.

More than 7,000 individuals already are registered Louisiana 2 Step members. Any individual or group wanting to join the movement and do the 2 is encouraged to sign up any time for free at www.Louisiana2Step.com.

Support for the Louisiana 2 Step is also provided by the Pennington Biomedical Research Center.

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.