Life Time—The Healthy Way of Life Company—Challenges Americans to Commit to a Healthy Way of Life in 2013

CHANHASSEN, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Life Time--The Healthy Way of Life Company (NYSE:LTM) is producing the first ever Commitment Day, a fitness revolution urging all Americans to commit to a healthy and active way of life. On January 1, 2013, hundreds of thousands of Americans will kick off the New Year by participating in a simultaneous 5K-run/walk event spanning 35 cities.

“Commitment Day is about millions of Americans committing to healthy, active lifestyles for themselves and their families”

“Commitment Day is about millions of Americans committing to healthy, active lifestyles for themselves and their families,” said Bahram Akradi, Chairman, President, CEO and Founder of Life Time. “It will be a day of epic proportions as hundreds of thousands of individuals join together in support of healthy people, a healthy planet and a healthy way of life. At a time when our nation is at a breaking point with ever-rising obesity rates, a generation of children facing serious health consequences, escalating health care costs and controllable diseases spiraling out of control, the time for us to take action is now.”

Here are just few of the troubling facts affecting our nation:

Two in three individuals are considered overweight or obese, generating $190.2 billion in health expenses in year and quickly becoming the number one killer of Americans¹
Our children’s life expectancy is now less than ours²
More than 105 million Americans have cardiovascular disease³
The average child spends more than 30% of his/her day in front of a screen²
Due largely to obesity, 25.8 million Americans have diabetes²
Ultimately, we are living a lifestyle that will destroy us

With the launch of Commitment Day, Life Time will present Americans with a no excuses, healthy lifestyle revolution. People of all ages and physical abilities are encouraged to commit to a healthy way of life, and extend a helping hand to others to do the same. It’s a movement to unify the nation around a cause for much needed change, before it is irreversible.

“Addressing these devastating trends requires each of us to personally engage and take positive action, while encouraging others in our communities to do the same,” said Jeff Zwiefel, Life Time Executive Vice President and Chief of Operations. “Even more important than the Commitment Day starting line is the finish, which represents the launching point for us all to join together in creating a sustainable healthier America.”

All Americans are invited to share their personal pledges toward better health at www.CommitmentDay.com, a new site dedicated to sharing the power of positive change.

Commitment Day events will take place January 1, 2013 (11:00 a.m. ET, 10:00 a.m. CT, 9:00 a.m. MT and 8:00 a.m. PT) in the following cities:


Atlanta	Indianapolis	Phoenix
Austin	Kansas City	Portland
Boston	Las Vegas	Raleigh Durham
Chicago	Los Angeles	Salt Lake City
Cincinnati	Memphis	San Antonio
Cleveland	Miami	San Diego
Columbus	Minneapolis	San Francisco
Dallas	New Orleans	Seattle
Denver	New York City	St. Louis
Des Moines	Omaha	Tulsa
Detroit	Orlando	Washington DC
Houston	Philadelphia

For additional information about Commitment Day 2013, please visit www.CommitmentDay.com.

About Life Time Fitness, Inc.
As The Healthy Way of Life Company, Life Time Fitness (LTM) helps organizations, communities and individuals achieve their total health objectives, athletic aspirations and fitness goals by engaging in their areas of interest – or discovering new passions – both inside and outside of Life Time’s distinctive and large sports, professional fitness, family recreation and spa destinations, most of which operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Company’s Healthy Way of Life approach enables customers to achieve this by providing the best programs, people and places of uncompromising quality and value. As of September 12, 2012, the Company operated 105 centers under the LIFE TIME FITNESS® and LIFE TIME ATHLETIC(SM) brands in the United States and Canada. Additional information about Life Time centers, programs and services is available at lifetimefitness.com.

Ogden, C.L., Carroll, M.D., Kit, B.K., and Flegal, K.M. (2012). Prevalence of obesity and trends in body mass index among U.S. children and adolescents, 1999-2010. Journal of the American Medical Association, 307(5), 483-490.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
American Heart Association: “Cost to treat heart disease in the United States will triple by 2030,” January 24, 2011.