WESTLAKE, Ohio--March 21, 2013: TravelCenters of America LLC (TravelCenters) operator of the TA and Petro Stopping Centers travel center brands, is once again leading the charge in professional driver health and wellness. The new, free 'Get Moving. StayFit.' Program helps drivers focus on nutrition and physical fitness. TravelCenters developed 'Get Moving. StayFit.' in cooperation with the President's Challenge, the premier program of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition.
While 'Get Moving. StayFit.' is tailored specifically for professional drivers, the foundation of the program mimics the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA+) Program, a program of the President's Challenge that encourages all Americans to lead healthy, active lifestyles. The plus sign ('+') after the PALA acronym signifies the addition of healthy eating to the program originally designed to promote an increase in physical activity.
"TravelCenters chose to partner with the President's Challenge and base our program off of the PALA+ program because of their longstanding commitment to promoting fitness and healthy eating for adults and youth throughout the country. The President's Challenge has been around since the 1960s, and the program has recognized millions of people for their fitness achievements," said Tom O'Brien, President and CEO of TravelCenters.
'Get Moving. StayFit.' will officially launch on May 1, 2013. TA and Petro are offering professional drivers the opportunity to pre-enroll in the program at any TA or Petro location through the UltraONE driver kiosk beginning April 1. Drivers can also enroll at the TA/Petro booth (#19156) at the Mid-America Trucking Show taking place March 21-23 at the Kentucky Expo Center is Louisville.
Beginning May 1, drivers will see all program components appear on the UltraONE kiosk 'Get Moving. StayFit.' screen. For each week in their eight-week program, drivers choose and commit to 30 minutes of physical activity per day for at least five days a week. Participants can also earn their activity credit by wearing a pedometer and logging 8,500 steps per day. All activity can be easily recorded by the driver at the UltraONE kiosk.
The program includes encouragement to focus on a weekly nutritional goal to exercise and eat healthy. The UltraONE kiosk makes it easy to track, and automatically provides required information to the President's Challenge program. Drivers who complete six of the eight weeks of the Challenge can redeem their virtual 'Apples' accumulated through the UltraONE kiosk for great StayFit prizes, and those who complete the 'Get Moving. StayFit.' PALA Challenge will receive a unique, embroidered TA/Petro PALA patch, developed specifically for this Program.
"We're very excited to team up with PALA+ to support health and fitness specifically for drivers," continued O'Brien. "We want to help drivers set and meet their own goals for staying healthier on the road. Since launching our StayFit program in 2010, we have had thousands of drivers use our free fitness rooms, walking trails and basketball hoops at our locations across the country. And our StayFit restaurant menu options, as well as the Travel Store fresh and healthy offerings are popular with drivers looking to live healthier. We look forward to awarding many prizes to drivers who complete this Challenge," he added.
