Michelle Obama introduces her anti-childhood obesity campaign. Credit: WH.gov

Mrs. Obama and Jennifer Fields take AOL readers' questions. Credit: WH.gov

To encourage physical activity, the first mom also had the girls stop watching TV during the week, which forced them to find a way to keep themselves entertained, says the First Lady, "which usually involved some movement." Mrs. Obama tells parents they don't need a gym membership or expensive after-school activities. Simply throwing a ball around or putting on the radio and dancing will make a difference, she says.

One AOL audience member, a self-identified former chubby kid, asked how Mrs. Obama could empower parents of overweight children. "I'm particularly sensitive to this because I have two girls," she says, explaining that she makes it a point at home not to talk about weight, the girls or hers. "It's not vanity or ego, but rather about health and how the kids feel."

She encourages parents to talk about exercise as something healthy and not as a way to lose weight. She makes sure they don't see her obsessing about her weight, but that they do see each of their parents participating in a sport they love.

Marian Robinson, Michelle's mother and caretaker of the Obama girls, once said that organic food is "not my thing" and that "If you're going to have fried chicken, have fried chicken." So how does Michele manage that duality in her household?

"The message in our household is balance," she says. "We don't shy away from fast foods because we want to send the message about balance." Ice cream is OK in moderation, she explains, so long as the majority of your diet is composed of healthy meals.

Mrs. Obama says we need to get to the root of the problem, and that the key is information, educating parents so they can make better choices for their children. One way is to fix front labeling on food and drinks so parents can make better choices.

"Many people think a sugary drink that has the word fruit on it is actually good for them," she says. "Information is key. We need to make it easier for families to do the right thing."

There are 6.5 million children living in "food deserts" in this country, says Mrs. Obama. These are urban and rural communities where people don't have access to a supermarket, and as such, lack fresh produce. One of the goals of Let's Move is to eliminate these deserts over the next seven years.

"While these goals are generational," says Mrs. Obama, "there are things we can see happen in five years that should give us a sense that we're moving forward." She tells parents to be patient as it took us much longer than five years to establish these bad habits.

But, true to her megawatt smile, Mrs. Obama ended on an up note: "Luckily, kids are malleable and open to learning. It's the grownups that are going to have to step it up, make our own changes to help make this a reality."

Related: Five Reasons Why You Should Take Michelle Obama's Advice Seriously