Click the headline to see Michelle Obama's video summary of the Let's Move campaign.

First Lady Michelle Obama this month kicked off a nationwide campaign called “Let’s Move” aimed at improving child health combating obesity through improved nutrition information, access to healthy foods, exercise, and personal responsibility.

Read on for a video interview with Ms. Obama and links to related coverage. Continue Reading

The second annual Run Too Overcome 5K Run/Walk and Kids Fun Run will take place on Saturday, March 6 at 8 a.m. at the Huntersville Family Fitness & Aquatics Center, 11725 Verhoeff Drive, Huntersville. Proceeds benefit the Special Needs Programs for 8 CMS Northern Learning Community Schools: Bailey Middle, Blythe Elementary, Croft Community, Davidson Elementary, Huntersville Elementary, J.V. Washam Elementary, Torrence Creek Elementary, and Barnette Elementary. Continue Reading

Michelle Petty, a Regional Health Service Coordinator, will be the guest at Wednesday’s meeting of the Davidson Senior Scholars, talking about “Four Facts You Need to Know About Stroke Prevention.” The program begins at 1 p.m. at Davidson Parks & Recreation, 416 Armour St. Also ahead for the Senior Scholars, programs on “Movie Music” and “Elder Law.” Continue Reading

Got high blood pressure? Hit the exercise! A wealth of studies have found that exercise can help lower your blood pressure, if you suffer from hypertension. “Blood pressure can drop in just a few weeks of regular exercise,” the Los Angeles Times reports.

“It can also pop right back up if you stop exercising.” (The improvement may not be as great for those who have normal blood pressure.) Read more in the Los Angeles Times’ article “Blood Pressure: Exercise.”

Fitness Together studios in Davidson and Cornelius will be raising money for Haitian earthquake relief on Saturday, Feb. 20, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., through a “One on One Fitness Challenge.” Customers can come in for a 30-minute workout in exchange for a $10 donation to the American Red Cross.
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About 57 million people, or nearly 1 in 5 Americans, likely had H1N1 influenza, or swine flu, between April 2009 and January 2010, the federal Centers for Disease Control said last week. Flu cases are in a bit of a lull right now, the CDC says on its website. But most cases seen continue to be the H1N1 variety.

About 11,700 deaths are suspected to be attributable to H1N1, the CDC. That’s fewer than than the 35,000 who die from flu in a typical year, the Los Angeles Times reported. But since swine flu tends to affect a younger population than a normal flu season, deaths among younger people have been higher than usual. Continue Reading

Community Blood Center of the Carolinas plans the following public blood drives during February in the Lake Norman area,

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There are two kinds of people in the United States: those with high blood pressure now and whose with a good chance of getting it someday, the The Los Angeles Times says in a series of stories today about the disease. High blood pressure is a problem because it can lead to stroke, heart disease, heart failure, kidney disease and even blindness. The L.A. Times report includes basics about high blood pressure, stress reduction tactics, the effects of alcohol, cigarettes and caffeine, and nutrition. Continue Reading

Community Yoga in Cornelius will host a “Day of Yoga” Sunday, Feb. 7, to benefit Doctors Without Borders and the American Red Cross in providing ongoing medical care in Haiti.

The Day of Yoga to Benefit Haiti runs 8:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. (or whenever!) at the studio, 20823 N. Main St. Cornelius. Continue Reading

New approaches that focus on our relationships with food may be replacing old-fashioned guidance on eating regiments, Jennifer LaRue Huget writes in Monday’s Washington Post.
These tactics “focus on eating healthful whole foods and use psychology to aid our efforts to shed pounds,” she says. Even Weight Watchers has shifted this way, as evidenced by its new tag line: “Stop Dieting, Start Living.” See the full article on Washingtonpost.com, “Dieting vs. newer approaches to losing weight.”