Health & Science

fitness

President’s Fitness Council Tackles Obesity, Inactivity in Youth

By Melissa Charbonneau
CBN News- The White House

CBN.com – WASHINGTON - At a White House ceremony on Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt held a swearing-in ceremony for new members of the President’s Council on Sports and Fitness. This year is the 50th anniversary of the Council that was established by President Dwight Eisenhower in 1956, to spur America’s youth to make fitness a priority.

President George W. Bush, who has often been called the “fittest president in American history,” declared May National Fitness and Sports Month. Bush is an avid runner and mountain biker who reportedly has trouble finding Secret Service agents who can keep up with him.

New council members were sworn in at the ornate Library in the Eisenhower Executive Office building. Council Director Melissa Johnson said the policy goal is to get more Americans moving and physically active. “The new members are eager to kick-start the next 50 years of promoting physical activity,” she said. “We look forward to facing the challenges of our country’s sedentary lifestyles and chronic diseases caused by obesity.”

New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning told CBN News that he’s excited about the honor. “I think physical fitness is a serious problem with obesity in children. I grew up playing sports and moving around. I wish children would have the same opportunity to have sports in their lives. It’s something very important for our country to deal with.”

Fitness Council members include fitness expert Denise Austin, New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, Tennis star Andy Roddick, and Olympian gymnast Mary Lou Retton.

For more information, visit the White House Web site at http://www.fitness.gov/home_about.htm.

Translate Page