CBC launched today, LIVE RIGHT NOW, a national multi-platform health initiative that will inspire the nation to get healthy. LIVE RIGHT NOW will encourage, educate and support Canadians to make small, manageable changes that will have a big impact on their health and the health of this country. LIVE RIGHT NOW will be supported across all of CBC’s platforms – on radio, television and online as well as via a dynamic and interactive online community, LiveRightNow.ca. Canadians can easily join the LIVE RIGHT NOW community by registering at LiveRightNow.ca.

An exclusive CBC News poll* revealed that nine in 10 Canadians would like to live healthier and 37 per cent agree that obesity is the number one health issue affecting Canadians today.  The study also found that a significant 42 per cent of Canadians say they don’t get any vigorous exercise in a week.

To help Canadians kick-start their New Year’s resolutions, CBC today partnered with YMCA Canada to host exciting LIVE RIGHT NOW registration events at locations across the country.  At YMCA facilities, Canadians could join the LIVE RIGHT NOW community, create a personalized profile on LiveRightNow.ca, and get the chance to meet some of their favourite CBC stars.

“I’m really energized by the idea of us doing something collectively as a nation about our health and well-being,” says, Jian Ghomeshi one of LIVE RIGHT NOW‘s official Ambassadors, alongside Amanda Lang and George Stroumboulopoulos. “We have a chance with LIVE RIGHT NOW to inspire each other to find balance and quality in our lives. Call it a (ahem) national exercise in health!”

LIVE RIGHT NOW is an ambitious cross-platform initiative that includes:

• LiveRightNow.ca – An interactive, online community, which will engage Canadians on the topic of health like never before. Canadians are encouraged to register online at LiveRightNow.ca where they can create a profile and access tips, tools, challenges and support to help guide their journey to better health. LiveRightNow.ca will offer tools and resources for healthy living, including expert blog posts from health professionals, healthy recipes, health and physical activity challenges (including the Million Pound Challenge), goal tracking, a body age calculator and, most importantly, a motivational community of Canadians committed to living healthier lives
• The Million Pound Challenge – Canadians looking to lose weight can join the national call-to-action, the Million Pound Challenge.  From January to July 1, Canadians interested in losing weight are encouraged to pledge to lose a combined total of one million pounds. 
• CBC NEWS: CANADA WEIGHS IN – As a wake-up call to LIVE RIGHT NOW, CBC News provides the straight goods on such pressing issues as Canadians’ health perceptions versus the realities, the importance of exercise, the epidemic of sleep deprivation, the impact of sugar, and Canadians’ increasing reliance on the Internet for their health information. The exclusive CBC News series, Canada Weighs In, kicks off on CBC-TV, CBC News Network, CBC Radio and CBCNews.ca during the week of Jan. 2.
• Village on a Diet – Premiering Monday, January 3 at 9 p.m. (9:30 NT) on CBC-TV, this 11-part television series follows the people of Taylor, B.C. on their journey to better health as they commit to shedding one ton of collective weight in just three months.
• Run Run Revolution – An experiential television and online documentary airing in the spring that will follow a group of middle school-aged children as they prepare for the youth section of the Boston Marathon. The docu-style special will not only transform the lives of the runners, it will bring together families and communities and highlight the importance of raising a healthy generation.
• Canada Day Celebration – On July 1, 2011 we will celebrate the success of LIVE RIGHT NOW with a huge celebration and reveal what Canadians have accomplished. 

CBC, in partnership with corporate sponsors President’s Choice® brand and the Ontario Medical Association, official magazine partner, Canadian Living, and an advisory board of the country’s leading health organizations—Breakfast for Learning, Canadian Diabetes Association, Canadian Obesity Network, Dietitians of Canada, Healthy Active Living and Obesity Research Group, Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, ParticipACTION and YMCA Canada — will help create a positive, fun and supportive environment for Canadians to start leading healthier lives.

* In an exclusive CBC News poll, conducted by Leger Marketing, Canadians say obesity is the country’s No. 1 health issue. These findings and related stories are the subject of Canada Weighs In, an in-depth CBC News series kicking off on CBC-TV, CBC News Network, CBC Radio and CBCNews.ca during the week of Jan. 2.

More information on LIVE RIGHT NOW can be found at www.LiveRightNow.ca

About CBC
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster and one of its largest cultural institutions. The Corporation is a leader in reaching Canadians on new platforms and delivers a comprehensive range of radio, television, Internet, and satellite-based services. Deeply rooted in the regions, CBC/Radio-Canada is the only domestic broadcaster to offer diverse regional and cultural perspectives in English, French and eight Aboriginal languages. For more information, visit www.cbc.ca.

To download high res photos from VILLAGE ON A DIET, visit the CBC Image Gallery: https://mediacentre.cbc.ca