"Average," "Normal," "Middle class," those are just a few words used to describe where I came from. Dad at work, Mom at home. We ate meat and potatoes for dinner and played outside until dark. Everyone lived the same way. No one questioned it or tried to change it.

I, on the other hand, questioned everything. Why is the sky blue? Why is a stop sign red? One of the questions I could never find the answer to was..."Why are so many Moms big?"

Most Moms I knew were a little heavy and continued to do everything the way their Mothers did. How they ate, how they didn't move, how they cooked for the family. I wondered why so many Moms didn't take the time to take better care of themselves.

Jumping ahead many years. I married, had three children and lost my mother to cancer. After reading and learning many things about being overweight and the negative effect it has on a person's body, I began some research of my own. I learned that a diet of primarily meat and potatoes along with carrying an excess amount of weight might have been a contributing factor to my Mother having a greater risk of acquiring cancer. I made a promise to myself to find a way to change my future. I had to find a way to take better care of myself.

I decided to enroll in "Jazzercise." I was 31 years old and had not exercised in many years. I was determined to change my future. I know parents have a tremendous impact on how and what children do. My thought was, if my children see me make exercise a part of my life they would too. The decision I made was not only for me but also for my family. It took me a while to get through a class without having to stop and catch my breath.  I realized that running after small children was not the same as cardio workout or lifting weights.

I fell in love with Jazzercise so much I wanted to get up in front of people and teach it.  I became an instructor, which not only put me in front of many people; it also gave me the opportunity to teach children. I began teaching at the local schools, for girl scouts, and even conditioning classes for athletic teams.

Some of the fact I learned about the youth of today are 44 hours are spent in front of a screen of some kind every week.  Since children’s sports have become so competitive, 26% of kids drop out of organized sports every year while the opportunities for unstructured, pick-up play also decline.  When I was a child, fast food was consumed once a month and the portions were smaller; now the average 4-19 year old consumes fast food three times a week and the portions have tripled.

The reality of this dire situation our children are in is overwhelming.  With our children's sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition the obesity rate has become an epidemic.  One third of our children are obese.  This obesity has led to staggering levels of type-two diabetes, high blood pressure, and liver problems.  Not to mention the fact that 50% of our children are not strong enough to master a sit up or basic push-up.

Food is at the center of our children’s thoughts.  I asked a question to a group of fifteen-year-old girls during a jazzercise class at Oakville High School.  "Who controls your body?"  I asked.  The reply.....food.  This answer surprised me and scared me at the same time.  That was over two years ago and the beginning of my focus to change the way our children eat and move.

Not long after this I was approached by Cheryl Sazama, owner of "FitWise 4 Kids," a work out facility geared towards children 6-15 years of age.  Teaching Junior Jazzercise as well as kickboxing at FitWize opened many more opportunities to work with children as well as parents and offer more education about nutrition and fitness.

I've also become a member of the Melhville/Oakville school district Wellness Committee.  This committee's function is to bring healthy foods to the lunchrooms within the district's schools.  Guidelines are set on what can be put in the vending machines in the schools, as well as what the children can sell through fund raisers.  Another very positive function of the committee is a "Wellness Fair."  This is held once a year presenting everything our community has to offer in regards to nutrition and fitness.

I've taken it upon myself to begin a website focusing on positive ways to take control of our children's health and fitness.  The website is www.w8knowmore.com  This website will give adults ideas on helping their children get healthy and get moving.  I'm also working with restaurants, revamping their menus to let their clients know they're offering children other things besides fried food.  This, along with ways to exercise, good snacks to eat, and statistics on what might happen if things don't change is my platform for the Mrs. Missouri America Pageant 2008.

It is said, for every nine people who do something the way it's always been done, there is a tenth person who makes a change.  Help me be that tenth person.  Let me be an Eleanor Roosevelt who changed the way the first lady brought positive reformation to our country.  Let me be a Maya Angelou who changed the way people think about poetry.  Let me be Mrs. Missouri 2008 and change the health, fitness, and future of our children.