The President's Challenge Physical Activity & Fitness Awards Program

[Mohamed Ellozy]

I wonder how many of you know about The President's Challenge Physical Activity & Fitness Awards Program? To quote the blurb:

The President's Challenge is a program that encourages all Americans to make being active part of their everyday lives. No matter what your activity and fitness level, the President's Challenge can help motivate you to improve.

There are three levels, the most interesting one (last on my list) is hidden in their menu structure:

• The Active Lifestyle award which is based on achieving the minimal 30 minutes exercise five (or more!) times a week.
• The basic Presidential Champions program, which has a limit on how many points a day you can accumulate
• Finally, the Advanced Performance with no limits

The objective of the awards program is to motivate those who need motivation. I need no motivation, but find it a neat way of integrating the time I spend hiking, walking and doing strength training into a single number.

 

[WalksWithBlackflies]

Looks like a nice program. Maybe I'll start a group at work.

Wanna extra challenge? We can race each other to bronze, silver, gold medals

 

[Blue]

It's a good idea, but it also brings up bad memories for me of the Presidential Fitness Test they used to mandate in my public school system.

In one of the tests they had the girls try to pull themselves up, holding a bar, and hold their heads above a bar for a certain length of time, while the boys had to do pull ups. I was a figure skater as a kid and couldn't do it! In fact, I've always considered myself an active person, yet I never passed the Fitness Test.

Do the various activities earn you more/less points?

 

[Mohamed Ellozy]

Do the various activities earn you more/less points?

From what I understand the points are very roughly based on how many calories you burn:

Points are based on the amount of energy each activity burns. So the more active you are, the more points you'll get.

Points are based on activity and duration. The grading of activity is very rough, thus for walking there are three categories: slower than 2.5 miles per hour, 2.5 to 5 mph and above 5 mph. Hiking is even cruder; there is only one category of hiking/backpacking. So if you hike faster you use less time, and get fewer points!

 

[WalksWithBlackflies]

Did you notice they had a "mountain climbing" category?

I, too, hated the Presidential Physical Fitness Test. I'd easily pass everything except for stretching. How often do I have to reach 6" beyond my feet holding my legs staight?

 

[poison ivy]

It's a good idea, but it also brings up bad memories for me of the Presidential Fitness Test they used to mandate in my public school system.

What a memory that just brought up! When we used to complain about the Presidential Fitness Test, my gym teacher used to respond with "Don't complain to me... write to the President." So, a friend & I sent off a letter to Reagan complaining that the standing broad jump was unfair to us, the shortlegged. (Okay, this argument made a lot more sense to me as a seventh-grader.) We didn't get a letter back from the president, but we did get something from a guy in one of the departments. Our gym teacher was mighty impressed (which is about the only time a gym teacher was ever impressed by me.)

- Ivy

 

[LittleBear]

I grew up before the Presidential Fitness Test, but my kids used to complain all the time, especially my son. He never did well on the test, yet he ended up as a star on his high school basketball and football teams and was Defensive Player of the Year in football his senior season. Like rico, he could never pass the stretching part of the test and was a slow runner (unless he was chasing after a running back, in which case, the running back usually didn't stand a chance!)

Today, both of my kids are very active, and I attribute that to setting an example by my own actions and activity level rather than to the Fitness Test and P.E. they were required to suffer through in school.

Looks like this program is more realistic and encompasses more types of activities.

 

[iceNsnow]

F, F, F!!!

Yep, I too failed the "president's fitness tests"!!!
And if my gym teacher hadn't felt sorry for me, I would have failed gym too!

For some reason it didn't count that I was the star of the cross country team, track team, held various records, and competed nationally !

I couldn't get myself up on the stupid bar, let alone hang there???!!
Stretching wouldn't have been a problem, if the had just been happy that I could touch my knees - NOT my TOES????!!

Well happily I make my own tests now!
Lots of things bigger and better than THAT test!

 

[Jay H]

Pull-Ups were my downfall, I've never had really great upper body/arm strength.

But if they are just asking for 30mins/day 5 times a week, that is cake.

I "exercise" about 1.75 hours every day since I bike to work. However, it's too much fun for me to consider it exercise though - I don't do it for the fitness.

Jay