Fitness is Fun!
October 2005

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

PCPFS NEWS:

PCPFS 50 Year Celebration
The PCPFS Council members, Science Board, and staff are getting ready for 2006, the 50 year celebration of the creation of the PCPFS, originally known as President's Council on Youth Fitness. We encourage national, state, local, private and public organizations, industry, volunteer groups to join us in highlighting the benefits of a fit and active lifestyle and all of the great model programs at the grassroots level! This is a great opportunity for the PCPFS to highlight all of your accomplishment. A special seal has been developed for this celebration and is available for all schools, businesses, and organizations to use. A fact sheet on becoming a partner can be viewed at http://www.presidentschallenge.org/misc/news_research/announcements/pcpfs50.pdf If you'd like to find out more, please don't hesitate to call Chris Spain at the President's Council Physical Fitness and Sports 202-690-9000.

PCPFS Science Board Honor Award Nominations
The PCPFS Honor Award is given annually to an individual who has made a major contribution to the advancement and promotion of the science of physical activity, in addition to being an advocate of the mission of the PCPFS. Nominations from individuals and organizations are welcome. The nominations will be screened and finalist(s) recommended to the PCPFS Executive Director by a committee of former honor award winners. Nominations for the 2006 Honor Award should be submitted to the PCPFS office no later than December 1, 2005. You may download the form at: http://www.presidentschallenge.org/misc/news_research/announcements/SportsAwardApp.pdf.

PCPFS Science Board
The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS) Science Board is made up of the foremost educators and researchers in the fields of exercise physiology, kinesiology, and health promotion. The purpose of this board is to help ensure that the PCPFS programs and publications are scientifically sound and that they promote a message consistent with the executive mandate of the PCPFS. The Science Board serves in a voluntary capacity in order to bring the latest science to the general population in lay language.

President's Challenge State Champions
Each year, President's Challenge honors three schools in each state for their accomplishments in physical fitness. State Champions are determined by the number of Presidential Physical Fitness Awards earned relative to the school's total enrollment. State Champion winners for 2004-2005 were announced October 1st. Congratulations to all our winners and thanks to all schools who entered. A complete list of winners can be found on our Web site at http://www.presidentschallenge.org/educators/school_recognition/state_champs_04_05.aspx

President's Challenge to Attend Fall Conferences
Stop by our booth at these fall conferences:
INShape Indiana Obesity Summit, October 27, 2005, Indianapolis, IN
National Middle School Association, November 2-5, 2005, Philadelphia, PA

President's Challenge Highlighted at WHCoA
A major goal of the 2005 White House Conference on Aging is to encourage healthy living for all, and especially for current and future generations of older Americans. WHCoA delegates are being encouraged to take part in either the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award program or the Presidential Champions offered by The President's Challenge. Both programs allow individuals to keep track of their daily activities to earn awards based on how physically active they are. Delegates who reach award levels will receive their certificates at the conference, which is scheduled for December 11-14 in Washington, D.C. For more information about the 2005 White House Conference on Aging, please visit http://www.whcoa.gov/

General Mills Challenge Schools
The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS) and the General Mills Foundation are pleased to announce a new opportunity for low socio-economic status schools (SES) to participate in the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program and be recognized as "The General Mills' Challenge Schools." One major grassroots initiative of the PCPFS is to raise the awareness of the benefits of a physically active and fit lifestyle for all Americans and enhance the availability of presidential recognition. We are committed to working with schools that previously did not have an opportunity to participate in the President's Challenge program; e.g., low SES schools and inner city schools. The PCPFS office can help identify these schools in your area as needed. The General Mills Foundation will sponsor the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award for all students who commit to the six week activity program. For more information, please visit http://www.presidentschallenge.com/. Also, if your school does another six weeks of the Presidential Active Lifestyle Awards program and 35% of the students complete the second set of six weeks, you can become an Active Lifestyle Model School and earn additional recognition for each student and the school.

Government News:

Business Community Puts on Walking Shoes for Wellness Program Launch
More than 400 employees of companies in the Washington, D.C. area put on walking shoes September 27 to kick off the Greater Washington Board of Trade's "Wellness Works" campaign.

Two hundred employees gathered at five sites around the DC area for lunchtime walks, and took a collective 1,006,882 steps - roughly 500 miles. The walks marked the beginning of Wellness Works, a campaign promoting workplace fitness as a way to increase office productivity and lower health care costs.

Former University of Maryland basketball star and Congressman Tom McMillen led the workers in stretching before they went on the walk. McMillen, the former chair of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, said the Wellness Works campaign is an excellent model for employees to become more active.

Ninety-five Greater Washington area companies, representing more than 60,000 employees, have signed up for Wellness Works. Based on the President's Challenge, Wellness Works encourages employees to exercise for 30 minutes a day, five days a week. The campaign is a program of the Board of Trade's Health Care Task Force, which seeks to manage health care costs and improve quality of health care in Greater Washington.

2005 Food and Nutrition Research Small Grants Program Conference
This year's conference will be held October 27 and 28 at the Economic Research Service, Washington, DC. The Small Grants Program seeks to stimulate new research that will inform the public debate on food assistance and nutrition policy. At the conference, grant recipients will present the results of their work on food assistance programs, food security, and nutrition. The conference is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Please visit the following site for registration information: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FoodNutritionAssistance/ConferenceMaterials/smallgrants2005form.htm.

School Health Index Mini-grants for Physical Activity and Nutrition Improvements
The CDC Foundation and CDC's Division of Adolescent and School Health are pleased to announce an exciting grant opportunity for elementary schools in selected states to improve the health of school children by increasing physical activity and nutrition programs for children. Made possible by a $300,000 grant from Cargill and in partnership with the American School Health Association, CDC is offering mini-grants to support physical activity or nutrition-related activities that are part of action plans developed using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) School Health Index: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide (SHI). The majority of these mini-grants will range from $1,000 to $5,000, and no award will exceed $10,000. For more information, visit http://www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/SHI.

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! October 2005

Fitness is Fun!
October 2005