NBA All-Star Chris Paul and WNBA All-Star Diana Taurasi, are teaming up to help get teenagers into the fitness game through a new national campaign called Get Fit By Finals. The program, which launched today at an event at NBA All-Star 2009 in Phoenix, Ariz., is part of a new partnership between the “got milk?” Body By Milk® Campaign and NBA FIT, the NBA’s comprehensive health and wellness initiative that promotes healthy lifestyles for children, teens and adults through fitness and nutrition.

Adolescent obesity has tripled over the last two decades, so ’it’s never been more important for teenagers to make better food and physical activity choices, according to certified sports dietitian Tara Gidus, RD, a nutrition consultant to the Orlando Magic NBA team. That’s why Get Fit By Finals will call on teens of all activity levels to take simple steps to help improve physical fitness and nutrition – such as being active for at least 60 minutes a day and drinking 3 glasses of lowfat or fat free milk each day.

Get Fit By Finals is based on the latest federal physical activity guidelines and, draws on the fitness expertise of the NBA and WNBA trainers and the nutrition expertise of NBA sports dietitians to help teens achieve their own personal fitness goals. New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul and Phoenix Mercury guard Diana Taurasi, who are the latest stars to sport the famous milk mustache for the Body By Milk campaign, will “tip off” the semester-long program at the NBA All-Star Game on February 12 and issue a challenge to teens to Get Fit By Finals.

“Exercise and good nutrition helped make me what I am today and are critical in allowing me stay on top of my game,” says Chris Paul, a two-time NBA All-Star. “Along with Diana Taurasi and some of the top athletes and fitness and nutrition experts from the NBA and WNBA, we’re going to give teens across the country an assist in reaching their own personal best and helping them Get Fit By Finals.” Drink Milk, Stay Active and Join the Challenge

Teens can join the Get Fit By Finals Challenge at bodybymilk.com. Whether they’re star athletes or just wanting to improve their fitness level, the program has something for teens of all ability levels and interests to help them achieve their personal goals. To help motivate teens to get involved, Challenge participants will be eligible to win a variety of prizes, including sports equipment and a VIP experience at the 2009 NBA Finals. Participating schools also have a chance to win a gym makeover by showing how they rally their students to get fit.

Exclusive Get Fit Tips and Tools

Exclusive NBA Training Videos: Teens can watch exclusive videos each week at bodybymilk.com to get the inside scoop on how the pros stay fit and healthy. Featuring some of the best players from the NBA and WNBA, as well as NBA trainers and sports dietitians, each video covers different fitness or nutrition topics to help guide teens on the road to fitness, NBA-style.

Get Fit “Daily Drills”: Teens can receive daily video tips from NBA pros suggesting simple behavior modifications they can make each day to help them Get Fit. Teens can get their Daily Drills online or they can opt to receive them via e-mail – whatever suits them best!

Online Personal Fitness Tracker: To help them stay on track with their fitness routine, teens will receive a free Personal Fitness Tracker when they sign up for the Get Fit By Finals Challenge. This exclusive online tool helps them log their minutes of daily exercise and milk consumption, journal their progress towards reaching their personal goal, and assign a “Get Fit Champion” to follow along and provide motivation. Some studies suggest journaling can be an effective way of reaching personal fitness and health goals.

Get Fit “To Go”: Teens won’t have to go far to get expert fitness tips and exclusive NBA content. The Get Fit “widget” is a one-stop shop for program information, serving up weekly videos, Daily Drills and a link to their Personal Fitness Tracker – all from the convenience of their own social network page or desktop. Teens can grab the widget at bodybymilk.com – then they’re good to go!