May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, a designation bestowed since 1983 and celebrated by the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN). Organizations including schools, public health agencies, and worksites celebrate the month to promote awareness of the value of physical activity in pursuit of happier, healthier, more productive lives. Celebrations and recognition weeks and days throughout May target specific activities or populations, such as:

May 1-7—National Physical Education and Sport Week

May 9-13—National Women's Health Week

May 18—National Employee Health and Fitness Day

May 16-20—National Bike to Work Week

May 20—Bike to Work Day 

The PCFSN kicked off its celebration of the month on Monday, May 9th, at the White House. PCFSN members joined the First Lady on the South Lawn to announce a partnership between the Council, Let’s Move!, Joining Forces, the International Health, Racquet, and Sportsclub Association (IHRSA) and the American Council on Exercise (ACE) that will provide free fitness club memberships and personal training sessions to immediate family members of actively deployed reservists and National Guard members.

Following the announcement, Council members led a South Lawn Series event for families of National Guard members and reservists who were in attendance for the announcement. The First Lady kicked off the fun, participating with the members and day’s honorees in a series of stations that included an obstacle course, dance and ball toss stations among others. 

On Tuesday, May 10th, Council members gathered again for an open meeting. Approximately 120 people came to hear about the Council members’ activities. The afternoon featured presentations from individuals making a difference in physical education and school-based physical activity opportunities in their communities.

After the meeting adjourned, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced the board members of the National Foundation on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition. The Foundation was Congressionally‐chartered in December to help cultivate private sector partnerships and funding for key programs and initiatives of PCFSN.

Such activities may include special initiatives, such as the Million PALA Challenge. Launched last September, promotion and participation in the Million PALA Challenge is picking up steam as President’s Challenge advocates continue to roll out the initiative to their constituents and members.

The month of May presents the perfect opportunity for kids and adults across the country to make their commitment to be regularly active. Sign up at www.millionpalachallenge.org to take on the President’s Challenge and learn to be active your way. 

What are you doing this month to help get America moving?

A frequently forgotten segment of our community are the public servants who keep our cities running well and safely.  If we don’t hear from them we assume everything is okay.  But if they aren’t functioning well our cities and our safety may suffer. What better place to start building a healthier community than by helping those who help us, our public servants?

Being interested in the health and wellbeing of our communities, there are many levels at which we may begin to make a positive difference in the lives of our public servants. Here is an example of supporting physical activity efforts ― progressive guidelines used by physical therapists in Florida to incorporate physical activity into their community - Evaluation, Education, and Integration.

Evaluation – Look for occasions to assess and evaluate levels of physical fitness in the public servants in your city.  This can open doors for exercise prescription according to the Physical Activity Guidelines.  For instance, employment screenings and training assessments are a part of many public servants’ jobs.  Research indicates that physical activity is beneficial to mental, emotional, and physical health and wellbeing.  Physical activity also results in improved work-site morale, increased productivity, and decreased worker compensation claims.  http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/physicalactivity/
These are just a few benefits to both the employer and employee that make living an active, well lifestyle appealing.

St. Johns County Fire-Rescue Job Function Training assessment.

Education- Look for the opportunities to educate your “local leaders” on the value and importance of living an active, well lifestyle.  Brown Bag lunch series are often conducted by various departments to provide instruction and incentive to the employees.  Most public servants are required to attend mandatory in-service trainings, so consider becoming a part of the in-service curriculum by adding a wellness/physical activity component. As movement experts, physical therapists are uniquely qualified to serve as consultants on a variety of physical wellness issues, not only including rehabilitation, but also wellness and prevention.

Mandatory Wellness In-Service Block Training for county law enforcement.

Integration- Face-to-face group instruction is great, but not always possible.  Think about alternate modes of delivering information on ways that public servants may integrate physical activity and wellness into their lifestyles.  Develop a CD/DVD they can keep in their Human Resource department that they can access at any time.  Better yet, make physical activity a part of the community and invite them to attend.  Organize a community event, a 5 K run/walk, a family fun day, or the like....include everyone. You will be surprised at what this can do for the entire city.

Family Fun Day/5K hosted annually at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, St. Augustine, FL.

As you begin to implement some of these ideas remember:

Public servants will need to know why they need physical activity in their lives. EVALUATE them to establish a need and give them a “why”. Then, EDUCATE them on how to be physically active and well. Finally, INTEGRATE physical activity into their lives and the community.  As you prepare to help those who help us consider:

1. What can you do to Evaluate, Educate and/or Integrate physical activity for your public servants and community?
2. Do you have staff or employees within your organization qualified to begin these strategies?  If not, can you hire a consultant? Physical therapists are uniquely qualified to integrate movement and physical activity for both rehabilitation and wellness.

Written by guest bloggers: Lisa A. Chase, PhD, PT; Megann Schooley, PT, DPT, MTC, CSCS

This week, we highlight ways different American communities are bring us closer to meeting the National Physical Activity Plan’s goal that one day, all Americans will be physically active and they will live, work, and play in environments that facilitate regular physical activity. In the news:

America's 50 Largest Metro Areas Get Their Annual Physical (Fox News) For the third straight year, the Washington, D.C., metro area claimed the highest ranking in the American College of Sports Medicine's (ACSM) American Fitness Index(TM) (AFI). The AFI data report, "Health and Community Fitness Status of the 50 Largest Metropolitan Areas," evaluates the most populous city areas to determine the healthiest and fittest metro areas in the United States.

In Honor of Senior Health & Fitness Day, SCAN Health Plan Arizona Reaffirms Its Commitment to Healthy and Independent Aging (PR Newswire) The SCAN Connections Resource Center offers a variety of ongoing classes designed for seniors, including Chair Tai Chi, Laughter Yoga, Qigong, and Stretching for Strength and Balance. These courses are available to all seniors in the Phoenix area not just SCAN’s medicare advantage members.

ACT kids have a field day at Watson Pond (Taunton Gazette) Active Children Together (ACT) aims to enrich the lives of children with special needs by providing them the opportunity to participate in sports, an opportunity some of them may not have in other settings.

Does your community rank highly on the American Fitness Index? What are you doing to improve physical fitness among your community?