MICHELLE OBAMA: She Practices What She Preaches

Thanks, Michelle! Today I had the pleasure of listening to our First Lady talk about her new initiative "Let's Move" on The White House Live website. I think what I love most about this launch is that she is taking easy-to-understand, common sense thinking about healthy eating and exercise and working on implementing these strategies into the "extracurricular" school life of kids all over America. By bringing this initiative into every school, these efforts, hopefully, will also translate into a healthier lifestyle for these students overall as they learn to make their choices about how they will eat and exercise for the rest of their lives.

As well, all of us will have to become role models. Regarding how we feed ourselves and our families, Michelle suggested that we make "manageable" changes to our current eating habits, such as eliminating, or at least minimizing many of the sugars and snacks we eat, and limiting the number of fast food meals we consume. Personally, I have lived by the diet theory of "elimination", not "deprivation", so I emphatically agree with her when she says that if we decide to eat healthy most of the time, having the snacks and fast foods are then the "special treats" we can guiltlessly enjoy now and then.

Who could be better at offering us inspiration and encouragement? Michelle Obama is more than a fine example of someone who practices what she preaches. She also suggested that dancing and outdoor games, things that are "fun" and that get us moving are viable ways to get additional exercise. As an example, she talked about how she and the President discipline their girls, refraining them from overdoses of weekday television in an attempt to divert their attention to other productive interests, especially physical activities that gets the whole family involved. We can do the same.

Certainly we need Michelle's motivation. There's no doubt that the Let's Move initiative is born out of necessity, with sixty-percent of school aged children being overweight, and others not getting the nutrition they need because of poor food choices. Let's do our best to support this endeavor, to put into practice good, healthy habits that will help our children eat better and get healthier. Let's take it seriously, and take ourselves to a whole new level of consciousness about how we care for our bodies. Let's do it, People. Let's eat better, and let's exercise. Let's Move!

S.R.F.