Michelle Obama - Get Girls Active in Sports to Decrease Obesity

I'm the type of person that wants tangible results. And if I don't get them doing something one way, I'll stop and find out a better way to accomplish what I want. And my mindset is obviously a bit perplexing to people who just do as they are told and work in programs that happily dole out tax dollars yet obviously aren't working out very well.... I could go on for hours here so I'll spare you the details about what I've seen that doesn't work and tell you what does: getting more children involved in sports.

One pattern I've noticed among obese women is that a small percentage participated in sports as kids. So now, when these women are 30, 40, 50 and beyond and I ask them to get active and lift weights, walk, run, bike, take a yoga class and in general, get moving, they look at me with as if I just asked them to do the seemingly impossible - something they aren't familiar with and can't comprehend. And, finally, there's a research study that completely aligns with my observations.

Robert Kaestner and Xin Xu examined how sports participation, thanks to expanded opportunities after Title IX, influenced physical activity and weight of women 20-25 years later. This study, published in the journal Evaluation Review, found that expanded opportunities while young (ages 14-17) were associated with lower BMI, lower rates of obesity and increased physical activity of adult women with an average age of 39.

Expanding opportunities for young girls in sports may help decrease their risk of becoming obese, inactive adults and make them strong, self assured women in the process. Expanding upon professional leagues for female athletes will give young girls more role models to look up to. The First Lady's focus is on children and I hope she takes some of this research into consideration and her team takes a close look at getting more young girls involved in sports. Doing so may help curb some of the predicted increases in obesity and Type II diabetes that our nation is facing. And, after all, don't our young girls deserve the opportunity to grow and develop through sports?

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• High School, Student-Athlete