Pittsburgh tries to get up, get on the move

One order of healthy living to go,… Pittsburgh tries to get up, get on the move

One order of healthy living to go, please.

This phase is not as unusual as it seems after Pitt’s announcement that it is spearheading a new “America on the Move” effort that will promote healthy living through exercise and activity.

John Jakicic, a Pitt professor and weight-management researcher, is helping head a program that would allow Pittsburghers and people from Western Pa. to record the amount of time they spend walking and compare it to other participants.

Aug. 28 saw the launch of the campaign’s Web site, americaonthemove.org, as well as the beginning of what Jakicic sees as a healthier lifestyle for the entire city. The campaign is part of a nationwide effort to encourage healthy living and exercise.

Anyone will be allowed to sign up and participate in various activities as well as receive periodic updates and daily tips on how to lead a healthier lifestyle.

“There is a call to action with steps on how to do it,” Jakicic said in a press release. “We are taking the tools that we have used in smaller group research and are sharing it with the public – at no cost – what we know works.”

Jakicic said that the ultimate goal of the program is to help Pittsburgh become healthier. Various transitional goals, such as signing up as many people as possible for the program, will allow the campaign to track actual numbers and determine if the program is successful.

Jakicic said that a lot of the support the campaign has been getting has been from Pitt, and especially Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg, as well as the UPMC Health Plan, the H.J. Heinz Foundation, Del Monte and KDKA-TV.