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Adding Guinness World Record holder to her First Lady title, Michelle Obama has gained massive momentum in reducing the weight of the nation’s children. Since its launch in February 2010, her Let’s Move! initiative, dedicated to “solving the problem of obesity within a generation” has seen some life (and pants) altering milestones. Check out 10:

1. MOOD MUSIC

She partnered with Beyonce and Swizz Beatz to change the lyrics to “Get Me Bodied” for a remix dubbed “Move Your Body.” Bey shot a video for the new song in a middle school cafeteria. In it she teaches youth a workout that combines hip hop, Latin, dancehall, and aerobics. Mrs. O distributed the video to junior high schools around the nation. [hellobeautiful.com]

2. #TWITTER

She and the USDA launched the #MyPlate Twitter and Flickr campaign to coincide with the new federal icon of a plate that shows how our new daily food pyramid should be properly proportioned at each meal (half the plate should be fruits and vegetables). Social networkers were prompted to upload real-life pictures of their plates. [usda.gov]

3. NATIVE TRADITIONS

She invited American Indian children to the White House kitchen garden to use traditional planting techniques to plant the “three sisters” crops: squash, corn, and beans. She plans to release a book next year, “American Grown: How the White House Kitchen Garden Inspires Families, Schools and Communities.” [newsone.com]

4. PLAYING WITH PROFESSIONALS

She visited the U.S. Open and played doubles with Serena Williams (her served clocked in a 55mph), she played soccer with the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team in a clinic for youth soccer clubs that she invited to the White House, she co-hosted a clinic with the MLB players, took Olympians to an elementary school, and partnered with the NFL PLAY 60 effort.

5. ON THE BOOKS

She urged Congress to pass the Heathy, Hunger-Free Kids Act to ensure that schools meet more rigorous nutrition guidelines; and to increase the amount of money schools are reimbursed for meals and the number of low-income students eligible for free and reduced-price meals. The Act was signed by her husband in December 2010. [theroot.com]

6. DOWN THE AISLE

She spoke to the Grocery Manufacturers Association, asking food executives to be more mindful of what they market. While there has been progress, she said, “more than 70 percent of foods marketed to kids were still among the least healthy, with less than 1 percent being among the most healthy.” In May 2011, the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, a coalition of food manufacturers including Campbell Soup, Coca-Cola, General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft Foods, and PepsiCo, promised to eliminate 1 trillion calories from their products by 2012 and 1.5 trillion by the end of 2015. [obamafoodorama.blogspot.com]

7. MENU CHANGE

She spoke to the National Restaurant Association, challenging restaurant owners to exercise portion control and offer healthier menus including making fries a request and fruits and veggies a first option. In July, McDonalds announced adding apples to Happy Meals and in September, Darden Restaurants Inc. (which is the largest full service restaurant company, owning and operating 1,900 restaurants in 49 states including Olive Gardens) promised to reduce calorie and sodium counts by 10 percent by 2016 and by 20 percent by 2021. [theatlantic.com]

8. GET COOKING

She launched “Let’s Cook,” a video series posted on the “Let’s Move” website featuring some of the country’s top chefs demonstrating how to prepare simple, affordable, nutritious family meals from an array of cuisines including North African, Caribbean, and South American. She also deployed professional chefs in a national adopt-a-school program to work closely with school administrators and families to help instill healthy eating practices. [mnn.com]

9. DOING THE DOUGIE

Though she’s been working on raising major money to eliminate food deserts, she also advocates for simple things like “turning on the radio and dancing with your children in the middle of your living room for hours,” she told the NAACP at the National Convention in July 2010. She was seen learning how to dougie with a group of Washington, DC middle schoolers in May of this year. [hellobeautiful.com]

10. BABY BLOOMERS

She developed a Child Care component of the campaign to advocate for really young youngin’s (1 in 5 are overweight by the age of 6), recommending parents provide 1-2 hours of physical activity, no screen time (TV, computer, or mobile devices) for children under 2 years-old, fruits or veggies and water with every meal, and breastfeeding (“babies that are breastfed are less likely to be obese as children”). [newsone.com]

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