Get Active
Grant Hill Advocates for Healthy Living
In July, I had the special privilege of joining the First Lady as a member of the President’s official delegation to the opening ceremonies of the Olympics. Before attending the opening ceremonies, we gathered on the lawn of the residence of the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain for a Let's Move! event to get kids exercising. Thousands of children were there, including the children of our military members stationed in the area, participating in dozens of sports. Mrs. Obama is definitely hands-on when she joins kids in exercise and games. She is a non-stop advocate for healthy activity and good, clean, competitive fun. And, she is a powerful role model for healthy living and the pursuit of fitness for Americans of all ages.
Girl Scout Earns Highest Achievement, Inspired by Let's Move!
Everywhere I turned, I saw the great problem of childhood obesity. Things had changed over the short time from my childhood. Today's children were not getting the physical activity or food they needed. I was going to change that with the use of my Girl Scouts Gold Award. I was inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let's Move! initiative and by my younger cousin DJ, who is obese. I have a great love of sports and knew there had to be something to tie healthy living together with sports. Then the idea was born.
30 Days of Free Race Days from USA BMX
To help American families become more active and meet the First Lady’s fitness goals, Let’s Move!, and Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) have teamed with USA BMX to provide easy access to the healthy sport of BMX. This collaborative initiative will provide a 30 day membership to BMX for new riders across the country who sign up on PHA’s website. Once registered, the participant will receive a 30-day free trial membership to their local BMX track.
Kobe Bryant's 5 Healthy Habits
Ed note: This week, First Lady Michelle Obama is guest editing the iVillage website. She worked with the editors there to create a weeklong series of great articles and videos with advice for families looking to Rev Up their Back to School Routine and introduce healthy new habits for everyone in the household. On the site today, basketball star -- and father of two -- Kobe Bryant weighed in about healthy habits that help him perform at this peak:
Learning Leadership Through Sports: US Lacrosse Hosts Clinic for Native American Youth
On the evening of July 30, I had the honor of addressing the 165 youth leaders from 53 tribes who were attending the 2012 National Intertribal Youth Summit in Chevy Chase, Maryland. I stressed the importance of fitness within all of the American Indian and Alaska Native communities, especially since childhood obesity is one of the most pressing issues currently facing Indian Country. I believe that through sports like lacrosse, which increase physical activity and simultaneously reinforce cultural heritage, we can help to get our youth on the path toward healthier lifestyles. Thanks to US Lacrosse, the sport’s national governing body, we spent an hour and a half getting active and learning the basic skills of the game.
Last Stop of the Summer: MOVE IT MOVEMENT TOUR
Calling all Houstonians -- the Move It Movement Tour is coming to your city. In support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative, the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition has partnered with the Cartoon Network to launch the third annual Move It Movement Tour, a national campaign to get kids moving more and eating healthy in a fun and interactive outdoor environment. Think your kid won’t like it? Think again! Kids have been eager to try different activities at every stop. Our favorite quotes: “This is the best day of summer camp yet!” and “I wish this was here every day.”
After hosting events in several cities around the country, the tour wraps up on August 12 in Houston, Texas. The First Lady appeared on the Cartoon Network on May 28 to inform kids and families how they can get involved with Let’s Move! through the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA+) program. The tour officially kicked off in Atlanta on June 10, and at each of the 17 stops, families have been able to enjoy a wide range of active games, such as basketball and soccer shootouts, football and golf drills, and sidewalk art creation stations. By exposing kids to various activities, families can learn more about different ways they can lead a healthy, active lifestyle.
Your Stories: Celebrating Lets Move! Olympic Fun Day Across The USA
While First Lady Michelle Obama was in London leading the U.S. Delegation to the 2012 Olympic Games, communities back at home showed their support for Team USA by dancing, jumping and running their way to a healthier lifestyle. Thousands of people from nearly all 50 states got together to celebrate Let’s Move! Olympic Fun Day on Saturday, July 28th by getting active and having fun. From tug-of-war in Eagle, Wisconsin to badminton in Porterville, CA and from soccer in New York City to relay races in Cornish, ME, we were thrilled by the response!
We hope all the fun and activity inspires your family and community to get moving too! And even though our Olympic Fun Day has passed, you can join or host a Let's Move! Meetup in your community year-round.
Have a look at some of the coverage, stories, photos and tweets from events that took place around the country:
First Lady Michelle Obama Leads Presidential Delegation to the Olympics
Ed note: This was originally published on whitehouse.gov
First Lady Michelle Obama was in the stands on Saturday as Team USA scored its first gold medal in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. In her unofficial capacity as First Fan, Mrs. Obama had the chance to cheer on swimmer Ryan Lochte as he won the men's 400 meter individual medley.
First Lady Michelle Obama Hosts Let's Move! London
Ed note: This post originally appeared on the blog at whitehouse.gov
Today, First Lady Michelle Obama joined 2,000 American military children and American and British students at Let’s Move! London, an event held to spread the spirit of the Olympic Games in London. The First Lady is leading the U.S. Delegation to the Summer Games and Let’s Move! London was designed to turn the inspiration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games into action by encouraging kids to get moving.
“That’s what Let's Move is all about. It’s about helping kids like you live happier, healthier lives,” Mrs. Obama told the crowd gathered at the U.S. Ambassador's Residence in London. “And that’s really why we brought you all here today… because we want you to see that there all kinds of ways that you can stay active and have fun doing it. You don't have to be an Olympian. You don't have to join a team. But there are so many ways that you can have fun and keep yourselves moving.”
Tomorrow is Let’s Move! Olympic Fun Day
To celebrate the start of the Summer Games in London, First Lady Michelle Obama is calling on communities around the country to support Team USA on Saturday, July 28, not just by cheering from the couch, but by taking inspiration from their hard work and dedication to get active. Cities, towns and organizations across America have signed on to support tomorrow's Let’s Move! Olympic Fun Day with activities that promote healthy living.
From a day of dancing on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. to a Fitness and Nutrition Expo in Atlanta, Georgia, and from an Olympic-style relay in Bluffton, Indiana to a workout on the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Moncia, California, there are more than 200 Let's Move! Olympic Fun Day events being planned on Meetup in more than forty states.
