Let’s Move Keeps Moving

The Let’s Move! campaign was created by First Lady Michelle Obama to fight childhood obesity in 2010.

Like many First Ladies, Michelle Obama took the growing trend and made it her pet cause. For Patty Nixon it was encouraging volunteerism, and for Nancy Regan it was creating a drug prevention program, which many still know the founding slogan of—

“Just Say No.”

In order to promote her campaign along with getting the word out, recently Michelle Obama was on “The Tonight Show” with Jimmy Fallon. She talked about her cause as well as participating in a skit, which involved feeding Fallon and Will Ferrell kale chips.

The First Lady encouraged viewers to post their fitness routine on social media using the hashtag #letsmove. She offered to have the President and Vice President show how they move if enough people participated in the tag.

On Feb. 28, Obama fulfilled his part of the bargain, uploading a video of him and Vice President Joe Biden jogging through the White House before doing some stretches outside and then walking back in to drink some water. The video is, of course, very light-hearted, with Biden commenting, “Man, you’re hard to keep up with.”

The Let’s Move! campaign has been making appearances in the news recently. Will Ferrell helped the First Lady to create a funny short, which aired on “Good Morning America” on Feb. 24. The short is about a ‘focus group’ of children who are part of an effort to discover the healthiest foods. Ferrell asks the children if diet cola is a vegetable, making many laugh with his deadpan demeanor.

Some have criticized the First Lady’s campaign, pointing out the issues that some children already have with their self-esteem because of their weight. However, most view the Let’s Move! campaign as something that can only help the youth of today. Technology is a growing part of everyday life, and as we spend more time plugged in, we tend to spend less time outdoors and exercising.

Michelle Obama is not the first to have her pet cause criticized, but with dropping numbers of childhood obesity it does appear as though something is having an impact. As 2016 gets closer and elections for a new president begin, the First Lady will certainly be making her final push to make sure that her Let’s Move! campaign has a lasting effect.