7. Michelle Obama
Photo: Kwaku Alston/Corbis Outline
Statistics show that 25 million U.S. children — that’s nearly one in three — are overweight or obese. First Lady Michelle Obama has boldly stepped to the forefront to raise awareness about the issue. Her Let’s Move program, launched in 2010, provides guidance for making healthier lifestyle choices. She has successfully lobbied Congress to make school lunches healthier and pressured the restaurant industry to improve the quality of kids’ meals.
The First Lady pulls no punches about her mission to get families to move. On the program’s second anniversary, she told Scholastic that there is no excuse for not exercising. “Even if you’re watching TV, on the commercials you can drop and do 20 push-ups, right?”
