The Biggest Loser

This past Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend a dinner sponsored by the Metro Women's Network. While the food was delicious, the best part was meeting the special guest, Rebecca Meyer. Biggest Loser fans will know Rebecca was the at-home winner for Season 8 of the Biggest Loser. She looked phenomenal and it was great to hear some of the truths behind reality TV, as well as her inspirational story. With her was Daniel Wright, who was also a contestant on Season 8 of the show. These two have made incredible strides and I know this will not be the last we hear about either one of them. Here we are pictured together.


Rebecca and Daniel will be meeting with me in the next couple of weeks to discuss my platform of Childhood Obesity Prevention, and they have offered to share their perspective on the issue. Having experienced obesity growing up, both of them told me they are passionate about dealing with prevention of the condition and promoting healthy habits in children. I will be sure to post updates from our future meeting!

Let's Move!

I encourage you to check out "Let's Move," First Lady Michelle Obama's recently launched national campaign to combat childhood obesity. Because my personal platform is Childhood Obesity Prevention and my mission in life is to help others lead a healthy lifestyle, I could not be more excited about this initiative. For a quick overview of the project, please check out this video, and join the movement!

Iowa Chiropractic Society Convention

This weekend, I had the pleasure of presenting a four-hour seminar with Dr. Ed Thomas and Dr. Diane Bartholomew for the Annual Iowa Chiropractic Society Convention at the Downtown Marriot in Des Moines. Exercise, ergonomics and posture are among the tenets of Chiropractic medicine, and we explored emerging trends in those areas. I met many Chiropractic physicians from throughout the state, and learned much about the science and art of chiropractic healing. Plus, I had an opportunity to share about my personal platform of Childhood Obesity Prevention. What a great day!

Help Me Make Miracles Happen!

As many of you know, I am working toward my dream of becoming Miss Iowa, an official preliminary to Miss America. Last year, I was first runner-up to Miss Iowa 2009, and have been working diligently to better myself and the world around me over the past several months with the hope of being able to make an even greater difference as Miss Iowa 2010.

In addition to working on my personal platform of Childhood Obesity Prevention, I am fundraising once again for the Children’s Miracle Network (CMN), my favorite charity. I have met so many children and families whose lives are changed by this organization since I first became involved as a volunteer; I have encountered children with cancer, spina bifida, and ailments kids simply should not have to endure. Thankfully, CMN helps make hospital stays more welcoming for these children by providing them with quality staff, medical equipment, and research to discover more effective treatments.

Please help me reach my goal of raising $2,000 for CMN so that, together, we can touch the lives of sick and injured children and ease the stresses of those who love them. The donations you make to CMN are so deeply needed and really do generate miracles for families across the country.

Join me in helping these children by making a secure donation today at this link: http://www.missamerica4kids.org/m.aspx?i=5365DB8CF33

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via e-mail at jneal87@gmail.com. I would love to hear from you! Thank you, and God Bless.

Jennifer

Recap of Recent Events

Hi, again!

Since January, here is a recap of the activities that have been keeping me busy :)

January 29th - Meeting with Stories in Motion partner at the Iowa Department of Education.
Stories in Motion are in-class physical activity breaks I am creating in partnership with the Iowa Department of Education and Team Nutrition. We will film nearly 50 different physical activity breaks, all based on a familiar story or tale, in late March and distribute free DVDs for teachers to use to get their children up and moving in the cla ssroom. I am so thrilled about this partnership!


January 30th - Miss Virginia, Caressa Cameron was crowned Miss America 2010. She did a fabulous job, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching the competition from home with my family. We were blown away by the contestants! This just reinforced the quality of the women who are involved with the Miss America Organization. Simply phenomenal.

February 10th - Meeting to plan Stories in Motion program at the Department of Education.

February 13th - Meeting with IAHPERD, the Iowa Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance. This group presented me with a check for $500 to help extend my efforts of my Snacking Smart from A to Z cookbook for elementary students. I will be distributing these cookbooks to elementary students across the state over the next couple of months, thanks to their partnership and support. Here I am pictured with Professor Valerie Unkrich from Iowa Wesleyan College. She is past-president of IAHPERD. I am so thankful for their support!

February 26th - Meeting to plan Stories in Motion program at the Department of Education.

March 4th - Spoke to the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) Fraternity at Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa. Topic was nutrition and exercise for college-age males. What a blast talking with these "True Gentlemen!"


As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." That quote truly encompasses the way I live my life. Every day I wake up excited about my job, my community service endeavors, and my platform work.

More to come soon!
Have a wonderful day :)
Jennifer