Americans are undeniably getting fatter by the decade with the latest reports showing that more than half of U.S. adults in most states are now obese. In the face of such staggering statistics, one state governor is taking an unconventional stand. Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has issued a weight loss challenge this week in an attempt to get Kansans more aware of their health.

According to Kansas Health and Environment Secretary Robert Moser, M.D., the obesity rate in Kansas is near the national average. The state has seen a sizable increase in obesity as rates among adults have increased from 15 percent in 1995 to 30.1 percent in 2010. In addition, nearly one-third of all children are overweight or obese.

For this reason, and by his own initiative, Brownback is declaring an official weight loss challenge for stat employees that will take place between January 15 and May 15, 2013.

“My hope is that the Governor’s Weight Loss Challenge will encourage everyone to work together to make our state healthier,” said the governor in an official press release. “I am challenging teams of five people to compete against my team of five to lose the most percentage weight, with the ultimate goal of taking on and maintaining a healthier lifestyle for years to come.”
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They’re back and not necessarily bigger than ever, but definitely younger! NBC’s Biggest Loser will return to prime time on January 6 for the much-anticipated season premier of the show’s 14th season. A season off has allowed the producers to refocus and (we hope) select a cast as inspiring and motivated as some of the show’s most popular contestants ever. In this official trailer released by NBC, we have a feeling we got just what we asked for!

Jillian Michaels returns to Biggest Loser this season, joining forces in the gym with Dolvett and Bob, as they “Challenge America,” the new theme for this year. We’ve seen the biggest contestants before, but this time they’re introducing us to their youngest contestants – three teens under the age of 18. The show has been a force in impacting the obesity epidemic in our country, but now they’re going to show how we can all impact childhood obesity, too.
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First ladies have a tough job – they are dragged into exhausting campaigns whether they like it or not, must learn to live in the spotlight along with their family, and are required to pull it off with seemingly easy style, grace, and charm. They are called to be supportive of their husbands no matter what, an exemplary mother, great at small talk, have a flair for hostessing, and a penchant for making skirt suits look attractive. Some women can do it, and do it well, while others wilt in the fierce glare of media attention. With their husbands’ names about to be on the top of America’s voting ballots come November, we want to know: do Ann Romney and Michelle Obama have what it takes to stomach (another) four years in the White House?

With four years behind her, Mrs. Obama already has a track record to show for how she balances family, work, and social obligations. Her main platform as FLOTUS has been to reduce childhood obesity through her Let’s Move! initiative.

Mrs. Obama’s family are the first ones to benefit from her activism as she keeps them healthy and fit. She stresses nutritious eating to her daughters, not so that they will be thin but so that they will have energy for sports activities. Her favorite unhealthy food is french fries and she says she tries to curb her husband’s unwholesome snacking as much as she can. Mrs. Obama has said that she doesn’t count calories but simply focuses on how she feels, and how she feels about herself. She has also planted a garden on the White House lawn so that the family can eat homegrown, organic fruits and vegetables.
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As part of a great program called Exercise US, children from coast to coast will be creating a continuous wave of exercise for ten consecutive hours today.

Today marks the fourth annual Exercise US Day. At 8 AM (EST) schools in New Jersey kicked off the event by having the children exercise from 8:00-8:15. Once their time slot was over, schools in New York picked up the next fifteen minute slot. This pattern will be going on for ten hours today until the kids on the pacific coast finish up at 3:00 PM (PST).

This impressive wave of youth exercise was started by Len Saunders. Saunders is a physical education teacher in New Jersey and has had a long-time passion for seeing kids get healthy and fit. He is also the author of Keeping Kids Fit.

Saunders has been impacted deeply by the increasing epidemic of childhood obesity. He said,”this could be the first generation of children whose life expectancy may be shorter than their parents. With the rise is type 2 diabetes and other health-related diseases associated with obesity, children need motivational techniques that get them to exercise.”

Today’s event is just one of the ways Saunders attempts to motivate youth to get moving. “The Exercise US program is designed to motivate children to stay fit, and make exercise fun.”
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You tune in to HealthBuzz every Friday to READ about the latest health news, but we think it’s time we all got together to CHAT about the latest health news, too.

Starting today, we’ll have a live one-hour #HealthBuzz chat on Twitter @DietsinReview every Friday. We’ll explore the six stories we highlight here in Health Buzz each week, opening up to constructive sharing, insights, opinions, and reactions.

#HealthBuzz kicks off at 12:00 p.m. CST – we look forward to seeing you there to discuss the following stories.

Now, dig in to the top stories for this week…

Lady Gaga Poses Nearly Nude to Fight Against Media Fat Comments

Fame, fortune, and being a pop-culture icon is awesome, right? Lady Gaga must have it all. But, she has been scrutinized by the media for her recent weight gain. Usually, celebrities do no like to comment about their weight gains or losses. However, Lady Gaga took pictures of herself nearly naked to show the world that she has a perfectly normal body.

Cows Being Fed Gummy Worms: The Health Consequences

We’ve all heard of the horrible things large cattle operations do to fatten cows up, like feeding cows corn knowing they can’t digest it. Now, dairy farms on a budget are feeding cows candy. Candy is bad enough for human bodies, what does it do to a cow’s body? Find out the health consequences of eating a candy-fed cow.
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