Been liking Mrs. O. And liked Mrs. Bush before her. Mrs. B won me over right away by being a librarian (my former profession), and by choosing literacy and books for her cause. She started the Washington book festival, an excellent event, which continues to this day.
First ladies did not always choose causes. It may have been Lady Bird Johnson who got the custom started, with her campaign to beautify America with wildflowers. She kept working on that for the rest of her life, supporting the Texas wildflower center. It was not just PR.
Mrs. Obama, after the inauguration, said she would have to think a bit about where she would put her first lady energy.
Once she chose, she fired up her engines. She applied the drive and focus you might expect from a working class person who graduates from an Ivy League college, and from a former executive, to “Let’s Move.”
It’s ambitious. “Let’s Move,” is meant to reduce childhood obesity.
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), one in three youths are overweight or obese, and the problem is worse in the Southern states. Sadly, there are cultural forces down here that do work against healthy habits. They include seeing your whale-like parents on the couch knocking back whole fried catfish and hush puppies followed by pound cake, washed down with sweet tea, an alluring yet unwholesome nectar. Mrs. Obama says we adults must model healthy behavior for the generations that follow us, as well as make our society conducive to their good health.
I took a close look at the program for the first time. It’s good. First, it’s simple. The goal for children is at least 60 minutes of movement a day, and for adults, at least 30. You sign up, and you log what you do to earn a certificate. Basic motivation. People who do change their behaviors often benefit from logs or diaries.
It invites businesses to give salad bars to schools. Chiquita and United Fresh gave 10 salad bars to Chicago schools to mark the anniversary, according to The Packer, a produce industry publication. The industry can both help children and help themselves by promoting fresh fruits and vegetables in schools. Fernando Aguirre of Chiquita Brands said, “It becomes a habit for them, and eventually it’s going to be something that’s going to be important for us, because they become consumers of the company,” at a Feb. 9 press conference. Nice, not coercive, creates mutual benefits.
It invites mayors and other leaders to make their communities more walkable and safe to play in—which would of course make those communities more desirable as places to live. Same principle as the salad bar initiative.
The Let’s Move website addresses seven groups: parents, schools, mayors and local officials, community leaders, chefs, children, and health care providers. Each group gets coherent, appropriate action steps it can take to help kid’s health. It offered solid information, bright colors, meet ups in your neighborhood, and inspirational goals.
She got me! I just signed up so I can earn my Presidential Active Lifestyle Award.
Thank you, Mrs. O.
