Let’s Move! Campaign Celebrates Two-Year Anniversary
See how the campaign has impacted kids’ health.
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Shout and Deliver - Let’s Move!, the national childhood obesity initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama, celebrates two years of service this week. Here’s a look back at some of the healthy milestones the program has reached so far. —Britt Middleton (Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
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Start of a Movement - Launched in February 2010, the Let’s Move! campaign aims to curb childhood obesity by encouraging children to exercise for 60 minutes each day and by helping parents and schools provide smarter choices at mealtime. In the African-American and Latino communities alone, the campaign estimates that 40 percent of children are overweight or obese. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Famous Fans - Celebrities, including Keri Hilson and new mom Beyoncé, have lent their star power to the first lady’s campaign. Bey’s energetic flash workout video, “Move Your Body,” put fitness and fun in perspective for millions of children. (Photo: FameFlynet)
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New Legislation - In December 2010 , President Obama signed into law the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which authorized funding for federal school meal and child nutrition programs and increased access to healthy food for low-income children. In January 2012, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released new school-meal regulations to ensure kids are offered and served more fruits, vegetables and whole grains and less sodium, saturated fat and trans fats. (Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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Small Steps - In September 2011, the Let’s Move! Campaign reported that Darden, the world’s largest full service restaurant company, which owns Olive Garden, Red Lobster and others, committed to improve their kids' menus by offering a fruit or vegetable and low-fat milk with every meal, as well as reduce total calories and sodium by 20 percent over the next 10 years across their menus.
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Digital Tools - In October 2011, the campaign introduced the “My Plate” tool, an info-graphic designed to help parents give their children balanced portions of protein, grains, veggies, fruits and dairy at every meal. Over 5,700 groups have partnered with the USDA to get simple nutritional information to families across the country, the campaign reports. (Photo: AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
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Lowering Costs - In 2011, Walmart’s Nutrition Charter pledged to lower the cost of fruits, vegetables and whole grain products by $1 billion. Walmart also committed to partner with manufacturers to remove 10 percent sugar and 25 percent sodium in categories throughout the store. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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Fresh Choices - Let’s Move! Salad Bars to Schools has delivered over 1,000 salad bars to schools in the past year — making fruits and vegetables accessible to hundreds of thousands of kids, the campaign reports. (Photo: REUTERS/Hans Deryk)
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Replenishing Food Deserts - As many as 9.5 million Americans currently live in areas with limited or no access to healthy food, areas that Let’s Move! have designated as food deserts. Walgreens, Supervalu, Walmart and several other grocers have pledged to build or expand 1,500 stores in those communities to shore up healthy choices and provide thousands of jobs for local residents. In addition, the Fresh Works Fund committed $200 million to eliminating food deserts in California. (Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images)
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Breaking Records - First Lady Michelle Obama was no spectator in the effort to fight obesity — she joined more than 300,265 people in December 2011 in breaking the Guinness world record for the most people doing jumping jacks in a 24-hour period, smashing the old record of 20,000 people. The “jumper-in-chief” proved the old adage that there truly is strength in numbers. (Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)