To combat an "obesity epidemic," Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson is calling on residents to get fit.

On Monday, he launched the city's third Salt Lake City Gets Fit Together program, which encourages residents to exercise at least 30 minutes a day, four days a week.

"We're going to see, eventually, that Salt Lake City is the fittest city in the nation," Anderson said at a news conference, noting that a Centers for Disease Control study shows one in three children across the nation will develop diabetes.

Here's how the program works: Teams of five sign up and track online the amount of minutes exercised over 10 weeks. The top teams and individuals will get prizes and everyone will get a certificate from the mayor. The program is sponsored by his office and Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield of Utah.

Ninety-four teams have signed up so far, with names like Donut Divas, Fatties 2 Flatties and Nine Good Hips. While the competition has begun, the mayor's office welcomes more participants.

Cassy Hahn was at Monday's event, wearing her team name - Hazardous Waists - around her neck. Hers is one of three teams from the state's Department of Workforce Services that signed up. She participated last year and lost 15 pounds.

"We all want to improve our health and we want to lose weight," she said.

As an added benefit, the mayor said the program is a good way for people to explore the city. The program Web site includes 16 walking maps. The maps include a walk of Pioneer Park, the Peace Gardens, Sugar House Park and the LDS Church's Main Street Plaza.

hmay@sltrib.com

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For more information or to sign up with Salt Lake City Gets Fit Together, go to http://slcgetsfit.com.