Fitness is Fun!
April 2005

Greetings from the office of the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program! You have received the April 2005 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 Challenge to Attend HealthierUS Fitness Festival
Visit The President's Challenge at the HealthierUS Fitness Festival! The purpose of the Fitness Festival is to motivate individuals to adopt healthy lifestyles by providing access to a wide variety of information and demonstrations. The fitness festival will take place on May 2, 2005, from 10 to on the Mall in Washington D.C. between 1^st and 4^th Streets SW. It is free and open to the public. People of all ages will learn about different organizations and their resources, be able to try the latest equipment and activities and participate in special exercise demonstrations. We encourage everyone to attend if possible for a fun and educational experience!

Opportunity for Co-sponsorship of the HealthierUS Fitness Festival
The office of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport has announced the opportunity to co-sponsor a fitness festival in May, National Physical Fitness and Sport month. Both Federal and non-Federal public and private sector entities may apply for co-sponsorship. Contact Chris Spain via fax (202-690-5211) or phone (202-690-5148) to learn more or to apply to participate in the exhibit.

Presidential Partners in May to Get America Moving
The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports invites organizations, communities who are celebrating events with a physical activity and fitness component to join us as Presidential Partners in May to Get America Moving during May, National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. This way, not only will you be highlighting your day/week/monthly celebration but also, the PCPFS will highlight your activity on our websites. Contact Chris Spain via fax (202-690-5211) or phone (202-690-5148) if you are interested in obtaining more information.

New Food Guide Pyramid
The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently unveiled MyPyramid, a new symbol and interactive food guide system. MyPyramid, which replaces the Food Guide Pyramid introduced in 1992, emphasizes a more individualized approach to dietary health which also incorporates physical activity. The new pyramid incorporates recommendations from the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which was released by the USDA and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in January. Visit http://www.MyPyramid.gov to learn more about MyPyramid, learn how to make smart food choices and to get an estimate of your daily caloric needs.

JAMA article
A recently completed study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association attempted to estimate deaths associated with underweight, overweight, and obesity in the United States in 2000. Researchers estimated relative risks of mortality associated with different levels of BMI (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters) from the nationally representative National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) I (1971-1975) and NHANES II (1976-1980), with follow-up through 1992, and from NHANES III (1988-1994), with follow-up through 2000. Researchers found that being underweight and obese were associated with increased mortality relative to the normal weight category. For the complete article, visit http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/293/15/1861.

RESEARCH

NCPAD
April is cancer control month. The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD) emphasizes the effectiveness of exercise in managing symptoms related to cancer and its treatment. The NCPAD provides a cancer and exercise fact sheet which offers tips for nutrition and exercise, which include exercising at a low intensity, informing your physician about your exercise program plan, and recommendations for the duration of physical activity. For the entire fact sheet, please visit http://www.ncpad.org/disability/fact_sheet.php?sheet=38.

Video dance game studied as weight-loss option
Video games are usually considered major culprits of childhood obesity, but one game, Dance Dance Revolution, is actually being studied to evaluate its ability to help kids lose weight. The children of West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA)-covered employees are the subjects of a unique weight loss study conducted by the insurance agency in hopes of lowering costs and improving health. The game, which requires players to step on arrows on a platform in synch with music and arrows on a screen, may improve cardiovascular health and coordination as players move on to more advanced levels. PEIA is providing a game console, dance pad, and software for the six-month, $60,000 study. The 85 overweight children participating in the study are required to meet with researchers, play the game for a specific amount of time, wear a pedometer, and keep a log. Medical screenings are provided by West Virginia University, and pre-screenings have already raised concerns about the children's health. The children will be evaluated after three months and again at the end of the study. For the complete article, please visit http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/diet.fitness/04/04/dancing.away.obesity.ap/index.html .

SPOTLIGHTS:

Fitness Spotlight - User Spotlight
Charles, a martial arts instructor in New York, has taken a personal interest in encouraging physical fitness among his students. While teaching them valuable self-defense techniques for use against attackers, Charles has also taken it upon himself to ensure that his students are prepared to combat the more common foes of obesity and inactivity. Read on to learn more about Charles and how he is using the President's Challenge with his martial arts students.

How did you become interested in martial arts?
My mother took me to a martial arts studio after my grandfather insisted that it would provide me with a good role model. At nine years old, martial arts provided me with a much needed boost in confidence that led me to join the track and cross country teams in high school.

How did you hear about The President's Challenge?
One of my students came in with an emblem and asked if he could put it on his uniform. Upon visiting the Web site (http://www.presidentschallenge.org), I found that our philosophies match. I did the physical fitness testing with my students in February 2005 and have found that the testing and the emblems they earn are great motivational tools.

What is your approach to promoting physical activity to children?
Keeping it fun. Kids today need to be lured away from movies and video games by activities that are just as fun. When parents attempt to introduce exercise to kids who are already sedentary, they aren't interested because they are already having fun doing what they are doing. I try to disguise repetition during exercise by keeping it interesting.

Do your rowing teammates participate in The Challenge as well?
We are in the process of putting together a group so we can do the Champions program together.

How does The President's Challenge fit into martial arts?
What advice would you offer to people who would like to start to be active? I try to prepare my students mentally, not just physically, because they need a well-rounded mind set for success. Martial arts works on mental-physical balance, and President's Challenge provides positive reinforcement.

Get advice from your health professional before beginning an exercise program. Start out slow and start out easy. Find a routine that feels comfortable and that works for you!

Program Spotlight - Physical Fitness Test
Spring is a great time to test your student's physical fitness and see how they have improved over the year. The five events test for muscular strength and endurance, cardio-respiratory endurance, speed, agility and flexibility. Students taking the Challenge can earn the Presidential, National or Participant awards according to their level of fitness.

When testing use the student's age on the initial day of testing. Help students be aware of proper technique for each test. There is no limit to the number of trials a student can have for each event. A complete listing of test options and percentiles is available in our 2004-2005 brochure or on our Web site http://www.presidentschallenge.org. Under Teachers click Program Details, select Physical Fitness Test, events or qualifying standards.

Program Spotlight - Fitness File
Fitness File is a free tool available to those administering the President's Challenge Physical or Health Fitness tests. This tool allows instructors to track student's progress, calculate awards, print out reports and make recommendations. To get started a coordinator needs to register and input instructors and students. Instructors will be emailed their instructor code, school code and a temporary password.

Once logged in as the instructor, a new test will need to be created and student's assigned to the test. There are spreadsheets available to download for both coordinators and instructors to make entering student's information and test scores easier. After test scores have been entered the student's award will be calculated and reports will be available to be sent home.

To get help with Fitness File questions please contact customer service 1-800-258-8146 or email preschal@indiana.edu.

REMINDERS:

State Champion Entries
Schools wishing to apply for the State Champion need to have their entry completed by July 1st. Winning schools are eligible for the Wheaties Poster contest awards. Schools may enter via mail, fax, or online at http://www.presidentschallenge.org. Our mailing address is:

President's Challenge
501 N. Morton, Suite 203
Bloomington, IN 47404

Fax: (812) 855-8999

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 http://www.presidentschallenge.org/ web site to see how companies, organizations and groups are making a difference with the President's Challenge.

FEEDBACK

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Fitness is Fun! April 2005

Fitness is Fun!
April 2005