March 4, 2009
FIRST LADY MICHELLE PAIGE PATERSON EXPANDS STATEWIDE WELLNESS INITIATIVE,
CREATES “HEALTHY STEPS TO ALBANY: SCHOOL CHALLENGE”
Program Promotes Exercise and Healthy Eating in Middle School Classrooms across the State
First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson today announced the expansion of the “Healthy Steps to Albany: First Lady’s Challenge” to additional schools beyond the original five cities selected for this year’s contest. The First Lady encouraged all New York State public middle school classrooms to participate in the wellness challenge by using the website and program materials to administer the program themselves, locally.
“I am excited to be able to expand this program throughout New York State,” First Lady Michelle Paige Paterson said. “I have received such positive feedback from students, parents, educators and community leaders, and I believe that this program will help schools and community organizations foster better life choices for the children of our State.”
“Healthy Steps to Albany: School Challenge” is a six-week fitness program geared toward middle school students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Participating classrooms represent a team, and student team-members log their minutes of activity. Students will use the “Healthy Steps” website to convert various exercises into steps and class-teams track their step progress on a paper map that highlights fun facts about New York State. The teams that log the most steps win the challenge. The schools participating in the “School Challenge” must create their own incentives for the winners of the challenge; they are not eligible for the First Lady’s Challenge prizes.
The program is a health and wellness initiative that the First Lady created to combat childhood obesity in New York State. The mission of the program is to encourage students to make physical activity and nutrition a part of their lifestyles. The six-week challenge will begin on March 9, 2009, and conclude on April 17, 2009.
Obesity is a statewide epidemic and 56.7 percent of New York’s adult population has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 of more, qualifying as overweight or obese. Last month, the First Lady toured the State to introduce “Healthy Steps” to students, parents and teachers. She visited counties with similarly high rates of overweight or obese adult populations: Erie County with 57.5 percent; Monroe County with 59.3 percent; Onondaga County with 59.5 percent; Albany County with 54 percent; and Westchester County with 53.6 percent.
To sign up for the Paper Version of the First Lady’s challenge please email HealthyStepsAlbany@chamber.state.ny.us For more information on the First Lady’s initiative, please visit: http://www.healthystepstoalbany.ny.gov.
