Colorado, with its reputation for thinner people and outdoor exercise, is well-positioned to take on the fight against childhood obesity announced Tuesday by Michelle Obama, state health experts said.

The state already has a network of people setting up the kinds of programs the first lady is pushing in her “Let’s Move” campaign, aimed at solving the childhood obesity problem in a generation.

At Munroe Elementary in west Denver, for example, kids attach tags to their backpacks, then collect points for prizes as they walk or bike under a streetlamp-like sensor that records whether they used their own two feet to get to school.

In Park Hill, residents can pick up refurbished bicycles in exchange for a bit of community service. And in rural towns throughout the state, schools and farmers are collaborating in the hopes of getting fresh produce straight from the fields to local lunchrooms.

On Tuesday, Obama announced a four-part federal campaign to battle childhood obesity by helping parents make better food choices, serving healthier food in school vending machines and lunch lines, making healthy food more available and affordable, and encouraging children to exercise more.

“None of us wants this future for our kids,” Obama said at the White House on Tuesday. “We have to act, so let’s move.”

Vail skier Lindsey Vonn might not race Sunday in the super combined at the Vancouver Games because of a deep tissue bruise on her right shin that she suffered Feb. 2 while practicing in Austria. Her first training run is Thursday in Whistler, and if she can’t go, she must finish a training run Friday or Saturday to compete Sunday. Photo by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Marcio Sanchez