Michelle Obama Defeats Jimmy Fallon in Fitness Challenge at White House

Michelle Obama has been making the rounds to promote the second anniversary of her "Let's Move" campaign to combat childhood obesity. She's already visited The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and joined Rachael Ray on the set of her cooking show. But last night the First Lady took things to an entirely new level. She went head-to-head with Jimmy Fallon in a physical fitness challenge filmed at the White House.

And, to the surprise of very few, she managed to outlast Jimmy Fallon and win the challenge. The segment was filmed last month and aired for the first time during Wednesday morning's Late Night broadcast. The contest consisted of a tug-of-war battle and a potato sack race, in addition to other child-friendly competitions.

Mrs. Obama has come under fire at times from her husband's political detractors because of inconsistencies in the message surrounding her "Let's Move" campaign. But the reality is that the concept behind the foundation and its message is sound. Children in the United States are suffering from an epidemic of obesity that stems from poor diet and a lack of physical activity.

And unfortunately for American children, the economic stagnation that has settled over the country is only going to make it more difficult for parents and children to avoid the pitfalls of obesity. The cheapest foods are typically those that are the worst in nutritional value. It's actually cheaper to feed your children at McDonald's, in many instances, than it is to try to prepare a decent meal at home. Healthy food prices in grocery stores are far higher than the meal deals at most fast food chains. Perhaps that should be a focus of the First Lady's program as well.