As the Executive Director of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition I am profoundly aware of the importance of making physical activity and nutrition accessible and affordable for all Americans, especially children. This is a multifaceted problem, and I’ll address several dimensions of this issue in this discussion. 

Availability of facilities that provide healthy, affordable food in our communities is a necessity.  If we do not have facilities within our neighborhoods where we can obtain fresh fruits and vegetables at affordable prices, then kids are going to continue to buy the Twinkies.  We’ve got to incent our retail establishments to be able to come into communities. I think we’ve seen success where we’ve put forth the effort in this area.

The school environment has a strong influence on whether physical activity and nutrition are accessible to children. Kids spend a good part of their days, weeks, and years in school.  We’ve got to continue pushing for policy change as it relates to physical education and school meals.

In many cases we are going in the wrong direction. Physical education is being cut out of schools, and it is so very important.  Many states are passing policies mandating physical activity. This time could be recess, before or after school programs, or physical education.  The unintended consequence  we are hearing from school officials is “we are doing our 15 minutes of recess and then kids are walking between classes, so we are just going to cut PE because nobody said we have to do PE.”  Physical education is a curricular area.  It is an educational area that should be taught by a certified physical education teacher.   It is not recess.

When advocates like myself come in and say we need more physical education, what we are really saying is we need more quality PE.

We know it can be done.  Often we hear that test scores are the priority and we only have so many minutes in each school day, but we have examples of schools that have made it a priority where kids are getting 30 minutes of physical education every day and their test scores are increasing.  For more information regarding this, reference the Centers for Disease Control and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education report on academics and physical education. There is an increasing body of research that shows definitively that kids who are physically active perform better academically. It can decrease their delinquency and behavioral issues, as well as help them concentrate so they tend to perform better on tests.

Has your organization worked to improve access to the health of America’s children through physical activity and nutrition? How? To learn how you can get involved, visit www.presidentschallenge.org and become a President’s Challenge Advocate today.

Note:  The President’s Council’s name was recently changed by Executive Order from President Obama to the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN) in recognition of the fact that good nutrition must go hand in hand with fitness and sports participation in order to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

Do you think it’s easy for adults to meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans? Even though we’re in a profession dedicated to promoting health and well-being, do you often struggle to personally meet the Guidelines? I know I do. As professionals dedicated to helping others increase their physical activity, I think it’s important for us to acknowledge the challenges we might face ourselves and share those things that have worked for us in hopes of inspiring others to meet the Guidelines.

Here are some of the things that have worked for me: There are hand weights and elastic bands next to my desk at work. There’s a pair of walking shoes ready to go by the door. I have a few exercise posters just inside my top desk drawer. These few changes to my environment have helped me come closer to meeting the Guidelines. I often pick up the weights or bands and do a series of exercises while on conference calls, in between checking emails, or before starting an administrative task. The walking shoes often come on when I see that I have 10 to 15 minutes before my next appointment. A quick walk or a few flights of stairs gets my heart pumping, and also allows me to focus on the next meeting. I do all these things in my street clothes, no need for changing or showering.

My office does some interesting health promotions, all with the intent of getting staff more active. By taking part, I’ve done a lot of things I wouldn’t have normally tried such as: taking a yoga class, assisting in a volunteer project helping an elderly neighbor (shoveling snow off a roof), participating in a corporate triathlon relay, and recording my monthly steps. This variety of activities really helps me meet the Guidelines. The variety is actually kind of fun. My company’s not trying to get all of us into yoga, or running, or counting our steps…they’re just trying to get us active in something, this week and next week, and the week after. 

Supportive friends and relationships also help me meet the Guidelines. Instead of getting grief or mockery from co-workers who may see me doing arm curls, or see some perspiration (sometime even sweat) on my face, I get compliments about doing something healthy. When I ask for others to join me on the quick walk around the block, I actually get a few who say “yes.” When I ask for help in meeting one of the company’s health activities, my co-workers understand the importance, and lend support. 

I believe changes to your environment, choosing a variety of activities, and getting support from friends and colleagues is integral in helping most of us and our clients meet the Guidelines. So even though I sometimes struggle meeting the Guidelines, I’m finding ways to help me be active.

What environmental changes have you recommended to others to help them reach greater levels of physical activity? 

What variety of activities have you incorporated to promote more activity? 

How have you created or cultivated supportive friends and relationships for your clients?