State Farm Teams with LeBron James for Cleveland Fit Challenge
September 28th, 2008 | by admin |State Farm spent much of the summer touring the country as a part of their effort to get America in shape with the 50 Million Pound Challenge. This is a collaborative program between State Farm and Dr. Ian Smith, who is best known for his work on VH1’s Celebrity Fit Club. State Farm Insurance was also honored to have the help of LeBron James, star of the NBA and the American Olympic Basketball Team. James and Smith helped spread the word about this State Farm sponsored program at events such as the Cleveland Challenge on June 18 at Cleveland’s Q Arena.
The Cleveland Challenge was particularly successful for the State Farm Insurance team. The event featured LeBron James and Mayor Frank Jackson, who invited Cleveland residents to join the effort to get healthier and ensure a better future for themselves and their families. State Farm anticipated that the city challenge would be a highly valuable tool to help participants achieve weight-loss success while contributing to the campaign’s 50 million pound goal. And as State Farm reports, they are well on their way. Cleveland alone has lost more than 2 million pounds and counting.
It wasn’t hard for State Farm to see why they should get involved in this challenge - more than 135 million Americans are overweight. That is double the rate a few decades ago. Each week 10,000 people die from heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and other illness related to poor diet and lack of exercise. State Farm wanted to be a driving force in combating this problem, which has been particularly prominent in the African American community. A startling 80 percent of women and 67 percent of men in the African American community face higher risks from weight-related diseases.
With companies like State Farm Insurance encouraging weight loss and fitness in the U.S., we are well on our way to a healthier nation. Friends and family set a powerful example for each other—they tend to gain together, but can also lose weight together. State Farm has always been like a good neighbor, and they want to help their neighbors across the nation lose weight.