Let's Move

Every First Lady of the US has an issue that they choose as their primary mission. Barbara Bush had literacy. Hillary Clinton had increased health care coverage for children. Laura Bush had education. Michelle Obama has childhood obesity.

She has attacked the issue from several angles. She has planted a garden and installed a beehive to show others how they can have healthful food. She pushed for changes to the nutrition in school lunches. That is the main meal that many children get each day. Some kids eat breakfast and lunch at school, so it needs to be healthful. She is also pushing kids to move through Letsmove. Fitness is key to maintaining a healthy weight and avoiding obesity.

She has been promoting her issue on TV shows the last few weeks with humor and information. This is not a political issue at all. This is about the health of the next generation. If we don't want to see children being diagnosed with Type II Diabetes, we need to eliminate the risk factors.

If you're a parent, encourage your children to eat well and move. Model the behavior for them. If you're not a parent, you can still be a model for children. You can also join a run mentoring group like Girls On the Run, Team M3, or a similar group.

Rap

I am barely literate in rap music, but I can still appreciate when a rapper does something outside of the music industry to help others. Fat Joe has slimmed down to 360 pounds, from a high of 460. He is teaming up with Newark mayor Cory Booker to encourage kids to move more.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I was just a kid myself, dealing with childhood obesity,” says Joseph (Fat Joe) Cartagena, who realized his oversized persona was killing him after six friends died prematurely from obesity-related illnesses since 2000. They included fellow NYC artist Big Pun, who had a fatal heart attack at 28.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This is part of a larger movement that is being pushed by Michelle Obama. I'm a bit jealous of these programs. I wish someone had modeled being active to me when I was a kid.

Update: Cory Booker has loaded videos of this event to Youtube.

Government and Obesity

As the country's obesity rates have risen to their highest rates, some government officials have tried to push their citizens to buck the trend. One city trying that is Hernando, MS. Their mayor, Chip Johnson has made the city more health-friendly. "My job is not to tell people to be healthy, but it is to create an atmosphere and opportunities for good health in Hernando," Johnson said. "If I don't have sidewalks for people to walk on or parks for our children to play in, I haven't done my job."




By creating at atmosphere where healthy habits were prized, he created a new social dynamic. He made moving for fitness a good thing, rather than an oddity. His effort helped a local church and hospital to improve their food options. He didn't mandate these changes, which would have led to a backlash and resentment. Instead, he modeled the good behavior and others chose to follow. His efforts led him to his invitation to Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" kickoff in Washington, DC.




Another mayor pushing his city to become healthier is Cory Booker, mayor of Newark, NJ. He has made his own struggle to stay active and at a healthy weight public. He has challenged people to join him in becoming more active. And because of his fabulous twitter feed, his challenge covers more than just Newark. He is reaching over 1 million people.