States Eisenhower
The President of the United States F.i.t.t. Challenge
Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type (FITT) are the measurements for physical fitness in the US Government. The United States government has long been a proponent of physical fitness. You might remember back in High School the President’s Council on physical fitness test that measured you ability to do push-ups. Sit-ups, the side straddle run and the mile run.
The council was established under President Eisenhower in 1953. The first chairman was then Vice President Richard Nixon. It was established because there was concern that America’s youth was not as physically ready as the youth in Europe. In 1957 the first testing of young people started with what is still known as the President’s Challenge.
When John F. Kennedy became President in 1963 he amended the council to include everyone, not just kids. He becomes involved himself with 50 mile hikes and touch football games.
President Lyndon Johnson makes some changes himself and adds sports to the name to now be known as the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. He thought that including spots and games would keep the youth of America engaged in physical activity. He conducts the 2nd fitness survey of children between 10 and 17 years of age.
When Richard Nixon came into office he created the President’s Sports Award and also opened it up to civic groups such as the boy’s and girl’s clubs.
Gerald Ford made changes to inform the public about benefits of exercise and had the 3rd fitness survey taken.
Jimmy Carter speaks at the 1st National Conference on Physical Fitness and extols the virtue of physical fitness and health related data.
Under Ronald Reagan the Executive Order is amended to include 10 objectives where it now branches out to measure fitness of adults and children. May is declared National Physical Fitness and Sports Month. In 1991 the Participant Physical Fitness Award is added.
When George H Bush comes to office he has the Great American Workouts right on the lawn of the White House. In 1990 the National Council on Military Fitness is formed to review the physical fitness of our nation’s armed forces.
William Clinton had Nolan Ryan’s fitness guide available for anyone that asked for it. Over 8500000 copies are distributed. The huge report on physical fitness from the surgeon general is released in 1996. He involves senior citizens and now offers the information in Spanish.
George W. Bush has the council launch the fitness website http://www.fitness.gov and in 2003 www.presidentschallenge.org is launched.
Today there is a new challenge to adults age 18 and above known as the Adult Fitness Test you can find it here: http://www.adultfitnesstest.org/. This challenge is to test Americans in either walking or running for aerobic activity, strength with half sit-ups, and flexibility the sit-up and reach test and finally the body composition test that measures body fat around the mid section.
Each person should strive to reach the goals of this test and work to improve if you can’t achieve them. The benefits to each person in their health can be measured in real dollars and felt by millions around the country. So take the test and start your exercise routine today.
About the Author
Tom Rooney has been writing about diet and exercise since 2002. He has shown individuals the ability to change their body with a simplistic approach and common sense. http://www.homefitnessbody.com/blog
The State Funeral of Gen. Dwight David Eisenhower