Fitness is Fun!
June 2004

Greetings from the office of the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program! You have received the June 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 NEWS:

Healthier U.S. Fitness Festival
On Wednesday June 16th the Healthier U.S. Fitness Festival took place on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Throughout the day there were guest speakers, health screenings, and demonstrations of various sports and activities. These demonstrations included yoga, lacrosse, Jazzercise, powerwalking, and tchoukball.

Wheaties State Champion Poster Contest
Wheaties sponsored a poster contest for the 2002-2003 President's Challenge State Champion schools this past spring. Students from these schools were asked to collectively create posters with a fitness theme. Wheaties selected three winning posters from the entries. Each of these three schools was awarded a $5,000 grant to apply to their physical education needs. Congratulations to the following schools who were awarded this year's grants:

Shannon Forest School Greenville, SC
Cathedral-Carmel School Lafayette, LA
St. Louis School Washburn, WI

Wisconsin Governor's Challenge Update
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle launched a statewide challenge in mid-March to encourage Wisconsin residents to be more active. The challenge is in conjunction with the Governor's Office, the Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation, and Trek Bicycle Corporation. The goal for activity is 30 minutes a day for adults and 60 minutes a day for those under 18, five days a week, for six weeks.

Since April 19th over 15,000 Wisconsin residents have taken the challenge. For more information on this program visit http://www.wisconsinchallenge.org

Fact Sheet on Physical Activity and Health
The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sport has published a fact sheet on the relationship between regular physical activity and health. The fact sheet includes statistics regarding inactivity and obesity rates as well as the economic and health consequences of a sedentary lifestyle. To view "Physical Activity and Health" visit http://fitness.gov/physical_activity_fact_sheet.html.

SPOTLIGHTS:

Fitness Spotlight - Hiking
With the warmer weather upon us why not enjoy the great outdoors. When hiking you get to experience nature and reap the benefits of exercise at the same time. Local state and national parks have hiking trails for all ability and fitness levels, from beginner to expert. Visit the National Park Service's website is http://www.nps.gov for the national listing of trails. Choose your state government's main page for a listing of area parks.

Here is a list of safety tips the National Park Service gives for being in the wilderness http://www.nps.gov/yose/wilderness/safety.htm.

Let someone know your itinerary and instruct them to contact Park Service emergency personnel if you are overdue.
Stay on the trail!!! In addition to causing severe erosion and damage to fragile habitat, hiking off trail increases the potential for injury or becoming lost.
When hiking with a group, keep track of each other and wait at all trail junctions.
Always carry extra food and water, rain gear, and warm clothing in case you have to spend the night out unexpectedly.
If you become ill or injured on the trail and are unable to hike, send someone in your party or a passing hiker for help. Write down and give the messenger your exact location, age, gender, height, weight, and a description of your illness/injury in order to ensure the appropriate emergency response.
If you become disoriented or lost, attempt to fix your location using a map, compass, and visible landmarks. If you are unable to locate the trail, stay put! Use a mirror or reflective object to signal for help. Any signal done three times in a series is a universal distress call.

Advocate Spotlight - United Council on Yoga
UCY is committed to supporting the Department of Health and Human Services' health promotion and disease prevention initiatives and the mission of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. UCY wishes to instill healthy and fit habits in young people as well as the overall community and assist PCPFS in raising the awareness of the benefits of being physically active and fit by incorporating the President's Challenge program as the motivational complement to the activities of UCY members.

The United Council on Yoga (UCY) is a non-profit organization representing Cedars-Sinai Medical Center as an "associated" entity and the Preventive Medicine Research Institute, Integral Yoga Institutes International, and the Yoga Alliance as strategic partners. UCY has an advisory and membership body of accredited medical facilities and dignitaries, yoga institutions and other certified and established agents of the yoga discipline. For more information on the United Council on Yoga and its involvement with the President's Challenge, contact Nirmala Heriza Nheriza@aol.com

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 www.presidentschallenge.org. Our mailing address is:

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

Fax: (812) 855-8999

RESEARCH

Personalized Fitness Program Will Help You Stay Active
If you are contemplating or recently started a fitness program you know that it can be challenging. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has compiled information that will help you understand the general concepts behind fitness and how to create an effective fitness program. Topics range from checking with your doctor before starting a program, proper clothing, when to exercise, and measuring your heart rate. For more information please visit: http://content.health.msn.com/content/article/83/97949.htm.

Expert: 300 Million Now Obese
Obesity is now becoming a global epidemic and is spreading quickly. The 13th European Congress on Obesity will be meeting soon to address the issue in Prague, Czech Republic. Professor Pete Kopelman states, "High fat, energy dense diets and sedentary lifestyles over the past 20 to 30 years, along with economic growth, urbanization and the globalization of food markets have contributed to expanding waistlines around the globe and have resulted in more than one billion overweight adults and at least 155 million overweight children worldwide." For more information please visit: http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/diet.fitness/05/26/prague.obesity.reut/index.html.

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

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Fitness is Fun! June 2004

Fitness is Fun!
June 2004