WASHINGTON — First lady Michelle Obama hooped it up for health – hula hooped, that is – managing to get in 142 swivels before her hula hoop hit the ground.It was all for a good cause – encouraging kids to get more physical activity and eat better.
The first lady hosted a “healthy kids fair” on the South Lawn of the White House on Wednesday and invited about 100 children and parents from local elementary schools.
Chefs demonstrated how to make healthy-but-yummy snacks. The first lady also gave a pep talk about eating right.
It wasn’t all gloom, doom and nutrition.
Obama said it’s OK to eat fun stuff sometimes – as long as you usually eat right.
“There’s nothing that the first family loves more than a good burger, right?” Obama said. “And look, my favorite food in the whole wide world are french fries. I love them. Dearly. Deeply. I have a good relationship with french fries, and I would eat them every single day if I could
“I tell my girls this: If you’re getting the right foods for most of the time, then when it’s time to have cake and french fries on those special occasions, then you balance it out.”
Obama also managed a spot-on imitation of kids whining about eating their vegetables.
“I don’t wanna eat it. I don’t like it. It tastes bad. I don’t want it,” the first lady said in her best nasal whine.
Then she added: “We don’t want to hear the whining. We want you to eat it. Just eat it.”
After checking out the food demonstrations, Obama hiked up her belt and joined a crowd of young hula hoopers, keeping up with the best of them.
She didn’t do so well when it came to jumping rope, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. The first lady made three unsuccessful attempts to jump into a round of double Dutch – two ropes turning in opposite directions.
