Month Four of the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge Yields Successes and Big Changes for Role Model Kids

Month Four of the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge Yields Successes and Big Changes for Role Model Kids

Challengers Tackle Volleyball, Crunches, Healthy Dining, and a School Nutrition Committee in the Sunday, August 27, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT Update on Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon and The Alliance for a Healthier Generation Form the Go Healthy Champions Network of Support for the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge

NEW YORK, Aug. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- In the fourth month of the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge, the role model kids undertake some of their biggest challenges yet, and are rewarded with successes and big changes. Airing Sunday, August 27, 2006, 8:30 p.m. ET/PT on Nickelodeon, the latest installment of the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge, which follows four real life kids over a six month period in the quest to make their lives healthier, finds the Challengers more motivated than ever.

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

* "Emerging Athlete" Bianca has gone from five to 20 crunches, and sets a
goal to reach 100. She has wholeheartedly embraced her new active
lifestyle - particularly basketball - and signs up for kick-boxing and
step classes. However, Bianca is finding it difficult to adopt
healthier eating habits and pays a visit to a local nutritionist for
some advice.

* "Activist" Chris and his local coach, Dr. Burke, meet with the Head of
the San Francisco Unified School District's Student Nutrition & Physical
Activity Committee to discuss adding healthier options to the menus of
local schools. Chris also learns hands on about the difficulties of
providing nutritious meals and snacks for mass quantities when he
distributes snacks to hundreds of kids at a local YMCA after-school
program.

* "Barrier Breaker" Wes and his family take their healthy eating lessons
and apply them to dining out. Wes, his coach Mike and family go to a
restaurant for a lesson on ordering healthier options when dining out.
Coach Mike offers tips like ordering sauces and gravies on the side,
opting for grilled selections instead of fried, and requesting a take-
out box prior to eating to assist with portion control.

* "Health Warrior" Ayesha tries a new sport and quickly becomes the "Queen
of the Volleyball Court." Ayesha gets a cooking lesson this month from
James Beard Foundation and award-winning chef Don Yamaguchi, who shares
some interesting recipes like Watermelon soup and an Apple-Basil-Parsley
drink. Ayesha learns a key lesson with useful tips on healthier food
preparation options, like using reduction as opposed to butter: cooking
healthier doesn't have to mean sacrificing taste.

The Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge on Nickelodeon is a joint effort between the network and The Alliance for a Healthier Generation - an initiative between the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association. To date, more than 120,000 kids have registered to take the Challenge in their own communities. The 2006 campaign will culminate on Nickelodeon's third annual Worldwide Day of Play on Saturday, September 30.

Additionally, Nickelodeon and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation have formed the Go Healthy Challenge Champions Network, a group of organizations that are lending their support to the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge initiative. Among the Champions are local affiliates of the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, the National Association of Physical and Sports Education, National Recreation Parks Association, National Rural Health Association and many more. These groups will lend their support to the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge on a grass roots level, help bolster kids and community participation and awareness of the campaign and its goals, and participate in Worldwide Day of Play.

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. This streaming content of the kids takes a deeper look behind-the-scenes of their daily challenges and conquests. In addition, the September issue of Nickelodeon Magazine will feature three real kid activists, who, like Chris from the Challenge, are working to improve health and wellness in their respective communities.

Kids can continue to sign up to take the Let's Just Play Go Healthy Challenge on http://www.nick.com/letsjustplay. Community organizations, schools and individuals can participate by visiting 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.

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: 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 & 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 www.Nick.com, www.Nickjr.com or 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, +1-212-348-0360, or Kelly Kennai
Grunig of American Heart Association, +1-202-785-7925

Web site: http://www.nick.com/
http://www.healthiergeneration.org/

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