Announcements

Greetings from the office of the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program! You have received the November 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.

Johnson Appointed Executive Director of The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
WASHINGTON, DC - Melissa Johnson has been named executive director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. As executive director, she manages the programs, activities and operations of the Washington, DC-based Council, an advisory committee to President George W. Bush and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy G. Thompson.

The Council's work supports the President's HealthierUS and Secretary Thompson's Steps to a HealthierUS initiatives to encourage healthy lifestyle choices. Working with Council Chair Lynn Swann, Vice Chair Dorothy "Dot" Richardson, and seventeen other appointed Council members, Ms. Johnson will recommend programs and strategies to promote daily physical activity among Americans of all ages, backgrounds and abilities.

Ms. Johnson will take a lead role in developing and implementing national programs to promote active lifestyles, including sports, through cooperative efforts in the public, private and non-profit sectors. She will have oversight of the Council's longstanding motivational program, the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program for school age children and for the Council's new interactive online activity program for Americans of all ages, backgrounds and abilities (www.presidentschallenge.org), announced by President Bush last summer.

A native of Newport Beach, California, Ms. Johnson has more than twenty years of professional experience in the health and fitness community. She was executive director of the California Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (1997-2002). The Governor's Council promotes healthy lifestyles to Californians of all ages and abilities with a focus on older adults, youth, physically challenged Americans, and workplace wellness. Ms. Johnson managed all operations, programs, corporate partnerships, new developments, fundraising, budgeting, public relations, promotions, marketing, events, strategic planning, and board activities. She also served as vice president and western regional chair of the National Association of Health and Fitness, formerly the National Association of Governor's Councils on Physical Fitness and Sports, and chaired their 2001 national conference.

Ms. Johnson was Director of Operations for National Fitness Leaders Association (NFLA) (1992-97), a national not-for-profit organization formerly based in Washington, DC. She coordinated and directed NFLA's Healthy American Fitness Leaders Awards program, in partnership with the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. Ms. Johnson also worked in corporate health promotion, designed wellness programs, and served as spokesperson for a variety of fundraising events for the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society.

Ms. Johnson has a Masters of Science degree in Health/Fitness Management from American University in Washington, D.C., where she taught as an adjunct professor, and a B.S. degree in Kinesiology from UCLA. Formerly a competitive gymnast, she leads an active lifestyle as an avid dancer, weight trainer, cross trainer, and yoga enthusiast.

General Mills Grants
The General Mills Youth Nutrition and Fitness Champions Grants are being announced at The American Dietetic Association Food and Nutrition Conference & Exhibition (Oct 24-28, 2003). Grants are available to non-profit, community-based groups that develop creative ways to help young people improve their eating and physical activity patterns. 50 grants of $10,000 each will be awarded in the spring of 2004. Visit www.generalmills.com/foundation for grant guidelines and the application. Proposal applications must be received by February 2, 2004.

The 50 grants are part of the General Mills Champions Program, a joint initiative among The American Dietetic Association Foundation, The General Mills Foundation, and the President's Challenge to improve youth nutrition and fitness across the United States. The goal of the General Mills Youth and Fitness Champions Grants is to support organizations that work with their communities to encourage young people, ages 2-20, to improve their eating and physical activity patterns. Grants will be awarded to non-profit organizations for innovative programs that demonstrate the greatest need and likelihood of sustainable impact on young people's nutrition and activity levels. Grant proposals should include at least one physical activity behavioral objective and at least one nutrition behavioral objective.

For more detailed information regarding the General Mills Youth and Fitness Champions Grants, grant applications, background and resource information please visit the General Mills Foundation website at www.generalmills.com/foundation. For more information on physical activity/fitness awards programs please visit the President's Challenge website at www.presidentschallenge.org/earn_awards. For information on nutrition and health please visit The American Dietetic Association's website, the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals at www.eatright.org.

Special Thanks
We would like to send out a special thanks to all of the President's Challenge Advocates. Please visit the Advocates area on the www.presidentschallenge.org website to see how companies, organizations and diverse groups are making a difference with the President's Challenge.

Season Reminder
The Holiday season is fast approaching! Start to log your activity points now so you won't have the "blues" come January! Remember a little activity and effort goes a long way.

Healthy Eating Is As Important As Physical Activity: Every Move Counts
When coupled with regular physical activity good nutrition is vital to your health, and even more effective, according to the American Dietetic Association. Chicago-based registered dietitian and ADA spokesperson Dawn Jackson points out that regular physical activity will keep your body trim, you will have lower risk for health problems, you will have stronger bones and stronger muscles. Additional benefits of exercise include improved endurance, less stress, a better life outlook, improved coordination and flexibility, and improved sleep. Every bit of activity can help your life and contribute to your overall health. Jackson recommends beginning with an activity plan. You should set goals, be patient with yourself, log your progress, and consult a qualified professional. For more information regarding this article and a list of moderate activities to begin a program of your own visit: http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/333/344/371190.html

Experts Call for Healthier School Meals
The United States Department of Agriculture has devised two objectives, "to purchase products as part of the Department's price-support and surplus-removal programs…and to provide schools with high quality, nutritious foods so that children have access to meals that are both healthful and appealing." Pilot programs, including educational, classroom and marketing resources are being set up in schools around the country to help students increase their intake of whole grain foods. There are currently 107 Schools in Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, and New Mexico. The Department of Defense has also teamed up with the USDA to supply schools with fresh produce. Visit http://www.cnn.com/2003/EDUCATION/10/08/health.lunches.reut/index.html for a deeper look at this proposal.

Keep Weight Training Injury-Free
Even if you are an experienced lifter or a beginner, injuries while lifting weights can occur. Weight lifting injuries are becoming more common, increasing 35% over the last 20 years. Most of these injuries are caused by a lack of common sense, poor warm-up and carelessness, according to Chester S. Jones Ph.D., associate professor of health sciences at the University of Arkansas. Jones's advice is to make sure you know how to use the equipment properly, to help eliminate injuries caused by user error. He also suggests the use of gloves and shoes. Statistically children under 4 years of age are more likely to be injured in a weight room than children 15 years and older. By practicing safety within the weight room, strength training benefits such as, preventing osteoporosis, increased strength, and improved general health are more likely to be achieved. You may link directly to this article located at: http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/12/1676_53124

Working out at work is healthy for employees, companies
Studies have shown promoting wellness and disease prevention in work settings is beneficial. Roger Seehafer, a Health and Kinesiology professor at Purdue University suggests that small businesses provide on-site wellness facilities. Seehafer comments that employees will improve their health while the companies receive a return on their investment. In order for companies to receive a return on their investment, competent and knowledgeable staff will need to be hired to design and operate the programs. Having a healthy staff will help combat the raising health care costs that may harm small businesses. If businesses are not equipped for a facility, such as fast food restaurants, for example Seehafer suggests offering membership deals at local health clubs. However an on-site facility is more convenient for workers and provides an incentive for participants because co-workers are more likely to witness the success. This article may be found in its entirety on page 33 of the Managed Care Weekly Digest September 22, 2003.

Nutrition advocate: Vending machines fail students
Schools across the country, including some in Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are offering alternatives to junk food in vending machines. The executive director, Michael Jacobson, of The Washington-based Center for Science in the Public Interest, recently spoke with CNN concerning this issue. Jacobson believes that kids consume most of their "junky calories" from soda pop. To help combat the problem Jacobson's organization has published a school foods tool kit to help improve the health content of school vending machines, without the school systems losing money. Substitutions such as raisins, Chex cereal mix, low-fat milk or orange juice are being used. Changes of this magnitude will undoubtedly take effort from students, parents, and school administrators, but in the long run the health benefits will outweigh the sacrifice of replacing junk food. To read more about this topic this article can be accessed at http://www.cnn.com/2003/HEALTH/09/15/cnna.jacobson/index.html

EXHIBITING THE PRESIDENT'S CHALLENGE:

National Middle School Association
Atlanta, GA
November 6-8th 2003

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