Renowned health and wellness advocate Michael Torchia is proud to announce the Shape Up America Campaign, a visionary initiative aimed at redefining health and fitness education for communities across the United States. Launching first in Los Angeles, this groundbreaking proposal sets the stage for a nationwide movement to inspire healthier, more active lifestyles.
The campaign centers around the creation of cutting-edge Sports and Fitness Community Centers designed to serve both children and adults. These state-of-the-art facilities will be established on dormant Los Angeles school properties—spanning 8 to 12 acres each—that have remained underutilized due to budget constraints. The plan proposes that the City of Los Angeles donates these unused properties in exchange for the development of transformative community fitness hubs, igniting a new era of wellness in underserved neighborhoods.
Key features of the Shape Up America Campaign include:
- State-of-the-Art Sports and Fitness Facilities: Accessible to people of all ages, fostering community engagement and well-being.
- Transportation Solutions: Providing students from schools without gyms or sports fields access to premier fitness resources.
- After-School Programs: Creating safe, nurturing environments for children to thrive physically, socially, and emotionally.
Torchia, known for his commitment to public health and fitness, envisions this initiative as a cornerstone of his future role in the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition in 2025. “Los Angeles is the perfect place to begin this movement,” Torchia stated. “By leveraging unused school properties, we can create vibrant, life-changing spaces that bring communities together and set a new standard for health and fitness in America.”
To bring this ambitious plan to fruition, Torchia is rallying private investors and major corporations to help fund the campaign. This collaborative effort will transform these dormant properties into thriving centers of wellness, impacting countless lives.
Indeed, American society is in need of public health-fitness solutions now more than ever. Due to America’s attachment to convenience and speed, America has embraced fast food, binge-worthy streaming, online shopping, and sedentary lifestyles. This has resulted in the current public health crisis where Over 74% of adults in the U.S. are now overweight or obese, compared to just 45% in the 1960s. And while genetics play a role, Torchia emphasizes, “Our DNA hasn’t changed in 50 years—our lifestyle has.”
Torchia draws attention to how this lifestyle disproportionately affects minorities and low-income communities, where access to affordable, nutritious food is scarce, and processed, calorie-dense options dominate. The economic toll is equally staggering, with obesity-related illnesses costing the U.S. $173 billion annually in healthcare expenses.
To help address this crisis, Torchia has launched a “Shape Up America” that is nothing less than a national call to action. Toward this end, Torchia has initiated a partnership with the President’s Council for Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition, to launch a “ Shape Up America Tour” in 2025. This groundbreaking initiative is dedicated to inspiring families across the country to embrace healthier, more active lifestyles utilizing fun, educational, and empowering activities. These events are already scheduled in 10 cities nationwide.
For more information on the Shape Up America Campaign and how you can support this groundbreaking initiative, please contact:
Michael Torchia
OperationFitness.com
310.650.5595
