Posted by Todd Solomon, New Media lead, Department of Transportation on May 9, 2011
Congratulations to the City of Takoma Park, Maryland, for another successful 5K Challenge! Last Sunday, they held their third annual running of this exciting event, and it drew more than 700 runners of all ages.
The great thing about Takoma Park's family-friendly race day is that it benefits the city's Safe Routes to School program. Safe Routes programs across America help schoolkids learn to bike and walk to school safely.
Posted by Nancy C Lee, Director, Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health on May 9, 2011
Healthy, strong women are essential to building healthy, strong children and communities, but too often women place the needs of others before their own. As a woman, mother, doctor and the new Director of the Office on Women’s Health, I understand how busy we can be and how difficult it is to make time for ourselves and our health. Nevertheless, we need to make our health and wellness a priority. National Women’s Health Week serves as a reminder to do just that and do so with small, manageable steps that will improve our health.
Posted by Rebecca Frank, New Media Content Specialist, USDA Office of Communications on May 6, 2011
Last week, Secretary Vilsackjoined St. Louis Rams quarterback and Cherokee nation member Sam Bradford in the USDA People’s Garden to talk about the importance of healthy lifestyles to improve the health of our nation’s kids.
Posted by Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services on May 5, 2011
How can you help improve community health across the country? By sharing your opinion with us. Are you interested in healthy nutrition in the work environment? Or does physical activity for children get your vote? We want to hear from you!
Posted by Janey Thornton, USDA Deputy Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services on May 4, 2011
We’re entering the home stretch in the First Lady’s Recipes for Healthy Kids competition. Judges will be fanning out to schools across the country to watch them prepare the delicious recipes that have made it to the semi-finals. My colleague, Audrey Rowe, recently lead a team of judges to Harold S. Winograd School in Greeley, Colo., to kick off this phase of the competition, which is part of the First Lady’s effort to partner chefs with schools through her Let’s Move! initiative.
Posted by Dominique Dawes, Co-Chair, President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition on May 4, 2011
May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, and is the perfect time to celebrate how Let’s Move! and the Million PALA (Presidential Active Lifestyle Award) Challenge are helping Americans get healthy and fit. Through the Million PALA Challenge, an extension of the President’s Challenge, The President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition set a goal for 1 million Americans to earn a PALA by September 2011.
Posted by Jaime Mulligan, New Media Analyst for Public Health on May 3, 2011
You may have heard that the National Association of Broadcasters organized over 600 schools nationwide to perform a dance popularized by Beyonce in her video for “Move Your Body,” which encourages kids to get up and get moving. All the performances took place at 1:42 pm today. First Lady Michelle Obama stopped by Alice Deal Middle School in Washington, DC, to check out their event, and had some fun herself. Check it out:
Posted by Ann Wright, Deputy Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs on May 3, 2011
Ensuring that Americans eat well and lead healthy lives is among our greatest goals at USDA. First Lady Michelle Obama, of course, has taken an important role on this front – leading a national conversation and administration-wide effort. As part of the Lets Move! initiative USDA is taking on the challenge of food deserts. These nutritional wastelands exist across America in both urban and rural communities where parents and children simply do not have access to a supermarket.
Posted by Shannon Rudisill, Director, Office of Child Care, Administration for Children & Families, Department of Health & Human Services on May 3, 2011
At the Colusa Indian Community Council’s Hand-in-Hand Learning Center in northern California, the garden is the focal point of a curriculum that revolves around physical and mental health, fresh food, and local partnerships. The garden, which has been a work in progress for the last five years, is central to Hand-in-Hand’s efforts to educate children and families about healthy lifestyles and obesity prevention.
Posted by Jaime Mulligan, New Media Analyst for Public Health on May 2, 2011
What do First Lady Michelle Obama, TV host Kelly Ripa, and ultramarathon runner Dean Karnazes have in common? All three care about helping kids across America get active to get healthy, and all three were on the South Lawn of the White House on Monday. The First Lady brought the special guests to meet with D.C.-area students and talk about the importance of physical activity. Ripa and Karnazes are involved with Run Across America, which holds community runs to introduce everyday Americans to a healthy, fun cardio routine they can do with friends and family.
Posted by Tim Cipriano, Executive Director of Food Services for New Haven Public Schools on April 29, 2011
Last week I had the wonderful opportunity to join 5 chefs from across the country, all of us being recognized as a Champion of Change. Working together as a team the six of us joined in a discussion with Under Secretary Kevin Concannon and Chef Sam Kass to discuss opportunities and challenges of the Chefs Move to Schools, a program of the Let's Move! Initiative.
On Wednesday, April 20, I was notified that I had received a Champions of Change award and was invited to participate in a roundtable discussion with Administration officials and several chefs and nutritionist specialists. We were asked to discuss the healthy schools initiative, the Chefs Move to Schools project and what we were doing in our communities.
Posted by Julie Curti, Assistant to the Director, USDA Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships on April 28, 2011
Spring is here and that means it is time to get your hands in the soil and start gardening! As part of Let’s Move! Faith and Communities, First Lady Michelle Obama has challenged congregations and neighborhood organizations to plant gardens in their communities.
