In every speech the First Lady gives, she emphasizes that everyone has a role to play in solving the epidemic of childhood obesity. This past week was a great example of how different types of organizations, representing the public, private and nonprofit sectors, are stepping up and doing their part to end childhood obesity. Adults and parents are also doing their part by finding creative ways to eat healthier foods and become more physically active.
Representing the private sector, Walmart joined the First Lady for a major announcement to reformulate foods and lower prices for healthy items for the 140 million customers that visit Walmart every week. Local government is also taking an active role in the Let’s Move! Initiative. In a presentation at the U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter meeting I shared that over 470 mayors have signed up to become a Let’s Move city or town. To explore ways that citizens can come together to create community solutions to combat childhood obesity, we hosted a meeting at the White House with Service Nation. More than 40 non-profit organizations attended the briefing.
And on the personal side, many of you shared your New Year’s resolutions to get healthier. Here are some tips, to read them all check out our Facebook page:
Sander V.: eat less processed foods and fresh juices instead of cartons!
Patti H: My girls and I are reading and understanding the Nutrition Facts Panel on all of our foods. We are also reading and learning about menu items – the new law certainly has swayed some of our choices! It’s a fun family project that is a great conversation starter and gives us a lot more to talk about!
lthea D: Eating from a smaller plate. Drinking moderate tempered drinks with meals and lots of clean refreshing water throughout the day especially when a hunger spell hits. I love to have a small apple as a snack at night! I move around more taking those extra steps!
Kimberly S: Making changes slowly so that we are not overwhelmed by a complete lifestyle change. Last week our left over sweets from the holidays were removed from the kitchen. This week, more veggies. Next week, no take-out. (and etc.)
Keep up the good work! Oh—and February 9th is the one-year anniversary of the launch of Let’s Move.
Get ready to celebrate!
See you next week,
Robin
Robin Schepper
Executive Director, Let’s Move! Initiative
