Growing Demand Blog

A colleague on the LIVESTRONG.COM team shared the following story with me today…

She went for takeout last night, wearing her yellow and black LIVESTRONG.COM t-shirt. As she ordered, the man at the register noticed her shirt’s logo and gave a compliment. She in turn noticed his LIVESTRONG bracelet.  As they chatted, she learned that he was a member of the site. After she revealed she was a part of the LIVESTRONG.COM team, he immediately stopped what he was doing and said to her, “Thank you!  I am a 10 year cancer survivor and you have no idea how much LIVESTRONG has helped me.”

It has been one year since the official launch of LIVESTRONG.COM; and the destination continues to grow as a lifestyle hub for people across the globe. Now more than ever, people are realizing that making the right food and fitness choices is the first step in living a healthy life. LIVESTRONG.COM is working to make it easier for people to make those choices.  Our Applications such as The Daily Plate and Dares not only educate, but motivate people to strive for an active, healthy life. Additionally, LIVESTRONG.COM went mobile with the rollout of the Calorie Tracker for both the iPhone and BlackBerry. When social media meets health and fitness, we want to ensure we are putting the necessary tools at users’ fingertips, empowering them to set realistic benchmarks and achieve personal goals.

With goals like these in mind, it's no wonder that CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta is calling on The Daily Plate and Demand Media's own Joe Perez to help with his "Four Months to Fitness" initiative.

Health 2.0 sites that embrace and promote these concepts present a dynamic future for everyone. The wealth of information and peer support found online, empowers and inspires people to make positive lifestyle changes. When we came out of the gate, our mission was to give people great applications, expert advice and a community of support to assist them in making small changes to achieve everyday victories. As a testament to the strength and commitment of LIVESTRONG.COM members, here are a few interesting facts about their achievements and activities over the past 12 months.

·         410,214,681 minutes spent exercising

·         3 Billion calories burned

·         400,000,000 calories just by walking (or 4,650,000 miles)

We'll be revealing many more stats like these soon. And if you're following him on Twitter, you'll see that our CEO Richard Rosenblatt has already started to provide an early glimpse at some of them.

It is impressive to see the impact that the LIVESTRONG.COM has had on its community, particularly the man my colleague met first-hand. These results and stories inspire us to continue our level of commitment in bringing forth even more aspects to the site to assist members in attaining their targets. These include our route tracker, launching next week, and Fitness Planner, which is currently in development.  

Be sure to follow LIVESTRONG.COM on twitter @LIVESTRONG_COM

Larry Fitzgibbon is Demand Media's EVP of Demand Brands, the company's rapidly growing network of media properties.