Sit-ups, pushups, a one and a half mile run, and the “sit-and-reach:”
sound familiar? If so, you are probably
one of the millions of American students who have taken the Presidential
Physical Fitness Award test. Introduced in 1966, the test rewards those with
the greatest fitness with the coveted prize of a certificate signed by the
president.
Today, the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and
Sports introduced an adult version of the test you can do yourself online. Unfortunately, there is no certificate for
adults, but you can find out where you rank amongst others your age and chart
your progress towards better health.
The test measures aerobic fitness, muscular strength, and
flexibility and is designed for people 18 and older who are in good
health. It also incorporates height and
weight to calculate body mass index (BMI).
Melissa Johnson, the executive director of the council, said
the development of the test is a response to scores of baby boomers asking
whether there was a fitness test available today like the one they took as
students.
It couldn’t come at a better time. The National Institutes of Health (NIH)
estimates that nearly one-third of all adult Americans are obese (defined as a
BMI greater than 30) and about two-thirds are overweight or obese (defined as a
BMI greater than 25).
Over the last 40 years, the prevalence of overweight and
obese Americans has steadily increased among all ages, sexes, races, and educational
levels. In 1960, 44.8% of adult Americans
fit the definition of overweight or obese. In 2004, that number had risen to
66%.
While we at OhMyGov! are often skeptical of taxpayer-funded
programs aimed at curing society’s ills, we applaud this initiative as we all
bear the burden of obesity. The NIH
estimates that the annual costs of the epidemic are well above $100 million
when direct health care expenditures and the indirect costs of lost wages and
future productivity are considered. Undoubtedly,
it will take more than an on-line fitness tracking program to shrink the nation’s
waistline, but it’s a step in the right direction that just might motivate sedentary
Americans to start exercising. After
all, not everyone can become a contestant on NBC’s The Biggest Loser.
The online fitness tool, located at www.adultfitnesstest.com,
complements an interactive eating plan based on the food pyramid developed by
the Department of Agriculture.
Mypyramid.gov allows visitors to enter dietary information and receive
an online evaluation by comparing your actual intake to nutritional
guidance. It also offers a menu planning
component that aims to provide the kind of individualized guidance one would
expect from a personal dietician.
Together, the Adult Fitness Test and Mypyramid.gov can level
the playing field for average Americans who want to improve their health but
can’t afford the services of a personal trainer or nutrition counseling.