Besides finding love, Bachelor star Andy Baldwin has another mission to tackle which will hopefully motivate thousands of children to lead healthier lifestyles. The 32-year-old U.S. Naval Officer is teaming up with his dad Roy Eugene Baldwin, a former two-term Pennsylvania Republican State Representative and recent open-heart surgery recipient, for a week-long ride from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia in October in an effort to spread awareness about the dangerous trend of obesity.

Andy, as you may recall, is the love searcher of The Bachelor season 10, also known as The Bachelor: Officer and a Gentleman in which he was engaged to winner Tessa Horst. Eight months after the final episode, however, Horst broke up with Baldwin while he was on deployment in the Pacific.

According to the former Bachelor star, we have reason to be alarmed because two in three American adults are overweight or obese, and close to 30 percent of American children now overweight --- a figure that has now doubled compared to a decade ago.

"If the trend continues this will be the first generation of children that does not outlive their parents", cautioned Andy Baldwin, who has seen obese teenagers with hardened carotid arteries that you would typically see in a 60-year-old.

Combining his passion for cycling and his knack for giving fitness talks to children, Baldwin, along with his father, will ride the 420 mile route from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia, from October 2 through October 10. The "Health Ride," which will follow the PennDOT S Bike Route and visit six different schools across the state, will reach over 3,500 children, and hopefully, give them a better understanding about the importance of goal setting, physical activity and nutrition.

Below you can find the schedule for the Health Ride:

October 2 - Pittsburgh Elementary Schools Assembly with Pittsburgh Mayor
October 4 - Downtown Pittsburgh Health Ride Kickoff Event, Food, Giveaways
October 5 - Bike through Appalachians, Speak at Rockwood Elementary School
October 6 - Bike through Bedford County, Speak at Everett Elementary School
October 7 - Bike through Franklin County, Speak at Fayetteville Elementary
*Special Health Fair and Roundtable Event in evening with PA
Secretary of Health at Cumberland Valley High School
October 8 - Bike through Lancaster County, Speak at Park Elementary
October 9 - Bike to Valley Forge, Speak at Hill-Freedman Middle School
October 10 - Finale ride from Valley Forge to Fairmount Park
Philadelphia



-Kris De Leon, BuddyTV Staff Columnist
(Image courtesy of ABC)