First Lady Michelle Obama (PHOTO: White House)
First lady Michelle Obama is leading a campaign to get Americans to drink more water.
The nationwide effort was introduced on Thursday in Watertown, Wisconsin — a small city about halfway between Madison and Milwaukee. “Water gives us the focus we need in school and in our work, it gives athletes the fluids they need to excel on the playing field, and it can even help reduce headaches and fatigue all while cleansing and refreshing our bodies.” She says, “It’s good stuff.”
Sam Kass is with Mrs. Obama’s anti-obesity initiative, Let’s Move! He says, ”The reason we chose Watertown is because the first lady will be calling on every city and town in America to make their town a water town.”
Mrs. Obama says water is simple, free, and readily available. At Watertown high school, the self-proclaimed mom-in-chief urged everyone to “drink up” to make “a real difference in your health.” The first lady invited every city in America to be a water town.
Mrs. Obama says even the president drinks water. “One of the very first things that I did was to make sure that we were getting more water into our diets … one little change made all the difference in our lives — to our girls, me and Barack, we felt healthier, we felt more alert. The more water we drank, the better we felt.”
Previously, Mrs. Obama had touted the benefits of water over sugary sodas, but this campaign is expected to remain positive, while not mentioning any competitors. Obama calls H2O the “original energy drink,” saying it’s plentiful and free. Though, she says, because water is so basic, it’s easy to overlook.
“Amidst all the ads we watch on television and all the messages that we receive every day about what to eat and drink, the truth is water just gets drowned out.” The new website, you are what you drink, is online as of today.
Critics say the health benefits of drinking more water are murky, and there’s no widely-accepted standard for how much an individual should drink each day.
Dr. Stanley Goldfarb of the University of Pennsylvania told Politico, “We’re designed to drink when we’re thirsty. … There’s no need to have more than that.”
In a Facebook post, Governor Scott Walker said he welcomed the first lady to the state and gave her an “In Wisconsin” water bottle.