ACFN Congratulates Michelle Obama on the Launch of Let’s Move

ACFN congratulates Michelle Obama on the successful launch of Let’s Move and, for identifying childhood obesity to be her legacy as the First Lady of the United States.  In her role as First Lady and as mom to Sasha and Malia, Mrs. Obama has the ability to lead by example and inspire all of us to take actions – large and small – to reverse the trend of childhood obesity.  What ACFN likes best about her approach is that the effort is rooted in pragmatic steps that all American families and communities can embrace.  More importantly, these solutions are sustainable.  

 

Mrs. Obama has reminded us of the value of family meals, good old fun and unstructured play that allows children to eat healthier, be more active, and feel good about who they are.  She recognizes that helping American families set out on a path toward the goal of a healthier lifestyle is far more important than expecting American families to reach the pinnacle of perfection each day.  

 

We share the First Lady’s commitment to the health of our nation’s children.  ACFN has been dedicated to promoting solutions to combat childhood obesity for more than five years.  Our signature approach unifies rather than silos school based physical education and nutrition education in a comprehensive program.  Through our Healthy Schools Partnership (HSP) program, we are seeing great success. The program curriculum, taught by registered dietitians and physical education coaches empowers students. They learn about the importance of energy balance – balancing the calories they consume with the calories they expend through physical activity. They know they have to earn those extra “treats” by increasing their level of physical activity. Students are also driving change in their school cafeteria –more “power food” options are now available. The school cafeteria is very much a part of the extended HSP classroom and the foodservice staff relishes their part as role models.  Our schools enjoy participating in HSP and learning that combining physical education and registered dietitian nutrition coaching is both healthy and fun!  

 

We will continue to identify physical activity partners and nutrition education partners committed to blending the two into fully integrated energy balance programs in our schools and communities.  We look forward to working with the First Lady and Let’s Move.

 

To Read Mrs. Obama’s speech from the Let’s Move launch click here.