From archery and kayaking to soccer and shuffleboard, everyone can find an activity (or two or three) that will help them meet the physical activity goals of the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA), Presidential Youth Fitness Program (PYFT), or Presidential Champions challenges.
Our definition of “activity” is simple: it’s any movement that uses large muscle groups as opposed to sitting or lying down. Physical activity doesn't have to be continuous to be healthy, either. Doing chores around the house counts. So does walking to school. But passively playing video games doesn't.
You might notice that your favorite activity is not listed. If that’s the case, we apologize. The good news is that this list is always changing to keep up with fitness trends.
We hope you find something you enjoy in the list below, and we encourage you to try some muscle- and bone-strengthening activities. Get out there and get active!
- B Strengthens bones
- M Strengthens muscles
- * Some movements of this activity may have the component indicated
- Aerobics B
- Archery
- Badminton
- Baseball B
- Basketball B
- Baton Twirling
- Bicycling
- Billiards
- Bowling
- Boxing/Kickboxing
- Calisthenics M/B*
- Canoeing
- Cardio Machines
- Cardio Tennis B
- Cheerleading B
- Children’s Games B*
- Circuit Training M
- Coaching
- Cricket
- Croquet
- Cross-Country Skiing M
- Curling
- Curves M
- Dancing B
- Darts
- Diving
- Downhill Skiing
- Fencing
- Field Hockey B
- Fishing
- Foot Bag
- Football B
- Frisbee
- Gardening M*
- Golf
- Gymnastics B/M
- Handball
- Hang Gliding
- Hiking/Backpacking B
- Hockey
- Home Repair
- Horseback Riding
- Horseshoe Pitching
- Household Tasks
- Hunting
- Inline Skating
- Jai Alai
- Juggling
- Kayaking
- Lacrosse B
- Lawn & Garden
- Lawn Bowling
- Lawn Mowing/Gardening
- Lifting/Hauling M
- Marching B
- Martial Arts
- Motocross
- Mountain Biking
- Mountain Climbing
- Nordic Walking B
- Orienteering B
- Paddleball
- Pedometer B
- Pilates M
- Polo
- Racquetball B
- Rock Climbing M
- Roller Skating
- Rope Jumping B
- Rowing
- Rowing Machine
- Rugby B
- Running B
- Sailing
- Scuba Diving
- Shuffleboard
- Skateboarding
- Skating
- Ski Jumping
- Skiing M
- Skiing - Cross Country M
- Skiing - Downhill M
- Skimobiling
- Skydiving
- Sledding
- Snorkeling
- Snow Shoveling M
- Snowboarding
- Snowmobiling
- Snowshoeing
- Soccer B
- Softball B
- Squash B
- Stationary Bike
- Stretching
- Surfing
- Swimming M
- Table Tennis
- Tai Chi
- Tennis B
- Track & Field B
- Trampoline
- Trap & Skeet
- Ultimate Frisbee
- Unicycling
- Video Exercise Workouts B/M*
- Video Games - Activity Promoting B/M*
- Volleyball B
- Walking B
- Walking Stairs M
- Wallyball B
- Water Aerobics M
- Water Jogging
- Water Polo
- Water Skiing
- Water Walking
- Weight Training M
- Whitewater Rafting
- Wrestling
- Yoga M*