A new study released by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Duke University and RTI International found obesity rates to be on course to rise from 34 to 42 percent of the U.S. population by 2030. Today, 68 percent of Americans are overweight and half of those are obese. If people don’t take steps now to make healthier lifestyle changes, we may have no hope of combating the obesity crisis that’s making millions of Americans sick.

In response to this challenge, Kathy Freston, wellness expert and author of the books,
Veganist: Lose Weight, Get Healthy, Change the World and the recently published, The Lean has teamed up with HLN’s Jane Velez-Mitchell on a journey towards a healthier lifestyle.

In the video below, Kathy describes that they’re not going to make radical changes, but instead just tweak what they eat and do on a daily basis to make the journey fun.

What’s even better is that they’re inviting everyone to join them by checking Jane’s Facebook page for updates and simple steps to a healthy lifestyle.

Watch Kathy and Jane (who are both vegans) discuss healthy living in the clip below. Also, check out our new guide to managing food cravings and our health channel for more healthy eating tips and tricks.