Fitness is Fun!
April 2006

Greetings from the office of the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program! You have received the April 2006 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.

General Mills Grants for PALA Awards
A unique partnership between the President's Challenge and General Mills Community Action is allowing eligible schools to receive free Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) emblems and certificates for eligible students at their school. Through the General Mills Champions for Healthy Kids program, General Mills Community Action will provide Presidential recognition to eligible low socioeconomic status schools (up to 25,000 students) and the President's Challenge will list the school on our Web site, http://www.presidentschallenge.com/ as a "General Mills Challenge School." In order to be eligible for the awards, students must meet the PALA requirements of being physically active 60 minutes per day, five days a week for six weeks. Also, if 35% of the student population earns the PALA award two or more times during the school year, the school will automatically earn the distinction of becoming a President's Challenge Active Lifestyle Model School. If you are a low socioeconomic status school, fill out the application at http://www.presidentschallenge.org/advocates/gen_mills_sponsorform.pdfand send it in to the President's Challenge office.

President's Challenge Introduces New Materials
In conjunction with the 50 year celebration of the PCPFS, The President's Challenge is offering award certificates proudly displaying the Council's 50th anniversary logo. The certificates will be available through 2006 and will be sent in place of certificates bearing the normal logo unless otherwise specified.

The President's Challenge has also produced an adult version of the educational and instructional booklet 'Get Fit.' The guide, titled 'Stay Active and Be Fit! A Guide to Fitness and Activity Fundamentals,' encompasses topics such as effective goal-setting, getting started, and flexibility and strength training workouts. The guide can be purchased from The President's Challenge by ordering online at http://www.presidentschallenge.org or calling 1-800-258-8146, or downloaded from the Web site at http://www.presidentschallenge.org/pdf/getfit.pdf

PEP Grant Application Now Available
The Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) grant competition for Fiscal Year 2006 is now open. Applications are now available at the Department of Education’s Web site: http://www.ed.gov/programs/whitephysed/applicant.html

Medical Fitness Week National Walking Challenge
The Medical Fitness Association (MFA), in conjunction with the MFA Education Committee, is sponsoring the Second Annual Medical Fitness Week, April 24-30, 2006. The goal of this MFA initiative is to promote an increase in physical activity levels in all ages and to highlight the medical fitness difference. The Walking Challenge encourages local communities to get up and move by striving for 70,000 steps in seven days. The challenge will involve wearing a pedometer and tracking how many steps a day a person is achieving. The community who achieves the most steps in the seven days will receive national recognition through press releases, the MFA website, and the 2006 Annual Conference in Las Vegas. For more information, including how to register, visit http://www.medicalfitness.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=40.

UPCOMING EVENTS

ACSM Health and Fitness Summit and Exposition. April 11 - 14, 2006
The American College of Sports Medicine's annual summit will bring together health, fitness and nutrition professionals from across the country. The meeting includes workout sessions with master trainers, hands-on demonstrations, panel discussions, and more. The 2006 Summit will boast superior faculty, hand-chosen to address the most timely, and cutting edge issues. For more information, visit http://www.acsm.org/meetings/summit.htm.

National Public Health Week. April 3-9, 2006
Sponsored by the American Public Health Association. http://www.apha.org/news/press/2006/010306_NPHW.htm

International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health. April 17-20, 2006
Atlanta, GA. The CDC Prevention's Physical Activity and Health Branch, in partnership with the Association of State and Territorial Chronic Disease Program Directors, are sponsoring this congress. To learn more see http://www.ncpad.org/events/index.php?id=189.

President's Challenge to attend AAHPERD National Convention
April 25-29. This convention brings together leaders in health-related fields who promote healthy lifestyles. Learn more at http://www.aahperd.org/convention/.

TV-Turnoff Week. April 24-30, 2006
For information and resources see http://www.tvturnoff.org.

National Physical Fitness and Sports Month
PCPFS will hold the 3rd annual Healthier US Fitness Festival in Washington, D.C., during the first week of May. Ten thousand people are expected to attend. Visit http://www.fitness.gov/getmovingamerica.htm for more information and ideas on what you can do to promote fitness in May.

Older American's Month. May 2006
The Administration on Aging sponsors this annual celebration. See the AoA Web site for updates at http://www.aoa.gov.

National Bike Month. May 2006
The League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike-to-Work Week from May 15-19 and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 19. For more information see http://www.bikemonth.com.

NEWS AND RESEARCH

New NCPAD Database
The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability has added personal trainer's database that lists personal trainers throughout the U.S. for people with disabilities or chronic health conditions. Go to http://www.ncpad.org/trainers/ to find a trainer in your area, or to be added to this national database if you are a trainer who works with people with disabilities.

Camp Resources from NCPAD
In preparation for choosing a summer camp, see the NCPAD Camps Resources factsheet http://www.ncpad.org/fun/fact_sheet.php?sheet=88, as well as the Discover Camp Booklet, which answers many commonly-asked questions that parents ask when sending their child who has a disability to camp. This booklet which can be requested in hard copy at no cost or in a web version. Please visit http://www.ncpad.org/get/discover/index.html for more information.

User Spotlight - Fitness Question of the Month for March
What motivates you to stay physically active?
Here is what some of our users had to say:

I do it to keep my weight down, hopefully to prevent diseases, to keep feeling good, for the fun of it... Also, as they say if you don't use it you lose it.
-S. Stapler

What motivates me to stay physically active? It makes me feel better on a day-to-day basis (stronger, more endurance, better quality sleep, reduces stress) and I figure there are long-term benefits to be reaped as I age.
-D. Dickson

Presidential Champion Gold Award

My friends motivate me. I`ve been exercising a lot lately and I love this network!!!
-T. Kallaus

Fitness Question of the Month Winter is now behind us and warmer weather is here to stay. What outdoor activities do you enjoy most during the spring and summer months?
Please respond via E-mail to The President's Challenge at preschal@indiana.edu We'll include the most insightful responses in the May issue of Fitness is Fun.

User Spotlight Update - Arkansas Community Center Successful in Promoting President's Challenge
In September 2005, Fitness is Fun included an article about the efforts of Judy Morgan, a water arthritis class leader at Quapaw Community Center in Hot Springs, AR, who wanted to encourage her community to participate in the President's Challenge. Fitness is Fun last reported that the community center was to receive funds necessary from the Weyerhaeuser Foundation Grant in order to purchase awards items as well as computers dedicated specifically to the President's Challenge online programs. Recently, Judy and the Quapaw Community Center recognized 50 community members who completed the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award program, which requires adults to be physically active for 30 minutes per day, five days per week for six weeks. The Mayor and the City Manager were in attendance at the awards banquet to congratulate the individuals who completed the program. Judy plans to continue offering support and recognition for President's Challenge program participants, and hopes that even more people will earn the award next time. Quapaw Community Center was featured in the local media as a result of these efforts, once for the program's kick-off and again for the awards ceremony. Congratulations to PALA winners from Quapaw Community Center!

If you have a story about how you motivate your community to become active, please contact us at preschal@indiana.edu.

REMINDERS:

Fitness Question of the Month:

Remember to fill out State Champion, Model School, and Demonstration Center applications to ensure that your students are rewarded for their hard work! For more information, including application deadlines and guidelines, please visit http://www.presidentschallenge.org/educators/school_recognition.aspx.

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

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: http://www.presidentschallenge.org/. Enter the site by choosing the appropriate category, then click on "news/research".

To Unsubscribe:
Please email preschal@indiana.edu
With the subject line "REMOVE FROM FITNESS IS FUN"

Fitness is Fun! April 2006

Fitness is Fun!
April 2006