Let’s Move celebrates New Executive Director, Dr. Judith Palfrey!

September 9, 2011 This Week Happy September, and welcome back to school! Over the past few weeks, students have been heading back to school, and everyone here at Let’s Move! is excited to work with communities across the country to make this the healthiest school year yet! September is also Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. Today, nearly 1 in 3 American children are overweight or obese. By taking action to address childhood obesity we can help today’s children reach their full potential. Let’sMove.gov is a great resource for you and your family to start along the path to a more active lifestyle. The USDA’s new MyPlate can also help your family choose healthier options at each meal. Welcome our New Executive Director, Dr. Judith Palfrey!   First Lady Michelle Obama recently announced that one of the country’s leading pediatricians, Judith S. Palfrey, M.D., will lead the Let’s Move! initiative as Executive Director. For decades, Dr. Palfrey has provided clinical care to thousands of children and families, conducted groundbreaking pediatric research, taught future physicians and led major medical organizations. Palfrey has been a longtime supporter of the Let’s Move! campaign and spoke at its launch in February of 2010 when she was president of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Dr. Palfrey has been a pediatric clinician and teacher for over 30 years, and her clinical work and teaching has included primary care, developmental pediatrics, inpatient pediatrics and community health. Following an assembly at Salon Middle School in Cleveland, Ohio, students took a mid-morning activity break on the school’s football field. GET ACTIVE TIP OF THE WEEK Many fall sports are starting up! Encourage your child to be a part of a sports team – not only will they be active, they will also learn leadership and sportsmanship in the process. EAT HEALTHY TIP OF THE WEEK Encourage your child to invent and help prepare new snacks or sandwiches for their lunch. Visit the Let’s Move! blog for expert tips on packing healthy lunches from White House chef Cris Comerford and back-to-school recipes from Chef Sam Kass. BLOG HIGHLIGHTS Cleveland Middle School Helps Put ED Tour in Motion For a back-to-school sprint through the Great Lakes region, it just seemed to make sense to warm up with a little physical activity. So that’s what Michael Yudin, the Department’s acting assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education, did Tuesday morning at Solon Middle School, a 2010 National Blue Ribbon School outside of Cleveland. Secretary Duncan will visit Cleveland on Wednesday afternoon.

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