Announcements

Greetings from the office of the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program! You have received the March 2003 issue of fitnessisfun, the official e-mail distribution of the President's Challenge. These monthly e-mails will keep you updated on our program, activities of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS) and other current information pertaining to fitness.

PROFILE: ACTING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL ON PHYSICAL FITNESS AND SPORT: CDR PENELOPY ROYALL
The Acting Executive Director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport is CDR Penelopy Royall. CDR Royall has strong ties with the Department of Health and Human Services as she previously worked as Senior Public Health Advisor in the Office of Public Health and Science, Immediate Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services. CDR Royall received her degree in Physical Therapy and Master's degree in Social Work, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Upon completion of these degrees she activated and led the Physical Rehabilitation Department and served as Chief of Physical Therapy at the Federal Medical Center, Butner, North Carolina. To read more about CDR Royall and the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport, please visit http://www.fitness.gov.

PRESIDENT'S COUNCIL, AAHPERD, & COOPER INSTITUTE TEAM UP
Concerned about the grave physical inactivity trends of children and youth, the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS), the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD), and The Cooper Institute announced they are forming a partnership to promote physical activity for children and youth. The centerpiece of this relationship will be incorporating the Council's Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) program with AAHPERD's Physical Best youth fitness education program and The Cooper Institute's FITNESSGRAMŽ/ACTIVITYGRAMŽ youth fitness and physical activity assessment program. Children will be encouraged to use their knowledge about physical fitness and activity to participate in physical activity outside of school. For more information on this effort please visit http://www.indiana.edu/~preschal/press_release0303.shtml.

PHYSICAL EDUCATION GETS A BOOST FROM CONGRESS
On February 13, 2003 Congress finalized a 20% increase in funding for the Physical Education for Progress (PEP) program. This increase raises the total amount of grants awarded to school districts and communities to 60 million dollars, a remarkable increase from the 5 million in 2001 and 50 million in 2002. PEP grants are awarded nationwide. Funds are used to provide innovative training for physical education teachers, traditional and non-traditional exercise equipment for students such as treadmills and climbing walls, and fitness assessment equipment. Applications for this years grants will be accepted as of March and funds awarded in September. To read more about this topic, please visit http://www.pe4life.org.

EXERCISE LIKE A DRUG IN HEART DISEASE
Researchers have recently found exercise to act like a drug on blood vessels. Inflammation of the blood vessels is related to high blood pressure, high cholesterol and ultimately, heart disease. The increased blood flow associated with exercise is believed to reduce this inflammation by stressing the walls of the blood vessels resulting in relaxation. This effect does not have to be associated with vigorous exercise regimes, the goal is merely to increase blood flow and get it moving at high arterial levels. To read more about this topic, please visit the full article at http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/conditions/01/25/heart.exercise.reut/index.html.

AMERICANS SUPER-SIZING AT HOME, TOO
A recent study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has found that Americans are not only super-sizing meals outside the home, but also within the home. Responses to questions regarding consumption of snack foods, desserts and soft drinks revealed increases as high as 97 percent from the year 1977 to 1996. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.org) states that increase in portion sizes are directly related to the increases in the American waistline. Portion distortion and the "more is better" mentality are also to blame. To read more about this trend, please visit http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/diet.fitness/01/21/portion.sizes/index.html.

DRIVING KIDS UP A WALL IN PE
Virginia elementary schools have begun incorporating new and exciting activities to spark the interest of their physical education students. The most challenging activity is that of wall climbing. Students no long climb rope to build upper body strength, they now climb walls. The walls are short enough that safety harnesses are not used, but fellow students do serve as spotters for those climbing. When asked, children loved the physical challenge of reaching the top as well as the mental challenge of planning the strategy to get there. To read more about this innovative physical education tool, please visit the news day of January 30 of the Washington Post at http://www.washingtonpost.com.

OBESITY RATE COULD REACH NEARLY 40% IN FIVE YEARS
Approximately 65% of Americans are obese or overweight. Obesity is defined as 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight while overweight is classified as 10 to 30 pounds over a healthy weight. According to the Center for Human Nutrition and the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver, Americans are gaining one to two pounds per year. If this trend continues, nearly 39% of Americans will be obese by the year 2008. Researchers identify possible solutions as either burning an additional 100 calories per day or consuming 100 calories less per day. Walking an extra mile per day or merely limiting portions or skipping a soda can accomplish these. To read more on this trend, please visit http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2003-02-06-obesity-usat_x.htm.

ACTIVE LIVING BY DESIGN: CALL FOR PROPOSALS
The Active Living by Design Call for Proposals has just been released. Information and a sample application that allows for preparation before for the brief proposal submission period can be found at http://www.activelivingbydesign.org. Brief proposals will be accepted through The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation from January 6 to January 31, 2003 with the deadline for full applications and proposals on May 23, 2003. Grants will be awarded to those proposals aimed at helping Americans become more physically active within given communities. Past grants of up to $200,000 to 25 different community partnerships across the country have been given. For more information, please visit the Active Living by Design website at the above address.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
The Physical Best program of AAHPERD conducts fitness education workshops and in-services for K-12 physical education teachers around the country. Full day certification workshops and half-day in-services are available for training in both Physical Best and in the FITNESSGRAM fitness assessment program. For more information on workshops, contact the Physical Best office at 1-800-213-7193 x. 489 or check the listing of workshops at: www.aahperd.org/physicalbest.

EXHIBITING THE PRESIDENT'S CHALLENGE:

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development
http://www.ascd.org/
San Francisco, CA
March 8-10, 2003

American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance
http://www.aahperd.org/
Philadelphia, PA
April 1-5, 2003

National Association of Elementary School Principals
http://www.naesp.org/
Anaheim, CA
April 11-15, 2003

FEEDBACK
We would love to hear from you. If you have any topics that you would like to see addressed in fitnessisfun or any comments on this list please let us know. You can provide them by emailing us at preschal@indiana.edu