By Khalida Sarwari
When first lady Michelle Obama challenged the nation to adopt better eating and exercising habits, Saratoga responded by offering opportunities for physical activity and improving access to healthy, affordable food. These and other efforts have pushed the city ahead of the pack for a fifth-place ranking statewide, second place among Bay Area participants.
That placement is based on medal standings, according to the city’s recreation supervisor Adam Henig. Saratoga has five medals–two gold, two silver and one bronze. Last November, the city was awarded medals for posting information about nutrition and organizing three community-based activities promoting health and wellness.
In the Bay Area, only Mountain View has more medals and awards.
“Saratoga is doing pretty good, particularly given its size and the services we offer,” Henig said. “Basically, nationwide we are in the top 10 percent in terms of medals achieved.”
Henig credited the city’s leaders for the success of Saratoga’s Let’s Move! campaign.
“Every mayor who has been a mayor since this campaign has been really active,” he said. “They’ve really put it at the forefront of the agenda, and it has really given the city a lot of visibility as a result.”
As part of this year’s Let’s Move! campaign, Saratoga will begin offering weekly lunchtime activities at Saratoga Elementary School. Recreation department staff will visit the school every Monday during lunchtime and organize an activity, such as a football game, to encourage students to move. The goal, said Henig, is to implement the program at Argonaut and Foothill as well.
Another focus for the city is to expand its network of walking and cycling trails, giving “more opportunities for residents to be active and engaged,” according to Henig.
“And fortunately, they don’t have to go far to do it,” he said. “They can do it right in their own back yard.”
Among those trails are those at the Heritage Orchard, Mount Eden Road, Parker Ranch and Kevin Moran and Azule parks.
Past programs, such as the Saratoga Youth Commission’s Walk-One-Week and Parks and Recreation Commission-sponsored guided tours of the city’s trails, will continue, Henig said. For the first time this year, WOW, a program that encourages elementary school students to walk to school in groups, will be conducted at all three public elementary schools, Henig said.
The first lady’s Let’s Move! campaign encourages local elected officials to adopt long-term, sustainable strategies to address childhood obesity and offer opportunities for healthy activities in their communities. The campaign’s goal is to solve the childhood obesity epidemic within a generation.
Saratoga joined the Let’s Move! initiative shortly after it was launched about three years ago, and now is in the company of nearly 400 other participating cities, towns and counties. Santa Clara County was the first in the country to have 100 percent participation of its cities in the campaign.
For more information about Saratoga’s Let’s Move! campaign, visit healthycommunitieshealthyfuture.org/places/#Saratoga%2CCA.
