Rite Aid to Help People Get Fit, Manage Weight In 2009

Rite Aid Teams with Lindora and Fitness Expert Denise Austin to Offer Free Online “Rite Weight Plan” and Weight Management Guide Available Online and in Stores Nationwide

Camp Hill, PA .-Millions of Americans are likely to again vow to lose weight in the coming year, and Rite Aid drugstores with Lindora, America’s leading medical weight control program, and fitness expert Denise Austin have designed a program to help, with materials online and in Rite Aid stores nationwide.

Rite Aid customers also can enter a sweepstakes to win a day with Denise Austin. Four customers and their guests will win a three-day, two-night luxury spa getaway at the Lansdowne Resort in Lansdowne, Va., where they will be treated to lunch, spa treatments and workout sessions with Denise Austin. Visit Rite Aid stores or www.riteaid.com for details and complete sweepstakes rules.

Despite the New Year’s resolutions made every year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 66 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese, and 17 percent of children and adolescents are now seriously overweight. Being overweight increases a person’s risk for more than 50 diseases and conditions including heart disease, diabetes and hypertension.

To help customers get fit and manage their weight in 2009, Rite Aid offers the Rite Weight Plan developed with Lindora, a safe, tested and practical online weight loss program that can help participants lose as much as 10 percent of their body weight in just 10 weeks. It’s free and easy to enroll at www.riteaid.com/riteweightplan. Participants immediately will receive a welcome message and instructions to get started, with all of the following to support their weight loss efforts:

* Daily support via e-mails that educate and inspire to help participants stay focused and motivated.
* Daily Action Plan to keep track of meals and food intake, with space to record pedometer steps, personal accomplishments and more.
* Rite Weight Tracker for tracking weight every day with a personalized chart that changes to reflect participants’ progress toward their goal weight.
* Food recommendations and menus so that participants have access to the “recommended foods” lists, which include carbohydrate counts and serving sizes. In addition, there are easy-to-follow sample menus that fit within Rite Weight Plan guidelines.
* Personalized Q & A sessions whereby participants may submit their own personal question and have it answered by a Lindora weight loss expert.
* Online interactive Web seminars led by Lindora weight loss experts (there are different topics to choose from throughout the year).
* Audio messages from Lindora weight loss experts that provide information and inspiration.
* Lindora Lifestyle Assessments to help participants find out if they are at risk for certain health conditions and discover what lifestyle changes you can make to counter those risks.

Also part of the program is the free 16-page Weight Management guide, which is available in all Rite Aid stores and at the online site. The guide gives examples of simple lifestyle changes patients can make to look and feel better, hints on how to eat healthy when eating out, facts about fat, a Body Mass Index calculator, and ways to help children develop healthy eating and exercise habits. The guide also features fitness expert Denise Austin giving her top 10 tips for making health and fitness a part of everyday routines, including fitness strategies, nutrition, and the importance of incorporating an activity you like into your workout. Denise also shares her seven-minute strength building routine, including step-by-step instructions and illustrations of seven different exercises.

Rite Aid’s focus on weight management is part of its yearlong commitment to patient health and wellness. Each year Rite Aid offers free information, answers and guidance on health and wellness topics including allergy awareness, skin care, oral health, diabetes and heart health.