Below, from the White House......
THE WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON - First Lady Michelle Obama today announced an ambitious national goal of solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight and unveiled a nationwide campaign - Let's Move - to help achieve it.
The Let's Move campaign will combat the epidemic of childhood obesity through a comprehensive approach that builds on effective strategies, and mobilizes public and private sector resources. Let's Move will engage every sector impacting the health of children to achieve the national goal, and will provide schools, families and communities simple tools to help kids be more active, eat better, and get healthy.
To support Let's Move and facilitate and coordinate partnerships with States, communities, and the non-profit and for-profit private sectors, the nation's leading children's health foundations have come together to create a new independent foundation - the Partnership for a Healthier America - which will accelerate existing efforts addressing childhood obesity and facilitate new commitments towards the national goal of solving childhood obesity within a generation.
Almost a year ago, Mrs. Obama began a national conversation about the health of America's children when she broke ground on the White House Kitchen Garden with students from Bancroft Elementary School in Washington, DC. Through the garden, she began a discussion with kids about proper nutrition and the role food plays in living a healthy life. That discussion grew into the Let's Move campaign announced today.
Over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, and today, nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese. One third of all children born in 2000 or later will suffer from diabetes at some point in their lives; many others will face chronic obesity-related health problems like heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and asthma. A recent study put the health care costs of obesity-related diseases at $147 billion per year. This epidemic also impacts the nation's security, as obesity is now one of the most common disqualifiers for military service.
"The physical and emotional health of an entire generation and the economic health and security of our nation is at stake," said Mrs. Obama. "This isn't the kind of problem that can be solved overnight, but with everyone working together, it can be solved. So, let's move."
The First Lady launched the Let's Move campaign at the White House where she was joined by members of the President's cabinet, including Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, HHS Secretary Sebelius, Education Secretary Duncan, HUD Secretary Donovan, Labor Secretary Solis, and Interior Secretary Salazar, Surgeon General Regina Benjamin, Members of Congress, mayors from across the nation and leaders from the media, medical, sports, entertainment, and business communities who impact the health of children and want to be part of the solution. Program participants included: Tiki Barber, NBC correspondent and former NFL football player; Dr. Judith Palfrey, President of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Will Allen, Founder and CEO of Growing Power; Mayor Curtatone of Somerville, Massachusetts; Mayor Chip Johnson of Hernando, Mississippi; and local students, including a student from DC's Bancroft elementary school, and members of the 2009 National Championship Pee-Wee football team, the Watkins Hornets.
Let's Move is comprehensive, collaborative, and community-oriented and will include strategies to address the various factors that lead to childhood obesity. It will foster collaboration among the leaders in government, medicine and science, business, education, athletics, community organizations and more. And it will take into account how life is really lived in communities across the country - encouraging, supporting and pursuing solutions that are tailored to children and families facing a wide range of challenges and life circumstances.
President Barack Obama kicked off the launch by signing a Presidential Memorandum creating the first ever Task Force on Childhood Obesity which will include the DPC, Office of the First Lady, Interior, USDA, HHS, Education, NEC and other agencies. Within 90 days, the Task Force will conduct a review of every single program and policy relating to child nutrition and physical activity and develop a national action plan that maximizes federal resources and sets concrete benchmarks toward the First Lady's national goal.
While the review is underway, Administration and public and private efforts are already moving to combat obesity and reach the First Lady's national goal:
Helping Parents Make Healthy Family Choices
Parents play a key role in making healthy choices for their children and teaching their children to make healthy choices for themselves. But in today's busy world, this isn't always easy. So Let's Move will offer parents the tools, support and information they need to make healthier choices for their families. The Administration, along with partners in the private sector and medical community, will:
Empower Consumers: By the end of this year, the Food and Drug Administration will begin working with retailers and manufacturers to adopt new nutritionally sound and consumer friendly front-of-package labeling. This will put us on a path towards 65 million parents in America having easy access to the information needed to make healthy choices for their children.
Already, the private sector is responding. Today, the American Beverage Association announced that its member companies will voluntarily put a clear, uniform, front-of-pack calorie label on all of their cans, bottles, vending and fountain machines within two years. The label will reflect total calories per container in containers up to 20oz. in size. For containers greater than 20 oz., the label will reflect a 12 oz. serving size. While more work remains to be done, this marks an important first step in ensuring parents have the information they need to make healthier choices
Provide Parents with a Rx for Healthier Living: The American Academy of Pediatrics, in collaboration with the broader medical community, will educate doctors and nurses across the country about obesity, ensure they regularly monitor children's BMI, provide counseling for healthy eating early on, and, for the first time ever, will even write a prescription for parents laying out the simple things they can do to increase healthy eating and active play.
Major New Public Information Campaign: Major media companies - including the Walt Disney Company, NBC, Universal and Viacom - have committed to join the First Lady's effort and increase public awareness of the need to combat obesity through public service announcements (PSAs), special programming, and marketing. The Ad Council, Warner Brothers and Scholastic Media have also partnered with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to run PSAs featuring top professional athletes, Scholastic Media's Maya & Miguel, and Warner Brothers' legendary Looney Tunes characters.
Next Generation Food Pyramid: To help people make healthier food and physical activity choices, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will revamp the famous food pyramid. MyPyramid.gov is one of the most popular websites in the federal government, and a 2.0 version of the Web site will offer consumers a host of tools to help them put the Dietary Guidelines into practice.
Empower Change: USDA has created the first-ever interactive database - the Food Environment Atlas - that maps healthy food environments at the local level across the country. It will help people identify the existence of food deserts, high incidences of diabetes, and other conditions in their communities. This information can be used by parents, educators, government and businesses to create change across the country.
LetsMove.gov: To help children parents, teachers, doctors, coaches, the non-profit and business communities and others understand the epidemic of childhood obesity and take steps to combat it, the Administration has launched a new "one-stop" shopping website -- LetsMove.gov -- to provide helpful tips, step-by-step strategies for parents, and regular updates on how the federal government is working with partners to reach the national goal.
Serving Healthier Food in Schools
Many children consume as many as half of their daily calories at school. As families work to ensure that kids eat right and have active play at home, we also need to ensure our kids have access to healthy meals in their schools. With more than 31 million children participating in the National School Lunch Program and more than 11 million participating in the National School Breakfast Program, good nutrition at school is more important than ever. Together with the private sector and the non-profit community, we will take the following steps to get healthier food in our nation's schools:
Reauthorize the Child Nutrition Act: The Administration is requesting an historic investment of an additional $10 billion over ten years starting in 2011 to improve the quality of the National School Lunch and Breakfast program, increase the number of kids participating, and ensure schools have the resources they need to make program changes, including training for school food service workers, upgraded kitchen equipment, and additional funding for meal reimbursements. With this investment, additional fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products will be served in our school cafeterias and an additional one million students will be served in the next five years.
Double the number of schools participating in the Healthier US School Challenge: The Healthier US School Challenge establishes rigorous standards for schools' food quality, participation in meal programs, physical activity, and nutrition education - the key components that make for healthy and active kids - and provides recognition for schools that meet these standards. Over the next school year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, working with partners in schools and the private sector, will double the number of schools that meet the Healthier US School Challenge and add 1,000 schools per year for two years after that.
We are bringing to the table key stakeholder groups that have committed to work together to improve the nutritional quality of school meals across the country.
New Commitments from Major School Food Suppliers: School food suppliers are taking important first steps to help meet the Healthier US School Challenge goal. Major school food suppliers including Sodexho, Chartwells School Dining Services, and Aramark have voluntarily committed to meet the Institute of Medicine's recommendations within five years to decrease the amount of sugar, fat and salt in school meals; increase whole grains; and double the amount of produce they serve within 10 years. By the end of the 2010-2011 school year, they have committed to quadruple the number of the schools they serve that meet the Healthier US School Challenge.
School Nutrition Association: The School Nutrition Association (SNA), which represents food service workers in more than 75% of the nation's schools, has joined the Let's Move campaign. Working with other education partners, SNA has committed to increasing education and awareness of the dangers of obesity among their members and the students they serve, and ensuring that the nutrition programs in 10,000 schools meet the Healthier US School Challenge standards over the next five years.
School Leadership: Working with school food service providers and SNA, the National School Board Association, the Council of Great City Schools and the American Association of School Administrators Council have all embraced, and committed to meeting, the national Let's Move goal. The Council of Great City Schools has also has set a goal of having every urban school meet the Healthier US Schools gold standard within five years. The American Association of School Administrators has committed to ensuring that an additional 2,000 schools meet the challenge over the next two years. These combined efforts will touch 50 million students and their families in every school district in America.
Accessing Healthy, Affordable Food
More than 23 million Americans, including 6.5 million children, live in low-income urban and rural neighborhoods that are more than a mile from a supermarket. These communities, where access to affordable, quality, and nutritious foods is limited, are known as food deserts. Lack of access is one reason why many children are not eating recommended levels of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. And food insecurity and hunger among children is widespread. A recent USDA report showed that in 2008, an estimated 49.1 million people, including 16.7 million children, lived in households that experienced hunger multiple times throughout the year. The Administration, through new federal investments and the creation of public private partnerships, will:
Eliminate Food Deserts: As part of the President's proposed FY 2011 budget, the Administration announced the new Healthy Food Financing Initiative - a partnership between the U.S. Departments of Treasury, Agriculture and Health and Human Services that will invest $400 million a year to help bring grocery stores to underserved areas and help places such as convenience stores and bodegas carry healthier food options. Through these initiatives and private sector engagement, the Administration will work to eliminate food deserts across the country within seven years.
Increase Farmers Markets: The President's 2011 Budget proposes an additional $5 million investment in the Farmers Market Promotion Program at the U.S. Department of Agriculture which provides grants to establish, and improve access to, farmers markets.
Increasing Physical Activity
Children need 60 minutes of active play each day. Yet, the average American child spends more than 7.5 hours a day watching TV and movies, using cell phones and computers, and playing video games, and only a third of high school students get the recommended levels of physical activity. Through public-private partnerships, and reforms of existing federal programs, the Administration will address this imbalance by:
Expanding and Modernizing the President's Physical Fitness Challenge: In the coming weeks, the President will be naming new members to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, housed at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The council will be charged with increasing participation in the President's Challenge and with modernizing and expanding it, so that it is consistent with the latest research and science.
Doubling the Number of Presidential Active Lifestyle Awards: As part of the President's Physical Fitness Council, the President will challenge both children and adults to commit to physical activity five days a week, for six weeks. As part of the First Lady's commitment to solve the problem of childhood obesity in a generation, the Council will double the number of children in the 2010-2011 school year who earn a "Presidential Active Lifestyle Award" for meeting this challenge.
Safe and Healthy Schools: The U.S. Department of Education will be working with Congress on the creation of a Safe and Healthy Schools fund as part of the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary School Education Act this year. This fund will support schools with comprehensive strategies to improve their school environment, including efforts to get children physically active in and outside of school, and improve the quality and availability of physical education.
Professional Sports: Professional athletes from twelve leagues including the NFL, MLB, WNBA, and MLS have joined the First Lady on the Let's Move campaign and will promote "60 Minutes of Play a Day" through sports clinics, public service announcements, and more to help reach the national goal of solving the problem of childhood obesity in a generation.
Partnership for a Healthier America
Core to the success of this initiative is the recognition that government approaches alone will not solve this challenge. Achieving the goal will require engaging in partnerships with States, communities, and the non-profit and for-profit private sectors. To support this effort, several foundations are coming together to organize and fund a new central foundation - the Partnership for a Healthier America - to serve as a nonpartisan convener across the private, non-profit and public sectors to accelerate existing efforts addressing childhood obesity and to facilitate commitments towards the national goal of solving childhood obesity within a generation. The Partnership for a Healthier America is being created by a number of leading health care foundations and childhood obesity non-profits, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The California Endowment, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Alliance for Healthier Generation, Kaiser Permanente, and Nemours, and will seek to add new members in the days and months ahead.
Lynn Sweet is a columnist and the Washington Bureau Chief for the 
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Congratulations to the First Lady for launching this excellent initiative!
As a former President of the Moline Blue Marlins Swim Club, I have seen first-hand how age-group swimming clubs encourage healthy lifestyles for our children. I strongly recommend that the First Lady connect with the age-group swimming programs, through USA SWIMMING, to help move toward a healthier America.
Uh, who's paying for all this?
The Alliance to Make US Healthiest is a young 501(c)(3) public- private partnership whose mission is to create the healthiest nation in a healthier world by 2020. We are committed to addressing well-being in the workplace and in communities across America. We would be delighted to become a member of The Partnership for a Healthier America and pledge our support of this critical initiative.
J Nick Baird, M.D.
CEO
I'm very excited and hopeful about this program.I'm a mother of two wonderful teenagers with weight issues. By the teenage years, weight issues spill into every aspect of a teen's life-or at least they often feel that way. We must all get on track with a program to help our young people and make this available to everyone that wants and needs help. Parents like myself must be available and willing to step up. Please let me know where to start. I would very much like to participate in the program in my state/community. Thank you Michelle Obama!
Our Communuty in Germantown,Philadelphia really fits your program . Corner stores selling fried foods,no food markets. Wister Neighborhood Council is a nonprofit with a 501-3c. The issue of freah foods has been a fight in our community for a number of years,PLEASE how can we get out community involed
Renee Workman
Public schools need to make physical education mandatory 5 days a week.
I, myself, developed a program (believe it or not) that I named Let's M.O.V.E. a little more than 8 years ago. Without going into lengthy details, one notable difference from mine and the First Lady's program is that I work with the adult and senior citizen population. The reason I'm writing is that I wish there could be some way to actually speak with the First Lady just to give her my version, vision and to let her know that I'm a believer in her program and would love to share my ideas with her and perhaps incorporate some of her ideas into my program. (I understand that she is not acting alone it's just easier to write as if she were.)
Thank you.
Side note-M.O.V.E. is an acronym which I don't feel comfortable revealing right now
For information on how grassroots efforts changed the school food environment in the Los Angeles Unified School, visit: http://www.nojunkfood.org
This has always been a scam. I read that the original food pyramid was set up based on what food industry the goverment at the time wanted to "encourage" people to buy from.
So, what makes anyone think it is any different today? I want to see the new food pyramid and then I want to see which food related industries make campaign contributions to Democrats!
How do you point at any food group and claim it causes obesity? I drink a soda maybe once or twice a year; so your going to tell me that soda's are going to make me obese?
It is not what you eat, it is how much! Some of the fattest people I know drink nothing but diet soda! It may be diet, but if you drink four cans an hour your still going to get fat!
I say to watch what the goverment does with this obesity fighting program. I guarrentee you it will involve new goverment workers, new taxes and new goverment regulations to tell you what to do.
Because THAT is what it is really about. They will never actually do anything to people who are obese; but they will do things in the name of obesity to EVERYONE.
As a retired Elementary Physical Education teacher, I applaud Michelle Obama for stepping up to address this overwhelming task of solving childhood obesity. I have witnessed this problem first hand and for many years have worked hard to change the course by educating students, parents and administrators, raising their awarenss toward the importance of daily physical activity, good nutrition and making positive choices for lifelong health. This has been such an uphill struggle for so long. The reduction in requirements for Physical Education, need for healthier school nutritional programs and sedentary lifestyle choices have resulted in childhood obesity reaching epidemic proportions. I am passionately dedicated toward helping with this endeavor and would like to become a part of the "Let's Move" campaign. I look forward to learning how I can take part in this community, state and national initiative. What suggestions do you have so that I may become involved?
As a current Physical Education teacher, It has always been my mission to not only give the students an opportunity to get exercise and have fun, but to teach the importance of developing a healthy habit. I find this to be a very challenging task when I see my students only once or twice a week for 30-40 minutes. Thank you Michelle Obama...we may finally be moving in the right direction.
Yours in Movement,
Eric Bogie
You go Michelle! I would understand this idea if vegatables and whole grains were just invented yesterday. ".. for only an investment of an ADDITIONAL $10 Billion . . .and another 400 million to bring grocery stores to the inner city...." You and your husband just don't get. Time for you and Barrack to sit down and reconcile the Country's Finances". This country is bankrupt, and you two are wearing off the numbers on the company credit card like there is no limit! You want ME to pay for some chubby kid's weight loss program and your husband wants ME to kick in for medical insurance for some unwed mother who is having her sixth child with yet another different man.
As it is, 37 cents of every dollar "I" earn is stolen by the government. If You want it, YOU PAY for it out of your own pocket not mine. Get off your chubby little butt and earn it! You just may find yourself losing those extra few pounds and saving us tax payers billions.
Heather- You are EXACTLY right. It is about the government having more control in our lives. It is a conscious decision to eat what and how much we want. It is absolutely a violation of our rights, and the constitution, to regulate what I can and cannot eat/drink. Doesn't this allow the government to control how we parent children as well? Where are the consequences here? It seems like no one is responsible for their own actions anymore and the government is taking away our right to make our own decisions and live with our own consequences.
They are also going to tell convenient stores what they can and cannot carry, for the sake of health, of course.
"the President will challenge both children and adults to commit to physical activity five days a week, for six weeks."
And what happens if we don't do this..err take up the challenge? Disqualify me from getting health insurance? I wonder...
"obesity is now one of the most common disqualifiers for military service." ONE OF THE MOST- see how they use those words. Makes you think its a top reason, when in actuality it's not even in the top 5.
Words within the English language can be twisted so deviously.
commitments = regulations/mandates
help = make/force
challenge = force/make
I wouldn't be surprised if the agency had task force people invading the pantries in our homes to see what we have in there, then confiscating that family size Lays potato chips bag.
Also just another way to tax the American people even more. So you want that Hostess cupcake, eh? Go right ahead, no one is keeping you from eating it, just pay the 150% food-that-government-deems-will-make-you-obese tax on it and enjoy!
And JWF- good question. Who is going to pay for all this?
Not the American people, no. Just like the health care bill won't cost tax payers a dime, either.
I can not wait to see this! The obese lined up for the subaidized food at the new Obama community grociers!
My personal solution would help cover the cost of Obama Care. Have a surcharge on your health insurance, based on BMI.
Aren't they telling us that obesity is driving up the cost of health insurance? So why not make those people who are obese, those who are driving up the cost, make them pay more!
Now that will never happen! It makes too much sense for liberals to do it!
I think what gives this program its great protential is that it take a holistic approach. In other words, it just doesn't focus on school lunches, although school lunches are a huge problem (there was a great expose on this issue published recently on grist. You can access the first post in the series here: http://www.grist.org/article/tales-from-a-d.c.-school-kitchen/).
I have reservations though about our ability to effectively tackle this problem without seeking aggressive reform at the USDA and the industrial food system.
The issue is bigger than what we eat: it's what we grow, it's big agriculture and the incentives that drive unsustainable overproduction of corn and soy products (among other things).
Is it coincidence that the explosion of obesity came after the introduction of 'excitotoxins' in our commercial foods.
'Excitotoxins' are also known as MonoSodium Glutamate (MSG), Citric Acid, Carragenan, Hydrolyzed Proteins, etc.
These 'excitotoxins' cause a person to desire more and more of the foods eaten, without satisfaction.
regards,
Nancy
Good idea, but do we really need the White House involved in what we feed our children? Lets Move: good idea but instead of Food Police let's put physical eduction back in the school. We don't have a doctor traveling with us like Mrs. Obama to measure our children's body on a continuous basis. We don't need the government in our business. Keep the country safe and stay out of our personal business. This is just another way for the White House to control our lives. $10 billion dollars another waste or maybe this is just a way to fund more $$$$$$$ to Acorn.
How about some basic truth in labeling - let parents and consumers know which products are made with genetically modified products and let's create a mechanism by which to hold those who modify the seed accountable (Monsanto) for adverse health effects related to those unnnatural changes in the food supply
This is what will change the world! I have been an athlete all my life. All I know is exercise. I have worked in the fitness industry for companys like Lifetime Fitness, Bally, LA Fitness and I have no problem saying these companys are about the bottom line. The difference between adults and children in America is that kids feel whats real and whats fake. When your dealing with exercise and fitness, kids don't care about money. I currently have trained and worked with over 2000 children on improving health and fitness. Children need some one who understands how and what they feel on a day to day basis. The passion to motivate, encourage and understand there abilitys are what will keep them on a healthy way of life. I would like to present a program to the first lady on how to make this a success, where kids can look back 10 yrs from now and thank the Obama's. Yes, you can get professional athletes to assist but you have to have an individual who has a passion for this industry. Not saying its not a good thing to have professional athletes but athletes want to work with athletes. Not children who are limited and I believe I have an answer to combine the two. This is not politics, and I know Mrs. Obama understands our children are our future. I don't know how to contact the first lady but my passion, destiny in life is to train kids with obesity concerns, improve athletically but improving health is what I do! The program is great but if you do not have healthy individuals who can inspire,educate, and allow these children to realize that every bite,drink, is one step in the wrong or right direction. Which in the long run can change their lives and put them on a macro healthy way of life. This is my letter to the President I have dreamed and already have set workouts that will train up to 2000 to 5000 kids at the same time and make it fun and healthy. Please contact me! It should not be about the $$$$$ when your talking about our future, but about the passion to save and help change lives. I would like to thank Mrs. Obama for her passion for health and I would love the opportunity to speak with her regarding exercise and fitness. I know this is just a website but I believe in this program and I have trained for over 20 yrs for this moment.
I want to commend Michelle Obama for planting a garden at the White House, and now, for launching an initiative to focus on the complex world of food politics in the US. Parents, teachers, and health educators may want to check out the curriculum guide that accompanies a new film, "What's On Your Plate?" Two eleven-year-old African-American city kids take a close look at food systems in New York City and its surrounding areas. They talk with each other, food activists, farmers, new friends, storekeepers, their families, and the viewer in their quest to understand what's on all of our plates. Visit www.whatsonyourplateproject.org.
Michele Obama’s “Let’s Move” concept as a way to reduce childhood obesity is a agreat idea. Combining organic gardening with exercise is exactly what I have been teaching and lecturing on since 1992. My latest book, "Get Fit Through Gardening" (Hatherleigh Press 2008) expands greatly on my original book, Fitness the Dynamic Gardening Way, (Balance of Nature Publishing, 1992). I combine techniques from aerobics, weight-training and the martial arts to create something old yet entirely new -- a lifelong, comprehensive fitness program centered around gardening.
By lowering your center of gravity and harnessing the energy from your legs and torso gardening versus the muscles of your lower back and arms, gardening becomes both more aerobic and more enjoyable. Also, this technique will reduce strain on your back, muscle soreness and even calluses on your hands.
My advice is and has always been: gardening can be good for you but only if done correctly -- and most don't do it correctly (how they move their body) and use tools that were not ergonomically designed. For more information, check out my books or view the photos and videos on my website: www.getfitthroughgardening.com
This is the start of a revolution. Now we can be stewards of the planet and be stewards of our bodies at the same time. Get Fit Through Gardening -- the most environmentally friendly, fitness program on the planet! Be lean, mean and green. -- Jeffrey Restuccio
I think the idea behind Michele Obama's proposal "Lets Move" is terrific. I teach in a Charter School in Philadelphia, PA and it is evident the number of overweight children. Our school has changed the breakfast and lunch program to a healthier menu. My concern is how families are to continue the healthy eating at home. As a parent of 10 children it is sometimes difficult to afford healthy choices at the food store. I would also like to see more physical education in the schools. One day a week for 45 minutes is just not enough. Children are not always able to go outside and play with their friends due to the dangers in neighborhoods. Children do not knock for friends to come out and play, they are either texting or using the computers. As a parent and teacher I would like to find ways our children are able to get the exercise needed for a healthy life.
LETS SEE ACTION!
I am a phyiscal education teacher in Rochester, MN, a very good school district that even though we have lots of great resources has continued to cut PE K-12!
It is a true tragedy that our K-12 kids, our future, our children only get PE once/twice a week!! That is terrible. How many times do we need to read about how bad our health is getting at earlier ages before we will do something!
Lets band together and get K-12 PE every day going so we can reduce some of these problems. I am in for anything we can do to make it happen!
Dave Kinneberg
Can someone lead me to the marketing Director for "The Let's Move Campaign"?? I want to do some radio activation with the local schools in Atlanta...
Thanks.
Jason Gucwa
jgucwa@790thezone.com
I can already see from the bloggers, the usual clammering for dollars. This sounds good, but much to large and complex- just another feeding frenzy for the usual pigs. Grass roots worked for the president start there and exercise good accountability measures.
I am a Health & Wellness Lifestyle Coach. I would like to thank the First Lady Michelle Obama and congratulate her on launching her Let's Move project. This is one of the best things that any First Lady has done in my life time. Finally, here is something that every American can relate to and benefit from...there is nothing more important than our health. And there is probably nothing more dangerous to our health than our present eating habits in this country. Food for health is just about the most important goal that any one of us could have. "We are what we eat"...we have heard this all our lives but we have never done anything major about it. Here is a chance to make a difference in our health, happiness and longevity. I think Let's Move will change the way we look at food and the way we view life.
Let's Move! Let's get behind Michelle Obama and help her to make this one of the most powerful and successful projects ever. Our lives depend on it. To your health! Bobbi Henderson
The Kids are the future of this great country. We have been caught up in fast food for too long. It has "lazied" us all up. We have a walk trail and community garden in our township to encourage all family members to get back to a healther lifestyle. Want to know more on Ms. Obamas program.APRIL 17, 2010 IS OUR garden kickoff at Chouteau Township, Illinois.
I am so thrilled and excited to know that our first lady is taking a very active and aggressive role on behalf of all the children in our great United States of America. I am a retired school cook of more than 30 years, and I have seen the changes of what we fed our children--along with the fact the children were not receiving enough exercise daily. I truly feel that Michelle Obama is on the right track to incorporate both healthier foods and daily exercise programs back into our public schools. Now we have Jaime Oliver Food Revolution, and that is a big plus for the future of our children, and ourselves. Thank you, and if there is anything I could do to help, please let me know. Thank you.
I am a physical educator that would love to see daily physical activity for all students in elementary school.
The most important role we have as teachers is to educate parents and students. All have to understand why changes need to be made to become healthy lifelong learners.
Thank you for developing this excellent anti- obesity campaign. Your focus and ideas are making a dynamic impact. We noticed that there are physicians, nurses and others involved, however we did not see any physical therapy involvement. Physical therapists are the practitioners of choice for persons with conditions that affect movement, function, health and wellness. Physical therapists have the ability to influence the obesity epidemic with exercise prescription, education, and advocacy by several avenues in the community and health care settings. Physical Therapists are also educated to address prevention, monitoring and or treating the complications of Childhood Obesity such as diabetes, hypertension, joint pain and low self esteem. Physical therapists possess a unique body of knowledge which enables us not only to rehabilitate movement impairments due to injury, post surgical conditions or birth defects but our expertise encompasses the ability to design, implement, upgrade and evaluate exercise programs for all age groups and fitness levels based on evidence based practice. Thus, would you consider including physical therapists in your programs?
We would encourage you to visit the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) website @ www.apta.org, and click on “information for consumers” to learn more about our profession.
Thank you once again for the wonderful job you and our President are doing.
Patrice, Cassandra, Cynthia, and Keith
I agree with Rachel and Nancy. This program is a good start, but until we address the problems caused by our industrialized food system (especially the fact that obesity, heart disease, and diabetes have skyrocketed since cheap, subsidized corn led to the production and use of high-fructose corn syrup as an ingredient in ALMOST EVERY processed food there is), programs like these are doomed to failure. But, I doubt that the food industry would react well to health warnings about HFCS, since everything in the center section of the grocery store would have to be labeled as bad for your health. I also question the truth of the Food Pyramid. And, along with all the others who question where the money is coming from, I, too, am wary of new programs that spend more money that we don't have.
The 4-E Learning & Prevention Center, Inc. works with K-12th grade studetns who are at risk of being unhealthy and obese adults because of their lifestyles. The Let's Move Campaign will help with our school-age center's non-profit organization mission..."Enlarge the Vision, Empower the Mind, Exercise the Body, & Educate for Success!
I'm all for our children being educated, but if they are overweight from childhood through adulthood, they will not live to see the benefits of a good education. The 4-E Center supports you and your team First Lady Michelle on the Let's Move Campaign.
http://www.drumsalive.de/index.php?dir=9231253&User=Admin&headLine=Contact&SchID=312
Or go to drums alive.com
Please tell Ms. Obama to use this in her program. I am a 54 year old PE teacher on her way out of the system in NYC and I took this class. Unbelievable. I bet there is not one child or adult alive that would not love this program and all things considered it is inexpensive.If everyone did this daily we would not need health care and road rage would be a thing of the past. POWERFUL! Try it!
If she needs a new face to help with the children. I will be free Jan.2011 and summers!
Thanks,
Bonnie
This is the best thing that she could do for our children! We need to educate not only the children on how to maintain a balanced and healthy life but also have seminars for some ignorant doctors...I have a daughter who is not obese but is somewhat over weight. She had been exercising 3/wk and was also eating health foods. This all stopped when I took her in to the pediatrician. He checked her breasts and told her she did not need a bra because what she had was pure fat and no breasts. She told the doctor that she works out 3/wk and eats real health and the doctor told her that the only thing she will gain from exercising is eating a lot more which will make you get a lot more bigger! To date my daughter cries about it and I am not able to get her to eat a decent meal nor does she exercise because that will cause her to eat, thus causing the problem.
An heroic effort to curb an insidious problem.
My book "Think and Grow Fit" was written to stop the tendencies which make it almost impossible to live in the USA in a healthy fitness-centered way. My beliefs on fitness come from being obesity free for 45 years, fighting every day with the influences that keep us unhealthy as a nation. While Ms Obama's programs are more important and far-reaching than mine, I would still like to promote myself in hopes of being a part of her effort not only for children but also for their parents.
http://www.iuniverse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000139551
I believe that this campaign is needed because obesity is a major problem. I am considered obesed. I have lost approximately 50-60 pounds and I still need to lose about 30 more pounds. Eating right and staying healthy should be a major part of our lives today due to some many health issue arising as a result of obesity. I feel that our children should exercise more. Most of the children today spend hours sitting down playing video games, computer games. ect. and very little outdoor or body exercising and I believe that this is one problem that is causing childhood obesity. As adults around 40-50 we can attest to playing, walking to friends homes, running, hopscotch and so many other games that promoted exercise many of our children are not participating in any type of exercise. I can't leave the adults out because we are not exercising so I believe that all of us should embark upon this campaign!
Dr. Spock's work on Obesity started back 25 years ago in the revised editions of Baby and child Care.
We are now working on a new revised website and would love to work with you on the lead topic of Obesity Edicuation.
Please let us know how we might be of service to you.
We also have a new edition of Baby and child Care coming out which has new research and information on Obesity education.
Mary Morgan
Dr. Spock's widow
How do we work with school food providers to made sure that we join in this important campaighn; how do we get the US Agriculture department to change the guidelines to allow us to use chefs in schools and by fresh food and no commodity food which is very bad for our children? When do we get notice about what is legal to do in our schools?
Among the many causes contributing to obesity is the tendency of parents, especially poor and/or religious parents, to force their children to finish what is on their plates. The parents don't understand that eating what you neither need nor want is wasting it.
Here is an essy of mine on the subject;
http://www.jochnowitz.net/Essays/EatMisc.html
Michelle,this is the best thing someone has done for our future.I wanna think you for launching fitness to our kids,being that you talk the talk because you can walk the walk.As an ex professional athelete/personal trainer in New orleans la I wanna challenge all thats true to get on board and lets help make a difference in a child's future.
Oh Please!!! Walk the walk? Michelle Obama is not. Having a rib dinner packed with 32 grams of fat and 1500 calories does not set a good example, which our first lady enjoyed the other night. This program is just another ploy to spend more money, our tax paying dollars, money this country can not sustain! Yes, our childrens futures are at stake, not from obesity, rather from the irresponsible spending in washington.