As many of you have no doubt noticed, First Lady Michelle Obama has been all over the news the past few days with her new initiative to address childhood obesity. In a Today Show interview with Matt Lauer, she talks about the "shocking statistic" that one in three kids in the United States is obese. Also shocking, Obama said, is the fact that "our youngest generatoin is on track for being less healthy healthy, having a shorter lifespan than their parents."
Obama acknowledged the intense pressures parents face in our busy modern society, the need to juggle jobs (sometimes more than one), school and extracurricular activities. "It's not that parents don't care," Obama said. "We have got to help them." She went on to say the problem is "imminently solvable."
Obama's remarks fit right in with our earlier post about the importance of, and the challenges of, planning healthy meals for ourselves and our families. (http://wellnesswithu.blogspot.com/2010/01/planning-key-to-positive-change.html)
Those of you who are parents already know, the kids are watching--one more reason for all of us to step up the Challenge (the With-U Wellness Challenge!) and make positive changes that will both improve our health and provide positive examples to the people we love. Here's a link to the Michelle Obama Today Interview: http://www.wowowow.com/politics/michelle-obama-today-show-matt-lauer-family-life-barack-obama-gray-hair-pain-hope-video-439512
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