The First Lady launched Let’s Move! in 2010 to help kids and families lead healthier lives. That's why our favorite moments this year showed us how everyone has a role to play in reducing childhood obesity, from parents, elected officials, and schools to health care professionals, faith-based and community-based organizations, and private-sector companies. In no particular order, check them out below: 

1. Jimmy Fallon helped challenge the country to show us how it moves.

First Lady Michelle Obama joined Jimmy Fallon during his first week as host of The Tonight Show in February to officially kick off the celebration of the fourth anniversary of Let’s Move!. She asked everyone in the country to show her how they move on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using #LetsMove.

The First Lady called in a favor: "Yo babe, hook me up!" Show us how you move & POTUS may join in the fun: http://t.co/yraUAHvDDq #LetsMove

— The First Lady (@FLOTUS) February 21, 2014

Kids, athletes, and actors all got in on the action. Even the President and Vice President showed us how they move and how they stay hydrated.

Check out how Alonzo Mourning and @MarioLopezExtra are moving and then show how you move! #LetsMove https://t.co/4u1ev51qcu

— White House Video (@WHVideo) February 25, 2014

.@VP: "Mr. President, you ready to move?" POTUS: "Let's do this thing. #LetsMove." Watch → http://t.co/QynQ5x1tqB

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 28, 2014

2. Transformational changes were proposed for schools across the country.

Since launching Let’s Move!, the First Lady has been dedicated to ensuring that the school environment is one that supports the health of all its students. That's why she was excited to announce proposed guidelines for comprehensive school wellness policies that include a guideline to limit unhealthy food marketing in schools. In addition, through the expansion of the school breakfast program, nearly 9 million kids in 22,000 schools will now be able to start their day with a healthy breakfast.

"Healthy, well-educated kids are more likely to become healthy, well-educated adults who will build a productive workforce." —The First Lady

— The First Lady (@FLOTUS) February 25, 2014

3. The First Lady sat down to talk about the importance of good nutrition with school leaders, kids, and even Will Ferrell. 

Let's Move! held a series of roundtables this year to talk about how to keep kids eating healthy. In May, Mrs. Obama heard success stories, strategies, and tactics from school leaders and experts across the country, including representatives from districts in Los Angeles and New York City and places like Burke County, Georgia; Norfolk, Virginia; and Montgomery County, Maryland.

First Lady Michelle Obama participates in a "Let's Move!" roundtable discussion with school leaders and experts on issues surrounding school nutrition, in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building of the White House, May 27, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

The First Lady also sat down with Will Ferrell for a different kind of roundtable. The pair hosted a focus group with young kids to ask them about eating healthy and being active. Here’s what the kids had to say:

4. 15,000 child care centers committed to teaching kids healthy habits for life. 

Through Let’s Move! Child Care, providers are increasing physical activity for kids, limiting screen time, serving healthier food and beverages, and supporting breastfeeding mothers. To announce the number of child care centers that have signed on to support the program since 2011, the First Lady visited a local child care center in Maryland where she got moving with a couple of healthy vegetables.

.@FLOTUS & kids joined Erica Eggplant, Brian Broccoli, & Colby Carrot for their @SuperSprowtz Power Dance! #LetsMove pic.twitter.com/dLWhJ2HjgP

— Let's Move! (@letsmove) March 1, 2014

5. The White House hosted kid chefs from every state for the third Kids' State Dinner.

The First Lady welcomed 54 young chefs from all over the country to the East Room for the 2014 Kids’ State Dinner. These 54 kids were selected from the more than 1,500 recipes submitted for the Epicurious Healthy Lunchtime Challenge. From the décor to the talent, food, and big smiles, the White House was bustling with our next generation of kids encouraging healthy habits.

Today, the First Lady welcomed fifty-four young chefs from all over the country to the State Dining Room for the 2014 Kids’ State Dinner. These 54 kids were selected from more than 1,500 recipes that were submitted for the Epicurious Healthy Lunchtime Challenge. From the décor to the talent, food, and big smiles, the White House was bustling with our next generation of kids encouraging healthy habits.

The kids heard from the First Lady, tasted delicious meals, and enjoyed live entertainment all before taking a stroll to the White House Kitchen Garden. There were so many amazing moments from this year’s Kids State Dinner but here’s a “taste” of some of our favorites:

1. Enjoying the Healthy Lunches

From Black Bean Burgers to Smoky Southwestern Vegetable Dip, the lunch cooked up by White House chefs of the winning recipes was healthy and scrumptious! Make sure to check out how to cook up these great recipes in your own kitchen at home!

2. Meeting the Young Chefs

It was so fun for all of the budding chefs to meet each other and share their passion for healthy eating and cooking.

Now entering: The talented kid chefs for the #KidsStateDinner. Tune in starting at 11:25am ET: http://t.co/ytLEO8vzXG pic.twitter.com/naBwR8TEau

— Let's Move! (@letsmove) July 18, 2014

3. The Surprise Visitor

President Obama stopped by to surprise everyone and say hi! The President even shared a couple of the First Family’s favorites.

President Barack Obama joins First Lady Michelle Obama on stage for a surprise visit during the Kids' State Dinner in the East Room of the White House, July 18, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

4. The Red Carpet

Each winning chef walked down a red carpet surrounded by giant balloon flowers into the State Dining Room. Several kids were interviewed by Sam Kass and shared what inspired their delicious creations.

Exec. Director Sam Kass interviews the winning kid chefs before the #KidsStateDinner. Watch → http://t.co/LHf4zfyIe0 pic.twitter.com/vzHfjEzb0J

— Let's Move! (@letsmove) July 18, 2014

5. The Surprise Performance

The Lion King! We were so thrilled when the Broadway cast of the Lion King gave a surprise performance for everyone. Simba and Nala opened it up and Rafiki made his way down the State Dining Room floor. The Circle of Life took over the room as the audience sang along!

The cast of Disney's "The Lion King" perform during the Kids' State Dinner in the East Room of the White House, July 18, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Ed. note: This is cross-posted from the Let's Move blog. See the original post here.

Yesterday, the First Lady welcomed local students and FoodCorps leaders on the South Lawn for the sixth-annual planting of the White House Kitchen Garden. The garden was first planted in 2009 to commence a nationwide conversation on healthy eating and inspired the First Lady to launch Let’s Move!

At this year’s planting, the First Lady hosted the founders of FoodCorps, a program dedicated to teaching our nation’s children about healthy food while ensuring they have access to it during the school day. This fall, FoodCorps members will serve D.C.-area schools including Cleveland Elementary School, Friendship Public Charter School, and Kimball Elementary School — and students from these schools accompanied FoodCorps at the garden planting. In addition, students from Bancroft Elementary School and Harriet Tubman Elementary School who have participated in previous White House Garden events also attended this year’s planting.

First Lady Michelle Obama helps students water newly planted vegetables as she joins FoodCorps leaders and local students for the spring garden planting in the White House Kitchen Garden, April 2, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

We are excited to see that more and more people are now planting vegetable gardens across the nation. According to a report released yesterday by the National Gardening Association:

• 35% of all households in America are growing food at home or in a community garden, a 17% increase in participation in the last five years.
• 2 million more households are engaging in community gardening, an increase of 200% since 2008.

In addition, the first-ever White House Pollinator Garden was planted to support bees, monarch butterflies, and other pollinators. Nearly two-thirds of the foods we often consume are pollinated by bees, so we rely on bees for much of our food. Therefore, it’s important to have plants in the garden that support pollination, like the ones that were planted yesterday. This garden will also serve to raise awareness of the major environmental threats currently facing pollinators across the nation.

First Lady Michelle Obama joins FoodCorps leaders and local students for the spring garden planting in the White House Kitchen Garden, April 2, 2014. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Interested in joining the millions of Americans who have started planting vegetable gardens? The First Lady has put together a Kitchen Garden Checklist that provides you with easy-to-follow instructions on how to start a vegetable garden at your home. Planting a vegetable garden is a great project for the entire family, allowing children to learn while also providing healthy and delicious fruits and vegetables for meals this season.

Last week, the First Lady kicked off the celebration of the fourth anniversary of Let’s Move! on the “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” To demonstrate the national scope of all the great work happening around the country, the First Lady encouraged people of all ages to show her how they move through eating more fruits and vegetables, getting physically active, or making healthy changes like planting a community garden. She asked you to Facebook it, Tweet it, and Instagram it using #LetsMove and she told viewers that if enough people participated, the President and the Vice President would show us their moves. 

From kids and families, to schools, organizations, celebrities, athletes, businesses, and other leaders, we’ve seen such an incredible response to this call to action. We are truly inspired by everyone, and thanks to all of you, we are moving our country to a healthier, new norm. 

And now the moment we’ve all been waiting for – the President and the Vice President show us how they move:

Ed. note: The following blog post was cross-posted from Let's Move!

Last week, the Miami Heat visited the White House to celebrate their 2013 NBA championship win. Rumor had it, during their visit, they teamed up with the First Lady in support of Let’s Move! to highlight the importance of eating healthy and drinking water to perform like a champion.

Catch all the action in the PSA they recorded right here in the Diplomatic Room! And help spread the word about healthy eating by sharing the video with your friends and networks!

Follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to retweet and repost our messages about this exciting new clip!

First Lady Michelle Obama, with Sesame Street Muppets Elmo and Rosita, makes a "Let's Move!" announcement about marketing healthier foods to children, in the State Dining Room of the White House, Oct. 20, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Ed. Note: This is cross-posted from the Let's Move! blog. You can see the original post here.

First Lady Michelle Obama was joined by Sesame Street’s Elmo and Rosita to announce that Sesame Workshop and the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) joined the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) in a two-year agreement to help promote fresh fruit and vegetable consumption to kids, making those healthy choices a little easier for busy parents and families to make. The agreement allows PMA’s community of growers, suppliers and retailers to utilize the strength and influence of the Sesame Street brand without a licensing fee, using characters like Big Bird, Elmo, Rosita and Abby Cadabby to help deliver messages about fresh fruits and vegetables. Sesame Street characters may be on produce in stores as early as mid-2014.

The announcement comes on the heels of the first ever White House Convening on Food Marketing to Children, during which Mrs. Obama called on stakeholders to leverage the power of marketing to promote healthy products and decrease the marketing of unhealthy products to kids.

Today’s announcement responded to the First Lady’s call to action and recognized an incredible commitment to leverage the power of marketing to promote healthier foods to kids. Sesame Workshop is taking an unprecedented step of enabling produce companies to use the power of their characters to encourage children to eat more fruits and vegetables. In a recent study published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, the number of children who chose apples over cookies nearly doubled when an Elmo sticker was placed on the apple. Popular characters can play a strong role in influencing kids’ food choices and this commitment aims to influence healthy choices.

CEO of PHA Larry Soler, President and CEO of Sesame Workshop, and past PMA Chairman Jan DeLyser joined the First Lady to announce this incredible collaboration Sesame Workshop will also provide PMA the tools and training necessary to effectively market its products and consumer sales.

These new efforts are so incredibly important, because right now, when it comes to marketing food to our kids, as you all know, the deck is stacked against healthy foods like fruits and vegetables.

But while Sesame Workshop and PMA might be the first to answer our call, there is plenty of work left to be done, and there are plenty of different ways to show leadership on this issue. So I am looking forward to celebrating more companies and more organizations as they step up on behalf of our children.

Following the announcement, the First Lady joined Elmo, Rosita, and Executive Director of Let’s Move! Sam Kass for the White House Kitchen Garden Fall Harvest. Students from DC, Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland spent the afternoon harvesting and preparing vegetables from the garden located on the South Lawn of the White House.

First Lady Michelle Obama, with Sesame Street’s Elmo and Rosita, join students for the annual fall harvest of the White House Kitchen Garden on the South Lawn, Oct. 30, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)

The schools that participated in the Harvest are all making healthy changes to their schools, including ensuring kids have healthy snack options. Starting next school year, all schools will be required to follow the “Smart Snacks in School” nutrition standards, which make vending machines and a la carte line healthier.

Join Elmo, Rosita and the rest of the Let’s Move! gang and get involved! Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to learn how you and your family can stay healthy and active.

Click here to watch the First Lady's full remarks from this exciting announcement!

From the State Dining Room of the White House yesterday, the First Lady addressed a diverse cross section of leaders from food and media industry executives, advocates, parent leaders, government agency representatives and researchers about the power of marketing in influencing kids’ food choices and the need for leveraging this power toward healthier food options for our nation’s children. The goal of the convening was to begin a constructive, collaborative dialogue and strategize about ways to shift the marketing of unhealthy products to healthier products and decrease the marketing of unhealthy products to kids.

First Lady Michelle Obama delivers remarks during a "Let's Move!" food marketing convening in the State Dining Room of the White House, Sept. 18, 2013. (Official White House Photo by Amanda Lucidon)

When the average child is now spending nearly eight hours a day in front of some kind of screen, many of their opinions and preferences are being shaped by the marketing campaigns you all create. And that’s where the problem comes in.

And I’m here today with one simple request -- and that is to do even more and move even faster to market responsibly to our kids.

Mrs. Obama praised companies such as Disney and Birds Eye Vegetables for their success in utilizing marketing to encourage healthier food choices in our kids. However, children are still being exposed to thousands of food ads each year for products loaded with sugar, fat, and salt. 

I am not asking anyone to take the fun out of childhood.  As we all know, treats are one of the best parts of being a kid. Instead, the goal here is to empower parents instead of undermining them as they try to make healthier choices for their families.

This issue has truly taken on a life of its own because it is affecting just about every family and every community in this country. Parents are increasingly anxious as they see their kids developing diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure -- conditions that would have been unthinkable to find in children just a generation ago. "I think that we can all agree that parents deserve more control over the products and messages their kids are exposed to," said Mrs. Obama. 

Following the First Lady’s remarks, attendees of the event participated in two separate breakout sessions to share ideas and discuss future steps to build and develop a marketing and food industry dedicated to healthier food choices for kids and their families.   

So I hope that all of you will really engage.  I hope that you’ll really talk to each other, and learn from each other, and come up with new solutions that will make a real difference for our kids. We want to hear from everyone involved in this issue -- from industry leaders to advocates to researchers and to parents -- because we’re all in this together.

That’s why I wanted to bring all of you together today -- because you guys know better than anyone how to get kids excited. You’ve done it before, and we need you to do it again. And fortunately you have everything it takes to get this done because through the magic of marketing and advertising, all of you, more than anyone else, have the power to shape our kids’ tastes and desires.

To watch the First Lady's entire address, click here. 

Join Mrs. Obama and get involved with Let’s Move! by visiting our website  signing up for our newsletters, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Twitter.