Olivia Newton John gets physical with Curves to fight cancer

Curves International, Inc., the world’s largest fitness club franchisor, today announced that it is joining Australian superstar Olivia Newton-John in the fight against cancer as a presenting sponsor of The Great Walk to Beijing 2008. Curves has pledged a minimum $1 million contribution toward the Walk—a fundraiser that will benefit the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre Appeal. Curves founder Diane Heavin will join Olivia on the three-week Walk.

Olivia and Diane will be joined by other celebrities, sports heroes, business leaders, corporate partners and cancer survivors as they trek 142 miles (228 km) over some of the oldest and steepest portions of the Great Wall of China. The Walk begins April 7 and ends with a triumphal entry into Beijing on April 29.

“Curves is a natural choice to be a primary sponsor of The Great Walk to Beijing,” said Olivia. “Research has shown that obesity substantially increases cancer risk and Curves is a program that effectively fights obesity on a worldwide basis.”

In January, Olivia was interviewed by Entertainment Tonight at the Curves facility in Malibu, Ca.

“The Walk will be a true test of endurance that will push us to the limit—mind, body and spirit; symbolic of the cancer journey,” she told ET reporters. “Curves is a great way to prepare because it offers strength training, cardio and stretching in a complete thirty-minute workout. And there’s a Curves pretty much everywhere I go.”
Curves clubs around the world will participate in the Walk through an in-club fundraiser in April, adding to the funds pledged by Curves International.

Olivia battled breast cancer 15 years ago, but what motivates Diane to take this extreme challenge?

“I’ve seen what cancer can do to individuals and their families. So I’m walking in honour of every Curves member who has had to deal with the devastating effects of cancer, and in memory of every Curves member who has lost her life to it. To make that a reality, I’ll be reading the names of those Curves members daily during the Walk.”

All walkers’ progress can be tracked at www.greatwalktobeijing.com , where anyone can sponsor walkers to help raise funds for the fight against cancer.

About Curves
Curves offers a 30-minute workout combining strength training and cardio through safe and effective hydraulic resistance. And now there’s CurvesComplete.com: an online subscription diet and fitness solution based on the New York Times bestselling book Curves, Permanent Results Without Permanent Dieting and the results of an ongoing university study. With more than 10,000 locations and four million members in dozens of countries, Curves is the world’s largest fitness franchise. For more information, please visit: www.curves.com or www.curvescomplete.com .

About the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Center Appeal
The Olivia Newton-John Cancer Centre Appeal will encompass a comprehensive cancer and wellness centre with global research for all types of cancer in the mission to find vital new cancer treatments and vaccines. For more information, please visit www.oliviaappeal.com .