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THE FIRST LADY PUTS FITNESS FIRST
Michelle Obama fights childhood obesity with "Let’s Move!"

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by Jay M. Ablondi - Get Active! - Spring/Summer 2010

Since the days of Eleanor Roosevelt, it has been customary for the First Lady to choose an issue about which she cares deeply and use her unique position to raise public awareness. In the 1980’s, Nancy Reagan made headlines with her “Just Say No” anti-drug campaign. (I can’t say it was taken too seriously by my classmates, but at least it was easy to remember!)

Earlier this year, First Lady Michelle Obama launched an ambitious nationwide campaign to combat childhood obesity, called Let’s Move! It has four principal goals: educating parents about the importance of proper nutrition and exercise for their families; reducing fat, sugar, and processed food in meals; making nutritious food more accessible; and increasing the emphasis on physical education.

The stakes are high. One in three American kids are overweight or obese, and the U.S. spends $150 billion a year treating obesity-related illnesses.

“We want to eliminate this problem…in a generation,” Mrs. Obama said in unveiling the program on ABC’s Good Morning America. As parents of two young girls, she and President Obama have made some simple choices in order to improve their family’s health. These include: limiting the hours their children spend in front on the television, mandating “outdoor” time, and preparing healthy food to bring to school.

I applaud the First Lady for taking on a problem that, while serious and growing, can actually be solved - or at least greatly mitigated - through simple, commonsense action on the part of government, schools, families and individuals. As we know, children look to adults, especially their parents, as role models. When we incorporate exercise into our daily lives, we are showing kids how to make wise choices for themselves.

Healthier, more physically fit kids are also smarter kids. An expanding body of research proves that exercise improves brain performance by boosting memory and cognitive processing speed.

We have an important choice to make. We can turn a blind eye to the problem, and ignore the warning signs and the facts at hand. We can continue to raise a generation of overweight and obese children who will likely suffer a lifetime of health problems. As they grow, their brains and bodies will be denied the countless benefits attributed to being physically active, and they may never reach their full potential.

On the other hand, we could take steps (pun intended) to ensure that we raise a generation of more active, healthier, happier and smarter children.

The choice is clear. Let’s Move! Let’s Get Active!

Yours in Health,

Jay Ablondi
Publisher