As the state health commissioner for Tennessee, Susan Cooper is on a mission to make fitness a part of each Tennessean's lifestyle.

On Wednesday, Cooper was in Greeneville to help promote a state-wide initiative called "Get Fit Tennessee."

The new program was developed by Gov. Phil Bredesen as a way to help Tennesseans adopt healthful diet and exercise regimens -- and combat the rising health risks facing the state, such as obesity, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, Cooper said.

At least 30 percent of Tennesseans are considered obese, the health commissioner said, citing a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC.)

"Tennessee is third in the nation for obesity," she said.

Mississippi has the highest obesity rate at 32 percent, followed by Alabama at 30.3 percent, the report says.

As part of the new program, persons can go online at the Get Fit Tennnessee Web site at www.getfittn.com to get several helpful tools, including a Fitness Tracker to keep track of individual daily exercise and challenge friends, colleagues or classmates to healthy competitions.

"Users are also able to use newly added nutrition tools to eat healthier, stay on track with meals, and challenge friends to healthy weight loss competitions," Cooper said.

During her visit to Greeneville, Cooper took time to tour the Greene County Health Department and meet briefly with several staff members and patients.

Included on her tour of the facility was the health department's newly expanded and renovated primary care clinic. The expansion was necessary in order to accommodate an increased patient load at the clinic following the disenrollment of TennCare participants in 2006.

The state provided funding to aid with the expansion of the clinic, which more than doubled its space from 650 square feet to about 1,400 square feet.

On Sept. 18, the health department is planning an open house for guests to celebrate the completion of the renovation.

Cooper said she will be unable to attend the open house later in the month and wanted to visit the health department during her "Get Fit Tennessee" promotional tour through Northeast Tennessee.

Today, the health commissioner is scheduled to visit Eastman Chemical Company in Kingsport.

Also during her visit in Greeneville on Wednesday, Cooper visited the Boys & Girls Club, where she met with a group of children there to encourage them to make exercise a fun and healthful part of their lives.

Since the launch of the fitness tools earlier this year, about 1,100 new users from more than 70 counties across the state have created a free online account with Get Fit Tennessee, a state health department news release says.

More than 200 members have joined a challenge created by the Get Fit Team, while dozens of other users have created their own personal challenges.

"We want to put simple, user-friendly tools in the hands of everyone across the state, free-of-charge, to help them get motivated and get up and move more and really think about the foods they choose each day," said Cooper. "The Web site tools not only offer a level of accountability, but a community for users to connect and challenge one another to work toward healthy goals."

The Fitness Tracker tools are all free and available to anyone who logs onto the Web site at www.getfittn.com.

The online food journal allows users to search the database of foods and drinks to log what they consume at every meal, including snacks.

The calorie calculator allows users to look up the amount of calories in foods they eat, so they can be logged with the correct calorie amount in the daily food journal, the release says.

Health and Fitness Tracker users can create custom foods to add to their food journal for a special homemade recipe or other items that are not found in the database.

The new tools will also allow users to save custom foods they created in a favorites section where they can be easily accessed on repeat visits, the release says.

In addition, Tennesseans can enter the Weight Loss Challenge in the competitions section of the Health and Fitness Tracker to work toward a personal weight loss goal and compete with others who sign up for the challenge, the release says.

To learn more about Get Fit Tennessee and all of the free, online tools available, visit www.getfittn.com.