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The Year in Review: Our Top 10 Favorite Let’s Move! Moments of 2016

As we near the end of 2016, we are reflecting back on all of the amazing Let’s Move! moments throughout the year. From the First Lady’s surprise garden visits and dedication of the White House Kitchen Garden to announcing the modernized Nutrition Facts label and hosting the first-ever fun run, we continued to make impactful progress, while also having some fun, in this final year of the Obama Administration.

We wanted to share with you our top ten favorite moments of 2016. In no particular order, check them out below: 

1) Marketing MVP

Who would have thought just a few years ago that the first unanimously chosen NBA MVP, Steph Curry, would choose fruits, vegetables, and water as some of his product endorsements? Well, we are glad he has! Steph Curry and his wife, Ayesha, are members of Team FNV, and Steph also supports the Drink Up campaign. As a result, when they got together with the First Lady this year, they were up for some fun to promote making healthier choices through these marketing campaigns.


First Lady Michelle Obama and Ellen DeGeneres participate in a water balloon game with Stephan Curry during a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show in Burbank, California, Sept. 12, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

2) Touring gardens across the country

Highlighting the impact and benefits of diverse gardens throughout the nation, the First Lady kicked off her American Garden Tour by surprising students at local schools that participate in gardening programs and surprising a family that has made their backyard garden a community effort.

A few months later, Mrs. Obama set out to visit other gardens across the country, making stops at schools in Burke County, Georgia and Newark, New Jersey. The TODAY Show’s Al Roker joined for the visits and announced that the show was starting its very own mobile truck bed garden. The truck made two stops to the White House this year – first to pick up plants and seeds that are grown in the White House Kitchen Garden, and then several months later once everything had grown so the First Lady could see the progress.

 

3) Empowering parents

Parents play such an important role in helping kids lead healthier lives, so this year, the First Lady hosted a conversation with leading parent bloggers and online content creators. Mrs. Obama encouraged continued action and involvement in children’s health not only from the attendees, but from their collective millions of followers as well, saying, “If we want to keep seeing better food options for our families, then we need to keep raising our voices.”

 
In support of the "Let's Move!" initiative, leading parenting bloggers, online influencers, and content creators listen to First Lady Michelle Obama's remarks about children's health, in the East Room of the White House, March 15, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

4) Creating the first-ever White House fun run

As a new addition to the annual White House Easter Egg Roll this year, the First Lady hosted the first-ever fun run on the South Lawn. Since the start of the Administration, the Easter Egg Roll has been transformed to amplify Let’s Move! by incorporating activities for kids and their families to be active and learn about healthy eating, and this year we expanded on those activities by inviting 200 local students to participate in the fun run. 


First Lady Michelle Obama participates in the final heat of the Fun Run during the annual Easter Egg Roll on the South Lawn of the White House, March 28, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

5) Teaming up with Team USA

Making a surprise visit to Times Square, the First Lady joined U.S. Olympians, Paralympians, and Rio hopefuls at the U.S. Olympic Committee’s (USOC) 100 Day Countdown event to announce commitments from the USOC and several of its National Governing Bodies to get nearly two million American children active. 


First Lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks during the 2016 Olympics 100 Days Out event in Times Square, New York, N.Y., April 27, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

After the Summer Olympic Games had concluded, and it was time for the athletes to make their trip to the White House, the First Lady teamed up with four of the Final Five from the women’s gymnastics team for a little fun to promote FNV:

6) Announcing the modernized Nutrition Facts label

Found on nearly 800,000 products, the Nutrition Facts label had not been significantly updated since its initial release twenty years ago. This May, the First Lady announced the modernized Nutrition Facts label reflecting the latest science, the most relevant nutrition information, and a refreshed design. 


First Lady Michelle Obama announces the modernized Nutrition Facts label for packaged foods during the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) Summit at the Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel in Washington, D.C., May 20, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

7) Celebrating the National Park Service Centennial

This summer, the First Family headed west to Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico and Yosemite National Park in California to celebrate the National Park Service Centennial. While in Yosemite, the President and First Lady visited with a group of fourth grade students to hand out their Every Kid in a Park pass, which any fourth grader in the country is able to obtain, and it grants them and their families free access to our country’s public lands and waters for a full year.


Yosemite National Park, California, June 18, 2016. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

8) Hosting the fifth annual Kids’ “State Dinner”

The First Lady continued the annual tradition she started in 2012 by once again hosting one of her favorite events at the White House, the Kids’ “State Dinner.” One student representing each U.S. state, territory, and the District of Columbia was selected as the winner of this year’s Healthy Lunchtime Challenge and had the opportunity to come to the White House to enjoy a delicious and nutritious lunch with Mrs. Obama.


Chef hats printed with the name and state of the 2016 Healthy Lunchtime Challenge winners sit on shelves in the Cross Hall. (Official White House Photo by David Lienemann)

9) Highlighting the history of exercise

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, the First Lady and Nick Offerman showcased some of the popular fitness routines of the past 60 years in this hilarious video

10) Dedicating the White House Kitchen Garden

Last, but certainly not least, this fall, the First Lady dedicated the White House Kitchen Garden, unveiling numerous updates to make the garden even more accessible to kids and world leaders alike and announcing that the Burpee Foundation and the W. Atlee Burpee Company generously provided support to the National Park Foundation to preserve and care for the garden into the future. 


First Lady Michelle Obama and student Tammy Nguyen walk through the White House Kitchen Garden prior to the garden dedication at the White House, Oct. 5, 2016. Nguyen introduced the First Lady in 2010 during the launch of the "Let's Move!" initiative. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

And who could forget President Obama stopping by the final garden harvest of this Adminstration where we had a reunion of folks who have worked with us over the years, along with students from across the country representing our Let's Move! programs.


President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama join students from "Let's Move!" programs and others for a group photo after the fall harvest in the White House Kitchen Garden, Oct. 6, 2016.  (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

It truly was a memorable year. What were your favorite Let’s Move! moments from this year? Share with us on Twitter and Facebook