Figure Skater Sasha Cohen Joins Other Health and Lifestyle Experts on the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge Advisory Board

Figure Skater Sasha Cohen Joins Other Health and Lifestyle Experts on the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge Advisory Board

Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge Role Models Report Significant Progress in Their Quest to Live Healthier Lives as they Reach Halfway Point of the Go Healthy Challenge

Progress in Conquering Junk Foods Cravings, More Exercise and Efforts to Improve School Lunch Offerings Featured Sunday, July 30, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT in Latest Installment on Nickelodeon

Almost 100,000 Kids Sign Up for Challenge at Halfway Mark

NEW YORK, July 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The next installment of the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge, Nickelodeon and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation's miniseries focusing on the real life struggles and successes of four kids over a five month period in the quest to make their lives healthier, airs Sunday, July 30, 2006, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon. In addition, Nickelodeon and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation -- a joint initiative between the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association (AHA) -- announce that Sasha Cohen, one of the world's most recognized figure skating talents, joins the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge Advisory Board.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060427/NYTH101-a )

In the 12-minute on-air update on July 30, viewers can see how their favorite Challenger is doing at the halfway point Challenge. "Health Warrior" Ayesha, has become more active over the past three months and now incorporates healthy snack alternatives into her diet. In this update, Ayesha demonstrates how to incorporate her healthy lifestyle into a social afternoon at the roller skating rink. "Health Activist" Chris continues his challenge to lead his community to healthier lifestyles, and brings together a group of classmates to create posters that will raise awareness in his school about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables. Bianca, the "Emerging Athlete," puts her training over the past three months to the test in her first basketball game at a local Boys and Girls Club of America. And "Barrier Breaker" Wes and his family create a calendar to help them manage the shared responsibility of food preparation and physical activities. They also tackle swimming at their local YMCA as another way to spend active time together.

In addition, TurboNick, Nickelodeon's online broadband video service available on Nick.com, will continue to air personal footage from the four role models personal video diaries after the on-air updates. This streaming content of the kids takes a deeper look behind-the-scenes of their daily challenges and conquests. This month, Bianca runs four miles with her local coach; Wes gets some healthy cooking tips from a local chef; Chris visits the farmers market and looks for healthy fruits and veggies; and Ayesha meets with a nutritionist and takes up tennis.

Halfway through the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge, almost 100,000 kids across the country have registered to take their own Challenge. Kids can continue to sign up to take the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge on http://www.nick.com/letsjustplay. Nickelodeon and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation aim to mobilize kids and their communities to become more involved. Leading up to Nickelodeon's Worldwide Day of Play on Sept. 30, local American Heart Association offices, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, and other campaign partners will conduct outreach efforts, and various events will take place in select areas. Community organizations, schools and individuals can participate by visiting http://www.everythingnick.com/ and downloading the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge toolkit for resources that will aid in the planning of their own events surrounding the Challenge.

Over the past three months, the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challengers have been guided by their local coaches in their hometowns, along with advice and input from an Advisory Board, which consists of health educators, role model celebrities, physicians, psychologists and more. This group formulates a healthy living plan for the kids, and provides support to them throughout the process, while keeping it fun and maintainable.

Sasha Cohen, one of the world's most recognized figure skating talents, recently joined Nickelodeon's Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge Advisory Board. Ms. Cohen will serve as a role model for the four challengers illustrating how to live a healthy lifestyle and stay active. She joins other Advisory Board members Stephen Daniels, MD, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Preventive Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and AHA volunteer; Russell Pate, PhD, an exercise physiologist at the University of South Carolina, a Professor in the Department of Exercise Science and Associate Dean for Research in the School of Public Health, and AHA volunteer; Brian Saelens, PhD, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Children's Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati; Mary Story, PhD, RD, a Professor in the Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, Adjunct Professor in the Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine at the University of Minnesota, the Director of the National Program Office for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healthy Eating Research program, and AHA volunteer; Reginald Washington, MD, a Clinical Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, the Medical Director at Rocky Mountain Pediatrix Cardiology, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics' Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness, co-chair of AAP's National Task Force on Obesity and AHA volunteer; and Romero Brown, Senior Director, Teen Services for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, who brings to the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge campaign more than 20 years of experience in the field of youth development.

More information on the Challenge Advisory Board, the role models and their coaches, healthy tips and guidelines on participating in the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge, and message boards can be found on http://www.nick.com/letsjustplay. Kids will now be able to invite their friends to join the Challenge after registering online, and new flipbook content, highlighting certain parts of the role model challenge over the past few months, will debut this month.

Nickelodeon Magazine has covered the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge since its inception. The August issue, currently available, features tips from professional athletes Tony Hawk and Serena Williams for kids who want to start playing a sport. The magazine has a national circulation of over one million and is sold on newsstands and through subscriptions.

Nickelodeon will also showcase a Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge highlight reel at Paramount Parks around the country, to encourage kids to visit http://www.nick.com/letsjustplay and take their own Challenge. The reel will run from August 1 through August 31 at Paramount's Kings Island in Cincinnati, OH, Paramount's Carowinds in Charlotte, NC, Paramount's Great America in Santa Clara, CA and Paramount's Kings Dominion in Richmond, VA.

The Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge will culminate in a celebration of the kids on-air and all the kids around the nation who have taken part in the movement to get healthy with Nickelodeon's third annual Worldwide Day of Play on September 30, 2006. During Worldwide Day of Play, the network goes dark both on-air and online with only graphics telling kids to get up, go out side and play. Over the past two years, half-a-million kids have participated in Nickelodeon's Worldwide Day of Play.

About The Alliance for a Healthier Generation

The William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association partnered in May of 2005 to create a new generation of healthy Americans by addressing one of the nation's leading public health threats -- childhood obesity. The initiative will focus on preventing childhood obesity and creating healthier lifestyles for children overall.

The Alliance aims to target several areas that the group hopes will spark change and slow the increasing rates of childhood obesity in the U.S., and encourage healthier lifestyles for young people. The effort will focus on four key areas: industry; schools, healthcare professionals and kids.

For more information on the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, please visit: http://www.healthiergeneration.org/.

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon is currently in its fourth year of its award-winning pro- social initiative, "Let's Just Play." In November 2005, "Let's Just Play" entered into a partnership with The Alliance for a Healthier Generation to combat the spread of childhood obesity. The three organizations combined forces on a comprehensive media and public awareness campaign, encouraging young people to engage in healthy and active lifestyles. Nickelodeon is using its multimedia platforms and the "Let's Just Play" campaign, working with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America and other partners, to reach millions of young people across the country and spread the message of the Healthier Generation movement.

Nickelodeon has committed more than $30 million and 10% of its air to health and wellness messaging. Over the past 2 years, Nickelodeon has also awarded approximately $2 million in grants and through its "Let's Just Play Giveaway" to schools and after-school programs to help provide resources that will create and expand opportunities for physical play. For more information on Nickelodeon, visit http://www.nick.com/, http://www.nickjr.com/ or http://www.teachers.nick.com/.

Nickelodeon, now in its 27th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 90 million households and has been the number- one-rated basic cable network for eleven consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA)(NYSE:and)(NYSE:VIA.B).

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060427/NYTH101-a
Source: Nickelodeon

CONTACT: Joanna Roses of Nickelodeon, +1-212-846-7326; or Courtney
O'Donnell of William J. Clinton Foundation, +1-212-348-1710; or Kelly Kennai
Grunig of American Heart Association, +1-202-785-7925

Web site: http://www.nick.com/
http://www.nickjr.com/
http://www.everythingnick.com/
http://www.nick.com/letsjustplay
http://www.healthiergeneration.org/
http://www.teachers.nick.com/

-------
Profile: intent