Empowering Tennesseans to make diet and physical activity choices that enable them to achieve or maintain a healthy weight.

Obesity and overweight have reached epidemic proportion in Tennessee. These conditions are key risk factors for chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, high blood pressure, stroke and some types of cancer. The leading causes of these conditions are poor diet and lack of physical activity. Tennessee Shapes Up is an educational initiative of the University of Tennessee Extension aimed at reversing the obesity trend.

Tennessee Shapes Up Initiative includes the following programs:

• Tennessee Shapes Up is a series of lessons (usually taught twice a week for eight weeks). Although appropriate for anyone, the lessons target adults. Class time includes instruction as well as a group activity, such as walking.
• Power U is a fun and innovative curriculum to teach fourth graders to develop healthy eating and physical activity habits.
• Power of Choice teaches youth (pre-adolescents and adolescents) how to make healthy eating and fitness decisions.
• e-Wellness is a web-based weight-control program using a team approach to build a support system for participants. This program is appropriate for worksites or any community group who would like to improve their health and control their weight. The county Extension agent leads the program and provides instruction for the team captains and team members (starting in 2008).
• UT Extension Employee Wellness Program is designed to help UT Extension Employees maintain good health.
• Color Me Healthy is a physical activity and healthy eating program for pre-K and kindergarten students.
• Walk Across Tennessee is a walking program for all ages.
• Culinary Arts for the Everyday Cook is a series of cooking classes to help people learn that healthy foods taste good (starting in 2008).
• Body Works is a program to encourage mother/daughter discussions about a realistic body image and a healthy lifestyle practices (starting in 2008).

Call your county Extension office to find out when any of the above programs will be offered in your county.

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