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Fuel Up to Play 60, Let's Move! Takes Aim at Childhood Obesity

Fuel Up to Play 60, an in-school nutrition and physical activity program launched by the National Dairy Council and the National Football League, is working to support Let’s Move!, First Lady Michelle Obama’s initiative dedicated to solving childhood obesity in a generation, to strengthen each program’s efforts to improve the overall health of our nation’s youth.

Fuel Up to Play 60 and Let’s Move!, along with the Ad Council, have produced a public service announcement encouraging youth to join the Fuel Up to Play 60 movement. The programs also rally schools to meet the USDA HealthierUS School Challenge through participation in Fuel Up to Play 60. In addition, both programs promote the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition’s Presidential Active Lifestyle Award , given to students who perform 60 minutes of physical activity five days a week for six weeks and make healthy eating habits.

“I applaud the work of Fuel Up to Play 60. These programs, along with the USDA’s HealthierUS School Challenge, have the potential to help today’s youth become healthier and more physically active,” said Sam Kass, Senior Policy Adviser for Healthy Food Initiatives and Assistant White House Chef. “Like Chefs Move to Schools, Fuel Up to Play 60 offers resources that align with any school's unique health and wellness goals. This customization helps make the program successful, and helps make students’ healthy changes sustainable because they address a specific need.”

To continue the momentum, Fuel Up to Play 60 and Let’s Move! are jump starting the 2011-2012 school year with new tools and resources for students to take control of their own health and access fun ways to achieve active lifestyles. Instilling physical activity and healthy eating habits among our nation’s youth is more important than ever before, and both programs aim to help youth make sustainable changes to improve their overall health and wellness.

“Helping secure a healthy future for America’s children by guaranteeing access to physical activity and nutrient rich foods, and providing youth with the tools they need to grow up to be healthy adults, is our top priority,” said Jean Ragalie, president of the National Dairy Council, a leading organization behind Fuel Up to Play 60. “The collective strength of Let’s Move! and Fuel Up to Play 60 gives youth a greater voice in creating healthy solutions for themselves, their peers and their schools.”

Fuel Up to Play 60, launched by National Dairy Council and National Football League, in collaboration with USDA, is successfully helping youth make positive changes in their schools by encouraging consumption of nutrient-dense foods such as low-fat and fat-free dairy, fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and participation in 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Students engage in fun challenges to earn prizes and recognition for their schools, while tracking their healthy eating and physical activity on FuelUpToPlay60.com. To learn more and get involved in Fuel Up to Play 60, and Let’s Move!, visit FuelUpToPlay60.com and LetsMove.gov.