Fitness is Fun - September 2009

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Fitness is Fun!

September 2009

Greetings from the office of the President's Challenge Physical Activity and Fitness Awards Program! You have received the September 2009 issue of Fitness is Fun, the official email distribution of the President's Challenge. These monthly emails will keep you updated on our programs, activities of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS) and other current information pertaining to health and fitness.

Fitness Question of the Month for September: Other than medication, what are your fitness-related pain prevention or relief techniques?

Please respond via E-mail to the President's Challenge at preschal@indiana.edu. We'll include the most insightful responses in the October issue of Fitness is Fun. Be sure to view the responses to the August Fitness Question near the end of this newsletter.

Have you or someone else motivated a group of children or adults to lead a healthier life? Email us your story at preschal@indiana.edu and it could be featured in next month's newsletter!

PCPFS NEWS:

Rojas appointed as Executive Director of President's Council

Sergio Rojas was appointed by President Obama to serve as Executive Director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS). Sergio has almost 15 years experience in the health and wellness field. He has also volunteered his time and talents promoting fitness and health through programs targeting youth and underserved communities.

Sergio is a certified strength and conditioning specialist, corrective exercise specialist, and certified nutrition specialist. He was the strength and conditioning coach for the WNBA's Chicago Sky and a director of personal training in the health club industry in Chicago for almost twelve years. He presented weekly fitness segments on NBC5 (Chicago) morning news and helped develop the physical education curriculum for a Chicago charter school.

President's Challenge NEWS:

Challenge Encourages All-Americans to be Active

All-Americans are Stronger Together - that is the theme for the 2009-2010 school year as noted throughout our materials and website. Whether it's walking your dog, swimming with your friends, taking the fitness test at school or biking with the family, being active is what makes us all stronger in mind, body, and spirit.

New Brochure and Poster Available

As our way of helping the environment, the President's Challenge will only be sending brochures to those schools and organizations that requested to receive a hard copy or have purchased awards in recent years. Don't worry, anyone can still request a printed copy, or better yet - download a PDF version of the 2009-2010 brochure at http://brochure.presidentschallenge.org.

State Champion Winners to be Announced October 1

Each year the President's Challenge recognizes schools across the country for their achievements in the Presidential Physical Fitness Award test. Three schools from each state (based on enrollment) with the highest percentage of Presidential winners will be announced on October 1. Each winning school receives a certificate recognizing the school, certificates and emblems for each student that earned a Presidential award, and is listed on the President's Challenge website. These awards are provided free of charge and there is no fee to enter, so why not have your school give it a try this year? Visit the School Recognition section of the President's Challenge website for more info.

New President's Challenge Merchandise Available

The President's Challenge has some great new items available to help educators with their classroom activities and to help individuals or organizations recognize personal physical activity and fitness accomplishments.

Fitness Essentials:
President's Challenge Gym Mat
President's Challenge Stopwatch

Gear For Individuals:
President's Challenge T-Shirt
President's Challenge Windbreaker
Trek Water Bottle

For information on how to order these and other items visit https://www.presidentschallenge.org/order_center/index.aspx

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Visit with the President's Challenge Staff at these conferences:

National Middle School Association (NMSA)
WHERE: Indianapolis, IN

WHEN: November 5-7, 2009
www.nmsa.org

Texas Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (TAHPERD)
WHERE: Arlington, TX
WHEN: December 2-5, 2009
www.tahperd.org

Exercise US Logo

Exercise US

WHEN: October 1, 2009
WHERE: Across the United States
Join a national initiative to combat childhood obesity. Exercise US is a new program encouraging children nationwide to contribute to ten hours of continuous exercise on October 1st. Students across the United States will be exercising from 8 a.m. (EST) to 3 p.m. (PST) Sign up for a fifteen minute segment on the project's website at http://www.lensaunders.com/exerciseus/index.html.

Third International Congress on Physical Activity and Public Health

WHEN: Toronto, Canada
WHERE: May 5-8, 2010
Any and everyone involved in promoting health and fitness will benefit from this conference. Topics ranging from physical activity and inactivity guidelines to health economics and physical inactivity will be addressed. Attendees will receive extensive knowledge about the role of health and wellness in the world and cutting edge approaches to increase physical activity and public health globally.
For more information, please visit http://www.cflri.ca/icpaph/en/index.php.

PC All-Americans:

Highlighting individuals who have experienced the benefits of participating in the President's Challenge program

"Sometimes you have to walk away from something to see what's in front of you."
- Keith Ahrens

Keith Ahrens, like many other President's Challenge participants, has a unique and inspirational story to tell. Mr. Ahrens recently won the Gold award through the Presidential Champions program. He has also lost over 195 pounds since his heart attack in 2007 and resulting open-heart bypass surgery.

Since then, Mr. Ahrens has written a book, gives motivational speeches all over the country, and has become a certified fitness trainer. His story is told best, though, in his book, Outrunning My Shadow: "When Keith Ahrens walked into his doctor's office and complained of lightheadedness, he never imagined the drama awaiting him. Weighing more than 414 pounds and following a no-exercise, eat-whatever lifestyle, Ahrens discovered that he had suffered a heart attack and desperately needed open-heart surgery.

The results of these traumatic events were numerous: dramatic weight loss without weight loss surgery, an entirely new way of eating, a commitment to exercise, an increased respect for his body, and a highly enlightening book, Outrunning My Shadow: Surviving Open-Heart Surgery and Battling Obesity/The Decision to Change My Life.

Page after page, readers are reminded of the importance of regular checkups, as well as healthy eating and sensible exercise. Many books about obesity and new-found health are written as admonitions, warnings that either you follow the text or suffer the consequences. In this book, Ahrens has focused on only the positive, the guilt-free you-can-do-it attitude that so many of us need when faced with drastic change. The essence of the author's message is simple: get a checkup, move more today than you did yesterday, make a difference in your own well-being, and take control."

To learn more about Mr. Ahrens and his journey, visit his website at OutrunningMyShadow.com.

NEWS AND RESEARCH:

Nintendo makes some strides

Mike Musgrove

The Washington Post

With obesity rates on the rise in the US, video game companies like Nintendo cater to the public's growing interest in getting fit. Nintendo has a new line of games focused on walking for fitness, with different versions for adults and children. Each game comes with a pedometer: players walk to either log their activity or to progress further in the game. To read more, click here.

The trapeze, the catwalk, the gym
Wendy A. Lee
The New York Times

Gyms nationwide have begun offering unorthodox fitness classes to the masses. Classes like Jukari Fit to Fly - a cardiovascular routine using old circus equipment - have gained popularity as more people look for ways to incorporate entertainment in to their fitness routine. Other classes like hip-hop dance and Army-style boot camp also add interest and attract newcomers to fitness classes. To read more, click here.

Does ibuprofen help or hurt during exercise?
Gretchen Reynolds
The New York Times

New studies have been released recently casting the anti-inflammatory medicine, ibuprofen in a surprising new light. After studying athletes in different sports and parts of the world, various institutes have concluded that the medicine can hinder athletic performance rather than help. Studies have shown that the medicine, taken before and/or during a competition can increase inflammation in muscles rather than hinder it. To read more, click here.

An Easy fix for tennis elbow?
Gretchen Reynolds
The New York Times

An inexpensive new treatment technique for tennis elbow has made its recent debut in the physical therapy world. Patients perform a specific exercise that engages the tendon muscles affected by tennis elbow. As shown by the study, the exercise led to drastic improvement among all study participants. To read more, click here.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS WITH MARJIE:

Cycle your way to fitness!

Biking is a fun, "green" way to get into great shape. In addition to being cost effective and environmentally friendly, cycling on a regular basis helps to keep the heart healthy and is an excellent way to burn extra calories. For a 140 pound person, an hour of light intensity biking (10 to 12 mph) burns about 380 calories, at a moderate speed (12 to 14 mph) about 500 calories, and at a high intensity (14 to 16 mph) about 635 calories.

Safety and proper bike fit is important. Some tips from The American Physical Therapy Association:

Proper body positioning. At the bottom of each pedal stroke, the knee should be slightly bent and the hips should not rock back and forth while pedaling. Hand position should be changed frequently for greater upper-body comfort.

Check seat (saddle) position to ensure it is level. You shouldn't feel as if you are sliding forward or backward as you ride, which can create needless stress on the arms and back.

The position of the handlebars should be determined by the riders height, strength, coordination, and functional goals. Higher handlebars place more weight on the saddle. Generally speaking, taller riders should have lower handlebars in relation to the height of the saddle. If handlebars are too far forward, back strain could result.

Stretch on a regular basis. The hamstrings, quadriceps, and glutes generate the majority of pedaling force when cycling. Tight muscles leave you more vulnerable to strains, so to maintain flexibility, regular stretching exercises are recommended. Stability and balance exercises help with coordination of cycling-related skills such as braking and cornering. Poor posture and weak muscles can lead to problems, so if you are unaccustomed to physical activity, don't attempt to do too much too soon.

Common problems reported with poor bike fit include:

Knee pain. Pain felt in the front part of the knee can occur when biking with a saddle that is too low, pedaling at a low speed, overusing the quadriceps (upper front thigh) muscles and /or having muscle imbalances, such as strong quadriceps and weak hamstrings. Knee pain may also occur with misaligned bicycle cleats for those using clip-less pedals.
Neck pain. Improper handlebar positioning or a saddle that is too high or low can create neck pain. The handlebar might be too low, require too great a stretch to reach, or be at too short a reach. A saddle with excessive downward tilt can also create neck pain.
Lower back pain. Tight hamstrings (back of the upper thigh), low cadence, using the quadriceps muscles too much when pedaling, poor back strength, and too-long or too-low handlebar positioning.
Hamstring tendonitis. Overuse of the hamstrings when biking can produce inflammation. Symptoms include swelling and tenderness, pain when attempting to bend the knee against resistance and stiffness after exercise. Other possible causes of hamstring tendonitis are inflexible and/or weak hamstrings, a saddle that is too high or misaligned bicycle cleat.
Hand numbness or pain. Short-reach handlebars, poorly placed brake levers, and a downward tilt of the saddle are possible causes. Maintain a safe grip but avoid over-gripping as you are riding.
Foot numbness or pain. Causes may be overuse of the quadriceps muscles in pedaling, low cadence, faulty foot mechanics, and misaligned bicycle cleat for those who use clip-less pedals.
Iliotibial band tendonitis. This condition causes a sharp, burning pain on the lateral (outside) of the knee, and may be felt in the hip as well. Muscle weaknesses, inflexibility, and/or overuse, saddle that is too high, differences in leg length, and misaligned bicycle cleat for those who use clip-less pedals are all possible causes.

Important safety tips

Wear a helmet. Look for one that tells you it meets required safety standards.

Be aware of the rules of the road. For instance, when riding with traffic, wear brightly colored clothing that will help you to be more visible to drivers. Also check your bicycle for things such as tire and brake wear.

Pay attention to your surroundings as you ride, such as watching for any obstacles in your path.

Marjie Gilliam is a Corporate Advocate and columnist for the President's Challenge. Marjie is an internationally syndicated fitness columnist and freelance journalist, and has authored thousands of articles devoted to health and wellness. Occasionally we will be featuring one of her articles.