Get fit, share ideas, win prizes

AARP's website features free diet and fitness tips, blogs, recipes and more to encourage people to make changes to improve their health.

The organization also launched the second annual "Fat-to-Fit Weight Loss Program Challenge," which runs through Sept. 6.

Carole Carson, a part-time Hawaii resident who authored "From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction," leads participants through the summer-long program intended to help people make permanent changes, not just drop 10 pounds and go back to old habits.

Participants record their weight and activity and are encouraged to share ideas, encouragement and recipes. Carson is selecting weekly prize winners, and when the contest ends she will pick five overall winners based on how well they serve as role models for others, how they faced and overcame challenges, and how they demonstrate the principles of the "Fat-to-Fit" program.

The first-place winner will receive a one-year membership to Gold's Gym, with six months of personal training and a trip to Orlando, Fla., for a health session alongside Carson at AARP's national event.

The contest is open to people all ages. Visit www.aarp.org/fat2fit to sign up.