Islanders are hard workers: when you have three or four months to make the majority of your wages, eating healthy food and exercising can easily be put on the back burner. The back burner can turn into a habit, a habit into a daily routine and one that is passed on through younger generations.

This is as much a local issue as it is a national one, and as a result, a touch of Washington, D.C. activism has landed on our shores in the wake of the Obama family’s arrival yesterday. A cause near to First Lady Michelle Obama’s heart has taken root on the Vineyard — Let’s Move Martha’s Vineyard officially kicks off its charter group as a part of Mrs. Obama’s national Let’s Move campaign to combat childhood obesity.

In Oak Bluffs on Tuesday, Let’s Move Martha’s Vineyard is hosting a kickoff for a 12-month program to educate the Vineyard community about moving toward a healthier lifestyle by featuring different fitness, food and health providers. While Mrs. Obama’s campaign focuses on childhood obesity, Let’s Move Martha’s Vineyard is hoping to engage the entire community.

“I have been following Michelle Obama’s initiative and it’s something a lot of people are thinking about so I’m happy it’s coming from Washington that people are recognizing [obesity] is a crisis in the United States,” said Nancy Phillips, cofounder of Let’s Move Martha’s Vineyard, earlier this week. Ms. Phillips is also an Oak Bluffs park and recreation commissioner, an exercise physiologist and nurse practitioner.

“The seasonality of our economy and the climate are the biggest challenge,” she said. “People get extremely stressed in the summer because of the economy that’s based on tourism — and people put in 80-hour weeks in the spring and summer. And when winter comes there’s not a lot for them to do and I would say that people get somewhat depressed . . . and tend to stay indoors.”

Let’s Move Martha’s Vineyard will among other things create awareness about classes in hula-hooping, salsa, belly dance and capoiera through the Adult and Community Education program.

“I hope people feel the whole community spirit of getting involved in thinking healthy, not only themselves but keeping the momentum going as a community,” ACE director Lynn Ditchfield said. “I really think doing it together makes a difference. It’s the reason why people go to classes, to be there in a community doing something together and you feel better. It all works that way.

“I’m hoping people make the commitment to really keep moving and giving it a year.”

The kickoff will also feature a professional tennis exhibition, a tennis match between local high school students and Oak Bluffs town officials, an all-star Little League baseball game, yoga demonstrations, water aerobics, ocean canoeing and kayaking.

Personal trainer Kye Howell from the Vineyard Tennis Center, Workout and Spa will be on hand to show people who are pressed for time that working out doesn’t have to mean taking your entire morning.

“I’ll be showing basic, simple exercises that are one minute long, such as squats, lunges and core exercises,” Mr. Howell said earlier this week. He said many people are familiar with these exercises, but he will correct alignment for a safer and better workout.

“Exercise is important; the longer you’re active, the longer you live,” the fitness trainer said. “There’s no reason why you can’t have time to work out. All you need is 15 minutes and you need to be able to make time.”

Cofounder Erin Bayer Santos stressed the community aspect of Let’s Move Martha’s Vineyard. “We’re doing it together, so you’re not just on a walk by yourself at night with a pedometer on,” she said. “We’ve become an advocate of the President’s challenge, which allows for school testing and improving physical abilities of school children. They have a portion that allows individuals and groups to track progress so we’re promoting and administrating that throughout the year to be able to do just that.”

And this is just the beginning for Let’s Move Martha’s Vineyard. Mrs. Santos said the organization, which is working in conjunction with the Oak Bluffs parks department, envisions a broader program in the future. Community events, programs, seminars, all based around health and fitness while living on the Vineyard, are part of the plan.

“Our goal is to make things more accessible to community members,” Mrs. Santos said. “We want to be that bridge,” she added.

“I think that after the summer people are really exhausted,” Ms. Ditchfield said. “It’s kind of something that grows and it’s something people learn to trust. I have faith that it will get better and better and I think that’s true to movement and fitness. The challenge is opening up to what the community has to offer us, and once people have a taste of it, it’s like, yeah!”

And of course organizers hope Mrs. Obama will make an appearance. “We would love her to come and talk a little about her intentions on a community level,” Mrs. Santos said.

“We’ve invited her,” Ms. Phillips said. “I understand that she’s on vacation, but it’d be really nice if she did come.”

The Let’s Move Martha’s Vineyard kickoff festival is Tuesday from 1 to 6 p.m. at Waban Park in Oak Bluffs; the rain date is Wednesday. The event is free and all are welcome.