Record Breaking Cyclist Tackles Diabetes: He’s won more awards than most cyclists will ever see. He survived testicular cancer and has evoked passion in many who want to see an end to cancer. Lance Armstrong is a much-celebrated figure, but at the moment he’s not thinking about the 2010 tour de France – he’s thinking about diabetes.
Armstrong became impassioned with sports when he started as a swimmer back in Texas as a boy. He would later advance to triathlons and then on to cycling. Many sports organizations have named him sportsman of the year and he has defied the odds in overcoming health difficulties that has resulted in the death of many.
In 2004 he started the Lance Armstrong Foundation. A yellow rubberized bracelet that read “Livestrong” was a key to raising funds for the organization. Millions of bands have sold and Armstrong uses his cycling as a way to raise awareness for the needs of cancer patients. More than 70 million of these wristbands have been sold at $1 per band. The money raised has gone to cancer research.
No one can fault Armstrong for his passion for cancer research. After all the cause was very personal. His passion propelled the cause and raised awareness. However, at the dawn of a new decade Armstrong is adding a new cause to his health awareness plate.
According to BusinessWire.com, “LIVESTRONG.COM, an online destination for health, fitness and lifestyle-related information… announced the launch of MyPlate D, a free online nutrition tracking tool designed to empower people with diabetes to take control of their disease and to help those who are at risk make healthier choices. LIVESTRONG.COM began testing this new tool in conjunction with National Diabetes Month and is now releasing it to a wider audience to raise awareness of the disease. According to the American Diabetes Association, 23.6 million adults and children in the United States — nearly 8 percent of the population — have diabetes.”
Lance Armstrong is quoted as saying, “LIVESTRONG.COM was created to help consumers take action and reduce their risks for diseases and illness by making small, positive changes in their daily lives. MyPlate D was really just the next step in developing an all-encompassing and cohesive resource for risk reduction.”
BusinessWire.com describes the new service by saying, “MyPlate D includes comprehensive nutrition information which enables users to track calories, fat, protein and carbohydrates for more than 625,000 food items. The tool also allows users to view their overall nutrition, as well as in-depth data about specific foods to balance their nutritional intake with daily activities and exercise.”
Armstrong has been very active in developing online tools and using social media to enhance his position on health related issues and the MyPlate D program is an expansion of the belief that many people are getting information online so, by extension, this program has the potential to reaching out to many who might not attend a local class on a particular subject or may be too embarrassed to ask questions about diabetes.
The new service will also have a community function by allowing users to interact with each other while utilizing tools that can help them reach and maintain personal health objectives. Francine R. Kaufman, M.D. and LIVESTRONG.COM expert said, “We designed MyPlate D to give users the tools to make better choices, and immediately see how changes in diet impact their overall health.”