By Phillip Rawls, Associated Press
Montgomery, AL – Lt. Gov. Jim Folsom Jr. is launching a program to encourage all Alabamians including himself to eat healthier and exercise more.
Folsom announced the Lt. Governors' Challenge on Thursday along with several other organizations that are helping sponsor it. The Alabama program is part of a nationwide effort by the National Lieutenant Governors Association.
Participants can use a Web site (http://www.ltgovernorschallenge.us) to sign up for a 12-week program aimed at healthier living.
"I accept this challenge myself," Folsom said at a news conference in the Statehouse.
He said he already exercises regularly "but I'm going to up it some."
Montgomery physician Jefferson Underwood joined Folsom for the announcement and said he signs too many death certificates where overeating contributed to the death.
"We are just dying from eating," Underwood said.
Folsom said his interest in starting the program stems, in part, from being on a hunting trip with state Sen. Pat Lindsey, D-Butler, when he died from heart problems Jan. 11.
One of the sponsors of the program is drug manufacturer AstraZeneca. Last year, Alabama won a $160 million judgment in a drug pricing lawsuit against the U.S. subsidiary of AstraZeneca. The company has appealed to the Alabama Supreme Court.