First Lady Michelle Obama Tells Students that ‘Let’s Move!’ Initiative is about Healthy Living, Not Appearances

ABC News’ Karen Travers reports: First Lady Michelle Obama told students today that the most important part of her "Let's Move!" initiative to combat childhood obesity is advocating for healthy living and promoting an active lifestyle for the nation's youth and not focusing on appearances. “To see the statistics, seeing that one in three kids in this country is overweight or obese and that we're on track for the first time ever for our kids to live shorter lives than we do.  You know, that in and of itself was terrifying enough for me,” the first lady said at a live C-SPAN town hall meeting today with school students. “I wouldn't want that fate for my girls and I don't want it for any of you or any other kids in this country.” This year C-SPAN challenged middle and high school students from across the United States to address what they believe are the major issues of the day with a video project. There were 1,000 student documentarians who submitted videos and 128 of them focused on a health issue. The first prize winner in the middle school category, Matthew Shimura, submitted a documentary that focused on childhood obesity. His project sparked interest at C-SPAN to expand this into a dialogue across the nation with the First Lady and young people Shimura is in middle school at President Obama’s alma mater, The Punahou School in Honolulu, HI. His video can be viewed HERE. Mrs. Obama emphasized familiar points that make up her effort to combat childhood obesity and instill healthy eating and living habits in the nation’s youth – working to educate parents on healthy food and the need to exercise; eliminating “food deserts,” or areas that do not have easy access to affordable healthy food; working with schools to provide students with healthy choices and the opportunity to get out and be active. Earlier this year, Mrs. Obama faced criticism for comments she made about her daughters’ health and Body Mass Index (BMI), which some took to be too focused on weight and body image.  Today Mrs. Obama stressed that there is no single ideal height and weight and that her “Let’s Move!” initiative is not about appearance but about good health “What this is all about, really, is about making sure that you guys are healthy, that you're eating the right foods, that you're getting enough exercise,” she said. “This isn't about how you look.  This isn't about appearances because we all have to own and be proud of exactly who we are.”   The First Lady noted that she stands at 5 feet, 11 inches and has been that height since she was young. “My parents taught me to be proud of the way I look.  And this isn’t about how you look; this is about how you guys feel.  It's about health.” Mrs. Obama spent about an hour answering students’ questions that addressed the price of healthy food, what schools can do to educate students about healthy eating and living and the role that government can play in this effort. The First Lady stressed that this is not the federal government telling families what to do in their homes and mandating what people eat. She said that the best part of her Let’s Move initiative is that it does not “millions of dollars and legislation” to get it done and they don’t have to count on people in Washington to “pass stuff to move this along.” Attending today’s event were students from three elementary schools that have worked on this issue as well as representatives from local Girl Scout troops and youth ambassadors from the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. Dialing in from around the nation were C-SPAN in the Classroom member schools. The White House also invited student reporters from publications like National Geographic Kids, Scholastic News, TIME for Kids and ESPN Girl to cover today’s event. -Karen Travers