First Lady is Kicking Childhood Obesity Program into High Gear

Just about every First Lady throughout at least recent history came into the White House with a cause. For Michelle Obama, that cause is fighting childhood obesity. As major advocates for prevention ourselves, we’ve been keeping up with the First Lady’s “Let’s Move” campaign. Now that Spring is officially here, both according to the calender and the weather, Michelle Obama is kicking her childhood obesity program into high gear!

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We had a harsh winter pretty much all over the continent. Between heaps of snow and dangerously low temperatures, maybe we had a bit of an excuse to slack on being active. I’m not saying it was a valid excuse- we all could have easily just danced in our own homes- but I’m giving willing to give us a pass on winter. No more though, okay? The weather is getting gorgeous! Spring is the perfect time to get active because it’s not incredibly hot out yet like summer.

Michelle Obama “Gets Moving” in her Childhood Obesity Program

Just what is it about the First Lady’s childhood obesity program that impresses me so much? Take a look!

  • Michelle Obama got a head start on the planting season by planting seeds at the White House along with students from a local elementary school. This is the 6th year she’s done so. Why a garden? Aside from producing healthy foods, getting kids interested in gardening helps get them outdoors and active. I love that she gets down on the ground with the kids to help out.
  • She makes sure her hubby, the President, stays active and sets a good example for the rest of the country! Fighting childhood obesity isn’t just a matter of getting kids active, it’s about getting the whole family involved.  When your husband is the leader of one of the largest countries, it can be hard to keep him eating right and staying in shape! I don’t know how she did it, but she even got the President and his VP to film a funny workout video!

  • She’s not afraid to get silly! I absolutely love this about Michelle Obama. She’ll sing, dance and even do a jig with Big Bird to get kids to hear her message about moving. She knows you can act like a fun goof at times and still be classy. When it comes to staying fit and creating a great childhood obesity program, sometimes you have to get silly. Anything to get the kids moving!

Is the childhood obesity program working?

With six years of the childhood obesity program behind us, we can really start to look at it and see if it’s working. It’s really hard to say, because Michelle Obama’s campaign isn’t the only one out there. Schools, states and other organizations are getting more involved in trying to prevent childhood obesity. The USDA does report that rates are down among preschool kids in several states. The Washington Post also reported that childhood obesity is on the decline in New York.

I personally feel that while programs like these do help, we as parents need to keep educating ourselves and take responsibility for getting our own kids moving. For more information, check out our Childhood Obesity Prevention Guide.

 

10 thoughts on “First Lady is Kicking Childhood Obesity Program into High Gear”

  1. We work really hard to install good eating habits at home. And each kid has their own set of activities are are interesting to them.

  2. It was a rough winter. Most of the time it was too cold to even let the kids go outside. All the kids I know have been bouncing off the walls with unused energy! Great tips by the way! I was actually planning to take my almost 3 year old outside today while I work on getting the garden beds ready for the season. Not sure how much he’ll want to help, but I was thinking I’d be able to get him involved some.

  3. This is so important and should really start at home. I hope parents take this program seriously to encourage healthy habits and prevent health problems later in life.

  4. Ha ha! I love the video of Obama and Biden stretching. Too funny! I am so glad that Michelle has this great cause. I do think kids don’t get enough exercise and it should come so naturally to them. It does to my boys.

    1. Wasn’t that a cute video? I love to see such “official” people showing off their real side like that. I agree, exercise should come naturally to kids. I think we have them so over-scheduled these days that we don’t seem to give them enough time to just be their normal wild selves.

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