By Eric Cohen

Over the past three years I’ve been asked countless times how and why ‘nPlay was started? The short version is that one night several years ago I was watching a segment on CNN about childhood obesity. When the segment finished I changed the channel to the Yankees game. (Yes, I am a diehard fan). As I watched the game, it dawned on me that the athletes of the sports world had never united for any one cause before. It was very common in the entertainment industry, but not sports. I thought there would be an amazing synergy between professional athletes and the obesity cause. That was the moment of inspiration.

Why childhood obesity?  I wasn’t heavy as a child and I’m not heavy as an adult. I have always played sports and been athletic from the time I was a child up until this very day. I feel fortunate to say that no one close to me had an extreme weight problem that caused them health issues either. I simply saw something that was hurting our children and at the time, no one was doing anything about. I thought we could make a difference. Who better than athletes to help change the culture and inspire children, parents and teachers to eat healthier and be more active? People of all ages admire athletes because of what they accomplish on the field.

The second reason was part frustration. I worked for 15 years in the entertainment business. I constantly saw musicians and actors raise hundreds of millions of dollars for people half way across the globe. While I applauded their work, it silently led me to ask, “What about our kids”?  Who is stepping up to help them? I thought that if I could make even a small difference then I would never do anything more important in my life.

That being said, this organization isn’t about me, Mike, Scott or Steve, my co-founders. We are just the people that are here to do the work. It’s really about the 35 athletes that have joined ‘nPlay and generously given their time, energy and reputations. They aren’t being paid a penny and it is their passion to be part of the solution that drives them. Many of them are already working in their communities beyond what they do with ‘nPlay. Our Chairperson, Jennie Finch, was one of the first two athletes to join and has been nothing short of phenomenal. She actively tries to raise funds, does press and has recruited other athletes while spreading the message every time she teaches her softball clinics. Paul Pierce has his own non-profit, “Truth on Health”.  The work he does with Fit Club 34 is impressive and his dedication is something I wish we could duplicate and spread to athletes across this country. Shannon Miller, the most decorated Olympic Gymnast in US history, has her own non-profit and she puts on her own children’s marathon in Jacksonville.  Former All-Pro Miami Dolphins Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain run Aero Athletics in Southern Florida. Aero Athletics is an afterschool program for children with nowhere to go once the school day ends. They provide 1:15 minutes of physical activity and 45 minutes of tutoring from certified teachers.  They are so dedicated; you will find them working with the children every day. Former NBA Star, Kenny Anderson, runs basketball and exercise clinics in three 24 Hour Fitness Gyms in Florida. Sixteen year old snowboarder, Maddy Shaffrick, has committed to speaking and working in high schools so the students will have one of their peers to relate to.

That is just a small sample of what the athletes are accomplishing both with ‘nPlay and on their own. Joined by a phenomenal group of educators, doctors and fitness professionals, ‘nPlay, is first and foremost, a team. To us, the word “team” has special significance. No one accomplishes anything alone in sports and even in individual sports athletes have coaches, trainers, managers and agents. We don’t believe we are the solution; we are part of the team that will help to bring about the solution by working with schools and local organizations within needy communities.

Over the coming days, weeks and months our athletes, educators, doctors and fitness professionals will write blogs which will be posted on our website.  I will continue to tell our story and the stories of our athletes and partners who continue to do great work. I hope that our site and blog will become a destination that you find entertaining yet educational and inspirational. And most importantly, I hope you will support and join the team that ‘nPlay has created and the goal which we are trying to achieve.

Lifetime Television’s Balancing Act guests on October 25th will include Olympic Gold Medal Gymnast Shannon Miller promoting Childhood Obesity Awareness, to inspire balanced, healthy living.

Online PR News – 12-October-2010 – Seven-time Olympic Medalist Shannon Miller will be on Lifetime Television’s Balancing Act October 25 from 7:00-8:00 AM to promote childhood obesity awareness through the efforts of Shannon Miller Lifestyle, Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, and ‘nPLAY.

Miller states, “All kids yearn for a sense of control over their lives. So kids naturally feel energized when they realize that they have personal control over their eating and exercise habits. I look to the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation and ‘nPLAY as a resource to teach children these basics of healthy living—calories in and calories out—and inspire them to live in this balanced way.”

Shannon Miller Lifestyle is a Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation Partner (http://www.healthyweightcommit.org/supporters/partners/), and Miller is on the Board of Governors for ‘nPLAY (http://nplayfoundation.org/index.php/athletes/gymnastics/), along with other athlete supporters such as Grant Hill, Jennie Finch, Evander Holyfield, Summer Sanders, and Johnny Weir.

ABOUT SHANNON MILLER

Shannon Miller is the only American to rank among the Top 10 All-Time Gymnasts and is the only female athlete to be inducted into the US Olympic Hall of Fame twice (Individual 2006 and Team 2008). Among her career highlights, Miller has won an astounding 59 International and 49 National competition medals, over half of which are Gold. She is the only US gymnast to win two World All-Around Titles. Her tally of five medals (two Silver, three Bronze) at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain was the most medals won by a US athlete. At the 1996 Games in Atlanta, GA, she led the “Magnificent Seven” to the US Women’s first ever Team Gold and for the first time for any American gymnast, she captured Gold on the balance beam.

Miller is now President of Shannon Miller Lifestyle: Health and Fitness for Women, as well as an author, television personality, and host of Shannon Miller Lifestyle Radio presented by St. Vincent’s HealthCare. She holds a BBA in marketing and entrepreneurship from the University of Houston and her law degree from Boston College. She founded the Shannon Miller Foundation dedicated to fighting childhood obesity and is Co-Chair of the Florida Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness.

Miller continues to travel the country as a highly sought after motivational speaker and advocate for the health and wellness of women and children. Shannon and her husband welcomed their first child John “Rocco” on October 28th, 2009.

ABOUT SHANNON MILLER LIFESTYLE

The mission of Shannon Miller Lifestyle is to inform, educate, and inspire women to lead a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Through books, DVDs, motivational speaking, a weekly call-in radio show, and website ShannonMillerLifestyle.com, Shannon focuses on opening the lines of communication and reminding women that it is okay to ask questions, demand answers, support each other and have fun along the way. Shannon Miller Lifestyle is targeted to women with a focus on pregnancy and motherhood.

ABOUT HEALTHY WEIGHT COMMITMENT FOUNDATION

The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation is a first-of-its kind coalition that brings together over 120 retailers, food and beverage manufacturers, sporting goods and insurance companies, restaurants, a professional sports association, trade associations, NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations), and the U.S. Army. The Foundation focuses on activities in the schools, the workplace and the marketplace to promote healthy weight among Americans by balancing the energy they consume with the energy they expend through physical activity.

ABOUT ‘nPLAY FOUNDATION

‘nPLAY is a peer-to-peer movement in which one athlete asks another to help, building membership and momentum. The organization’s initial focus is to help schools meet the criteria of the Healthier US Schools Challenge. ‘nPLAY and the USDA-Food Nutrition Services are in the process of developing a partnership that will focus on increasing the time dedicated to physical activity/education in targeted schools.

ABOUT THE BALANCING ACT ON LIFETIME TELEVISION

The Balancing Act TV show airs on Lifetime Television at 7:00am (ET/PT) – and is America’s premier morning show that’s about women, for women, and trusted by women. Celebrating life and all there is to accomplish, The Balancing Act inspires and empowers with entertaining and educational segments, placing women in the best position to achieve success in every area of their lives. For information or to view a show, visit http://www.TheBalancingAct.com.

SHANNON MILLER LIFESTYLE PRODUCTS

Shannon Miller Lifestyle products currently available at http://www.ShannonMillerLifestyle.com and
http://www.amazon.com (keyword: Shannon Miller Lifestyle):

Last month I had the honor of going to the West Virginia Physical Activity Symposium with Shannon Miller, one of the athletes working with ‘nPLAY. The purpose of the event was to gather all of the important stakeholders in West Virginia, as well as many important national figures, to address the obesity issue throughout the state.

I spent two days there and I was unbelievably impressed with everyone I met; starting with the top players of the state. Governor Joe Manchin and his wife Gayle are two of the most genuine, down to earth and committed people I have met in an extremely long time. In an era where there is tremendous skepticism regarding politicians and their motives, I left West Virginia with hope that there are more individuals like them coming to the forefront of American politics. Their desire to help all of the citizens of West Virginia become healthier was phenomenal. Mrs. Manchin in particular is the kind of individual that inspires you to go the extra mile to help them accomplish their goals.

I must give credit to Eloise Elliot, a member of the ‘nPLAY education advisory board, who put together a phenomenal event. I know she is taking a well deserved break right now.

Then there was Shannon Miller. We are blessed at ‘nPLAY to have intelligent, dedicated athletes who truly care about the future of America’s children. While I expected nothing less, Shannon exuded class and integrity every single minute she was there and is an exceptional role model for young girls. This is evident in how she physically takes care of herself, and how she lives her life. Her speech was excellent and a highlight of the symposium. I can’t thank Shannon enough for her time and work with ‘nPLAY. We wish her tremendous success as she launches Shannon Miller Lifestyle for Women, www.shannonmillerlifestyle.com..

We also were fortunate to add Phil Pfister, former Strongest Man in the World, to the ‘nPLAY family. A native son of West Virginia, his speech was inspiring and we are excited to have him come aboard.

We are looking forward to working in West Virginia and helping the children of the state. I want to thank Mrs. Manchin, Eloise Elliot and everyone else for their hospitality. I look forward to all that we can accomplish in the future.