Fitness is Fun!
November 2004

Greetings from the office of the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program! You have received the November 2004 issue of Fitness is Fun, 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 health and fitness.

GOVERNMENT/PCPFS NEWS:

President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Honor Award
The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Honor Award is given annually to individuals who provide outstanding contributions to the fields of Physical Fitness, Health, and Sports. Please feel free to nominate any individuals who meet these criteria. Nominations for the 2005 Honor Award should be submitted to the PCPFS office no later than December 1, 2004. Download the entry form (PDF) for specific details and instructions for nomination. http://www.presidentschallenge.org/advocates/honor_award.aspx.

HealthierFeds
The HealtheirFeds campaign is ending December 10th. Over 29,000 employees have registered to complete the President's Challenge. For more information on the initiative visit: http://www.healthierfeds.gov.

SPOTLIGHTS:

Fitness Spotlight - Thanksgiving Game Plan
Here are some suggestions on how to stick with your fitness plan during a food-centered holiday:

" Make a plan. Set aside time for yourself to take a walk, visit the gym, or just play outside with the kids. Adults need to accumulate 30 minutes of activity per day, and children under 18 years old need 60 minutes of activity per day to maintain the benefits of being physically active. The holidays can keep you busy, but time invested in your health is time well-spent.
" Keep logging your activities to earn your Presidential Champions awards or Active Lifestyle award, and offer to start a group that your family members and friends can join to keep everyone motivated to stay active.
" Register now for a Thanksgiving weekend road race. This information can be found in your local newspaper and you're likely to find a nearby Turkey Trot or fun run that the whole family can enjoy.
" Be aware of what you're eating. Drinking plenty of water and having a healthy snack before the big Thanksgiving dinner can help curb overeating.
" Don't be discouraged if you feel you've gotten off track the day after Thanksgiving. You're certainly not alone! Just pick up where you left off.

Fitness Spotlight - Get Your Community Active with a Trail or a Greenway
Though the benefits of regular physical activity are undeniable, many individuals continue to live sedentary lifestyles because they perceive activity as inaccessible, inconvenient, time consuming, or even unsafe. As costs associated with obesity continue to rise, it is in the best interest of not only every individual but every community to encourage physical activity and make it accessible to all. One approach is to provide trails and greenways that link parks, historic sites, and other local attractions. Many communities have already noticed benefits of such an effort. According to the Bootheel and Ozark Health Projects survey in southeastern Missouri, 55 percent of trail users are exercising more than they did before the trail existed. Also, the Indiana Trails Study, which surveyed trail users on six different trails in Indiana, revealed that 70 percent of trail users are getting more exercise as a direct result of the trail.¹

The Trails and Greenways Clearinghouse provides technical assistance, resources and referrals to individuals, groups, communities, and anyone else who is interested in creating trails or greenways. Their Web site, http://www.trailsandgreenways.org lists several benefits of establishing trails in your community, including: creating new opportunities for outdoor recreation and non-motorized transportation; strengthening local economies; protecting the environment; and preserving culturally and historically valuable areas.²

RESEARCH:

New Study to Examine How Surroundings Encourage Active Lifestyles
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is funding a five-year evaluation of communities across the U.S. to assess the impact of community design on physical activity and obesity. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Active Living by Design Program is supporting 25 community partnerships to develop and implement collaboration among a variety of organizations in public health and other disciplines, such as city planning, transportation, architecture, recreation, crime prevention, traffic safety and education. Results from these 25 communities will be compared to communities that have not made efforts to improve surroundings to encourage physical activity.

"We need to be as creative and inventive as we can to encourage Americans to make physical activity a part of their daily lives," Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said. "This new partnership is one more example of how we are working to promote physical activity and improve public health."

For the full press release visit the link below
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/nov2004/niehs-04.htm

SPECIAL THANKS

We would like to extend a special thanks to all of the President's Challenge Advocates. Please visit the Advocates area on the www.presidentschallenge.org web site to see how companies, organizations and groups are making a difference with the President's Challenge.

FEEDBACK

We would like to hear from you. If you have any topics that you would like to see addressed in Fitness is Fun or any comments regarding this list, please let us know. You can provide them by emailing us at preschal@indiana.edu.

To view past issues of Fitness is Fun visit our website: www.presidentschallenge.org. Enter the site by choosing the appropriate category, then click on "news/research".

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References:
1. Health and Wellness Benefits. Trails and Greenways Clearinghouse. Retrieved November 11, 2004 from http://www.trailsandgreenways.org/resources/benefits/topics/tgc_health.pdf.
2. . Benefits of Trails and Greenways. Trails and Greenways Clearinghouse. Retrieved November 11, 2004 from http://www.trailsandgreenways.org/resources/benefits/topics/tgc_benefits.pdf.

Fitness is Fun! November 2004

Fitness is Fun!
November 2004