The President's Challenge Adult Fitness Test

Grade school, good times. Playing kick ball during recess, walking home for lunch, and singing "Nothings Lonely as a Creaking Saddle" in music. But not every activity in grade school brings back happy fuzzy memories. For many the Presidential Physical Fitness Award creates a cold sweat and butterflies. For those of you who do not remember the test it consisted of a number of activities, push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, broad jump, running, and perhaps some that I do not recall. For myself the sit-ups were easiest, pull-ups hardest. I hated the pull-up portion. Well guess what? The Federal Government announced that they are issuing an adult physical fitness test. So get ready to relive,for better or worse, a classic childhood memory. Only this time your completing it at home, not in the gymnasium of P.S. 146, or the playground of Herbert Hoover Junior High.

The Adult Fitness Test is the latest addition to the President's Challenge, a program that encourages all Americans to make physical activity part of their everyday lives. The program offers two levels.The first is Active Lifestyle, which consist of doing your chosen activity less than thirty minutes per day, five days per week. The second is Presidential Champions, for those who are active and want a new challenge, this program requires more intensive workouts. There are more than 100 activities to choose from, such as aerobics, badminton, bowling, cardio machines, dancing, martial arts, mountain climbing, and yoga. After registering online you record your progress, submit your results, and receive awards.

The basic tenet of the President's Challenge is Frequency, Intensity, Time,and Type, or FITT. Frequency is how many times you do an exercise each week or month. Intensity refers to how strenuous or heavy the exercise is in terms of weight lifted, speed of movement, or effort exerted. Time is how long you do the exercise per session. Finally, Type is what kind of exercise you do.

There are four components to the Adult Fitness Test. Aerobic fitness or cardiovascular fitness, muscular strength, flexibility, and body composition. Aerobic fitness entails either a 1-mile walk, or 1.5 mile run. Both may be completed on a treadmill. Muscular strength consist of how many half sit-ups you can do in one minute, and the number of push-ups you can complete. Women may use a modified push-up. Flexibility measures how many inches you stretch in a sit-and-reach test. Finally the body composition measures your Body Mass Index, BMI, using your weight, height, and waist circumference. After completing the Adult Fitness Test you are to enter your data online to receive an evaluation.

In grade school you completed the test for a certificate or patch. As an adult you complete it for yourself. Study after study show the positive benefits of being physically active. Are you physically active? It is difficult for many of us to admit we are out of shape, or how out of shape we are. Find out just how fit you are by taking the challenge today. Good Luck!

Resources. http://www.adultfitnesstest.org/resources/testbooklet.pdf , http://www.adultfitnesstest.org/ , http://www.presidentschallenge.org/home_adults.aspx .