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First lady: U.S. children facing ‘crisis of inactivity’
The Washington Times ^ | November 30, 2011 | Dave Boyer

Posted on 12/01/2011 9:29:16 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks

America’s children are experiencing a “crisis of inactivity,” first lady Michelle Obama said Wednesday.

“We may well be raising the most sedentary generation of kids in the history of this country,” Mrs. Obama said at an event in Washington to promote more healthful lifestyles for youth. “Kids today reportedly spend an average of seven and a half hours a day watching TV, playing with cellphones, computer games, video games.”

The first lady has made it her cause to combat childhood obesity by promoting more healthful diets and encouraging groceries with fresh produce to move into underserved communities. But she said those efforts are “not enough.”

“There is still more to do,” she said, “because we all know that the problem isn’t just what’s happening at meal time or at snack time. It’s also about how our kids are spending the rest of their time each and every day.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past 30 years, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other ailments.

Mrs. Obama said only 25 percent of children play outside each day, compared with 75 percent of kids 20 years ago. And she said only 18 percent of high school students get the recommended one hour of physical activity per day.

The lack of exercise even affects the military, disqualifying 27 percent of young adults from serving and forcing the Defense Department to spend more on training to get recruits combat-ready, Mrs. Obama added.

“When we’re talking about getting kids running around and playing again, it is important to understand that this isn’t just about fun and games,” the first lady said. “This isn’t a joke. It’s about their health. It’s about their success in school. It’s about our economy...

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: children; exercise; michelleobama; nannystate
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1 posted on 12/01/2011 9:29:26 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks
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To: Eric Blair 2084; SheLion; Gabz; Hank Kerchief; 383rr; libertarian27; traviskicks; bamahead; CSM; ...

WE WANT YOU...TO EXERCISE!

Nanny State PING!


2 posted on 12/01/2011 9:30:38 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Occupy DC General Assembly: We are Marxist tools. WE ARE MARXIST TOOLS!)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
The only "activity" that gives someone a butt like hers is cheeseburger arm curls.


3 posted on 12/01/2011 9:33:55 PM PST by ElkGroveDan (My tagline is in the shop.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Oh, shut it Michelle and go eat another taco. Maybe some lobster too, while accompanied by 20 friends and staying in an expensive hotel on yet another vacation. Yeah, fat kids are our problem. Pfft.


4 posted on 12/01/2011 9:34:00 PM PST by ReneeLynn (Socialism is SO yesterday. Fascism, it's the new black. Mmm mmm mmm...)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Shut you ugly mouth , fat ass.


5 posted on 12/01/2011 9:35:01 PM PST by chris37 (Heartless.)
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To: chris37

LOL LOL!!! My sentiments exactly!


6 posted on 12/01/2011 9:37:50 PM PST by mojitojoe (SCOTUS.... think about that when you decide to sit home and pout because your candidate didn't win)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
Not a problem, but a “crisis of inactivity” that only Big Govt can solve for the proletariat.
7 posted on 12/01/2011 9:50:06 PM PST by DTogo (High time to bring back the Sons of Liberty !!)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

There’s certainly a “crisis of inactivity” in the White House.


8 posted on 12/01/2011 10:18:54 PM PST by beethovenfan (If Islam is the solution, the "problem" must be freedom.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Just curious. While everybody dislikes the Obamas, does anybody contend that what she says is not accurate?


9 posted on 12/01/2011 10:31:09 PM PST by Sherman Logan
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

If you cannot be a good example, then you will just have to serve as a horrible warning.

like Michelle Obama.


10 posted on 12/01/2011 10:57:54 PM PST by Iron Munro ("Don't pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he'll just kill you." John Steinbeck)
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To: Sherman Logan

Who says she’s inaccurate? I suspect she wants to force everybody to do the same thing, however.


11 posted on 12/01/2011 11:09:08 PM PST by Tolerance Sucks Rocks (Occupy DC General Assembly: We are Marxist tools. WE ARE MARXIST TOOLS!)
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To: All

But let your children play outside while cooking dinner and the state will snatch them from you.

This is an environment the GOVERNMENT created.


12 posted on 12/01/2011 11:24:13 PM PST by autumnraine (America how long will you be so deaf and dumb to the tumbril wheels carrying you to the guillotine?)
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To: Sherman Logan

I see a lot of health clubs and a lot of people at those clubs.


13 posted on 12/01/2011 11:29:45 PM PST by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Moochelle wants the kids of southeast DC out on the streets playing after spending hours on govt-funded computers in their joke of a school system

uh huh


14 posted on 12/02/2011 12:42:46 AM PST by silverleaf (common sense is not so common- voltaire)
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To: Sherman Logan

“Kids today reportedly spend an average of seven and a half hours a day watching TV, playing with cellphones, computer games, video games.”

Yeah, I call BS on that one, by sheer physical counting of the hours kids have in a day.

Of course if she is talking about, ahem, underserved communities where kids are out on the streets past midnight on school nights, I concede


15 posted on 12/02/2011 12:46:52 AM PST by silverleaf (common sense is not so common- voltaire)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
“We may well be raising the most sedentary generation of kids in the history of this country,” Mrs. Obama...

FUMO! I've got a son in the United States Army, one daughter in college who swims, and another who swims and runs cross country. And we did that without your help. So again, FUMO!!!!

16 posted on 12/02/2011 1:14:21 AM PST by Rummyfan (Iraq: it's not about Iraq anymore, it's about the USA!)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks
I was a kid in the 60's. Kids had so much freedom then. No such thing as toy safety laws. What was a bicycle helmet? LOL! We had toy cap guns and pop air guns. Parents were stricter but without gov. intervention. The parents were the law then. Had to be home for supper on time was the rule.

We had no parental taxi service, if you wanted to see a friend, you hopped on your bike and rode to their neighborhood.

If I wanted to climb 50 feet up a tree, nobody was stopping me. If you wanted to throw snowballs at each other, learn how to dodge to avoid being hit. Loved going into the woods, picking berries, building forts and exploring.

Mom wanted us out of the house because dad was working 3rd shift and sleeping. We went to the park and played baseball or football without supervision. All sports today is organized by adults. There was no such thing as "playscapes".

Junk food to me then were saltines and ritz crackers. I hated cookies. We never went out to eat. Mom made dinner.

The rules and regulations incrementally passed over the last 35 years by do - gooders has taken the real fun being a kid in the wild.

17 posted on 12/02/2011 1:38:10 AM PST by dancusa (You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity, by legislating the wealth out of prosperity.)
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Mommy Mao needs to ship them to the rice fields.


18 posted on 12/02/2011 1:43:41 AM PST by SaraJohnson
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

Big butt ladies words of wisdom while eating anything that stands still for more than 2 seconds.


19 posted on 12/02/2011 3:36:18 AM PST by chiefqc
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To: Tolerance Sucks Rocks

As opposed to the president, who can always be counted upon to be active on the links - especially when he’s needed in the White House.

Meanwhile, Michelle keeps her gums flapping non-stop.


20 posted on 12/02/2011 4:30:03 AM PST by Jack Hammer
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