Healthy Lombard joins Midwest Dairy Council in ending childhood obesity

Healthy Lombard recently joined Midwest Dairy Council and pledged their support to the guiding principles to help end childhood obesity within a generation, which includes empowering youth to take action to develop pathways to better fitness and nutrition for life. As part of that commitment, it includes support of the Fuel Up to Play 60 program, an in-school health and wellness program that encourages youth to consume nutrient-rich foods and achieve 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

Launched by National Dairy Council and the National Football League, in collaboration with the United States Department of Agriculture, Fuel Up to Play 60 has activated more than eight million students in over 70,000 schools nationwide, including more than 1.5 million students in northern Illinois to be healthy, get active and make a difference. Today, more than 2,800 schools across northern Illinois are designated Fuel Up to Play 60 Schools.

Jay Wojcik, Founder of Healthy Lombard praised the progress achieved to date by northern Illinois students and indicated the program is a positive next step toward reducing childhood obesity in the state. Through the support of Fuel Up 60 our schools have access to a great plan that gets students to take personal responsibility for developing a healthy lifestyle. We are proud to be a Gold Star Partner."

Healthy Lombard joins other statewide partners such as the Illinois School Nutrition Association, the Illinois Academy of Family Physicians, and the Illinois American Academy of Pediatrics in pledging their support to this important initiative.

"Fuel Up to Play 60 empowers Illinois youth statewide to take control of their own health and work toward making their school environment healthier with their friends," said Lorna Riggs, Health and Wellness and program manager with Midwest Dairy Council. "The fact that Healthy Lombard and other organizations now stand behind our program only further emphasizes the importance of it."

The program, now in its second year, encourages youth to consume nutrient-rich foods, including low fat and fat-free dairy, fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and achieve at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. The ultimate goal is to ensure changes made at school are sustainable and to provide children with more opportunities to be physically active and choose nutrient-rich foods.

Any school in Illinois can enroll in the free program, which allows them to become eligible to apply for funds to increase awareness of and access to nutrient-rich foods and physical activity opportunities for students. As part of Fuel Up to Play 60, schools can receive a free Quick Start Resources kit with planning tools and in-school collateral materials to help them implement healthy eating and physical fitness plans, or any school can download the online kit anytime available at www.fueluptoplay60.com.

"In 2010-2011, Midwest Dairy Council awarded more than $131,000 in funding to northern Illinois schools to help jump start and champion school wellness efforts," says Riggs.