2/14/2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
During Let’s Move! event in Des Moines, Mrs. Obama lauded Hy-Vee and other partners for making the Healthiest State Initiative “the model of what every state should be doing.”
DES MOINES, IA – First Lady Michelle Obama says when it came time to mark the second anniversary of her Let’s Move! initiative to fight childhood obesity, there was no question where the nationwide celebration should begin.
Speaking before more than 10,000 cheering Iowa schoolchildren assembled at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines for Let’s Move! Day in Iowa, Mrs. Obama said, “We could have had this party anywhere in the country, right? We could have gone anywhere, but there is a reason why we wanted to come here to Iowa to be with all of you. And that’s because I am so proud of what you all are doing to make Iowa the healthiest state in this country by 2016.”
Mrs. Obama was referring to Iowa’s Healthiest State Initiative, a privately led, publicly endorsed effort to raise the state to the top of the Gallup-Heathways Well-Being Index® within five years. Iowa currently ranks 19th on this national assessment of Americans’ health and well-being. Hy-Vee Chairman and CEO Ric Jurgens is co-chair of the initiative, which was introduced in August by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad and Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds.
The First Lady’s speech at Let’s Move! Day in Iowa capped a morning filled with high-energy entertainment and nutrition and fitness advice for students from nearly 50 schools invited to take part in the celebration. The 6th through 9th graders heard motivational messages from U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and a host of celebrities and sports starts, including Iowa State University men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg, WNBA star Tamika Catchings, Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan, NASCAR driver Carl Edwards, American Idol finalist Katelyn Epperly, Olympic gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson, and celebrity trainer Bob Harper of The Biggest Loser fame.
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad read a proclamation declaring February 9 “Let’s Move! Day” in Iowa, then introduced the First Lady to thunderous applause. Mrs. Obama looked out over the sea of students waving white towels printed with the Let’s Move! logo and exclaimed, “This is so cool!”
Noting that government, businesses like Hy-Vee, schools and communities have come together throughout Iowa to support the Healthiest State Initiative, the First Lady said, “This is exactly what Let’s Move! is all about. We want every single state in this country to do exactly what Iowa is doing. And so you guys are the model – you are the model of what every state should be doing.”
She complimented the “amazing, amazing young people” who are helping Iowa reach its Healthiest State goal by undertaking health initiatives in their schools and communities, and urged all students to make exercise a part of their daily lives.
“You don’t even have to play a sport,” Mrs. Obama reminded the students. “A lot of kids think they have to be athletes to keep moving, but you don’t. You can just turn on the radio and dance until you sweat. You can take a walk, you can ride a bike after school instead of sitting in front of the computer.”
She concluded her remarks by inviting the other program participants and some audience members to join her onstage for the Interlude Dance, an arena dance craze started at the University of Northern Iowa that has become a YouTube sensation. Led by dance creators Ian Goldsmith, Tyler Wright and Scott Connerley of UNI, the First Lady and the assembled crowd performed the two-minute aerobic routine to the electronica song “Interlude” by the metal band Attack Attack!
Mrs. Obama concluded the program by helping unveil a giant birthday cake made of fresh fruits and vegetables and leading the crowd in singing “Happy Birthday” to Let’s Move!
Following her stop in Des Moines, the First Lady traveled to Arkansas, Texas and Florida for the remainder of her three-day Let’s Move! tour.
