First Lady Michelle Obama has launched a campaign against childhood obesity called “Let’s Move!”  Watch the video below for a two minute introduction and visit LetsMove.gov for further information.

I say, kudos, Mrs. Obama!  While it remains to be seen what effect the initiative will actually have on the obesity epidemic, which truly does begin with children, I really do appreciate the First Lady using the influence she has to try to make changes in this area.  Tara Parker-Pope, health columnist for the New York Times, and author of their health blog, “Well,” just posted today about the link between television commercials and childhood obesity, too.  Perhaps some of those ads should also be the target of our policy efforts in this area.

I started gaining weight in the second and third grades, and I got my first high cholesterol test results in elementary school, as well.  We really do have to change how the next generation is taught to relate to food and physical activity.  Lord knows they’ll have enough to worry about when they do reach 30 aside from losing weight and getting healthy – like upside down mortgages, shrinking pools of jobs, and the joys of online dating…

Looks like we adults have some work ahead of us if we’re going to leave things better than we found them.