President’s Council on Fitness Encourages Children and Families to Move

The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services are encouraging Americans to be more active in May, the National Physical Fitness and Sports Month.

The President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN) and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) are encouraging children and families to renew their commitment to an active lifestyle in May, the National Physical Fitness and Sports Month, and to set aside at least an hour a day for some fun physical activity.

Children need at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day to stay healthy, improve their physical and cognitive skills, and achieve better results by maximising their potential. HHS has made a number of notable efforts to create inclusive opportunities for children and adults across the U.S. The I Can Do It, You Can Do It! (ICDI) program, launched to provide individuals with a disability with mentoring and tools to improve their fitness level, celebrates its first anniversary this May. PCFSN has done significant work to support quality physical education in schools through the Presidential Youth Fitness Program.

PCFSN and HHS have also provided support to Let’s Move!, a childhood obesity intervention initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama over four years ago. Let’s Move! has been very successful in its efforts to encourage physical activity among school children and to provide safe play areas in urban communities since its launch.

Let’s Move! Active Schools has engaged school administrators, educators, and community leaders to give their students more opportunities to be active throughout the day, with more than 8,200 schools across the U.S. and over 3.5 million students participating. Meanwhile, the Let’s Move! Cities, Towns and Counties (LMCTC) initiative has welcomed the participation of more than 400 cities, engaging them to provide safe routes to schools, educational programs to help community members make healthier choices, and maintenance of outdoor play areas. Today, the LMCTC initiative impacts more than 63 million people across the U.S.