The 2005 White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) is working with the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports to promote physical activity/fitness and health across the life span before, during, and after the WHCoA scheduled for December 11 -14, 2005 in Washington, DC.

We invite all delegates to consider joining us in the “2005 White House Conference on Aging’s President’s Challenge.” The President’s Challenge, a program of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, has 3 distinct program areas, is free and motivational, and is designed to help all Americans adopt and maintain an active lifestyle. What began as a national youth fitness assessment has grown into a series of programs that encourage healthier lifestyles for Americans ages 6 to 100+, for people with or without disabilities. To learn more about the President’s Challenge, go to http://www.PresidentsChallenge.org

The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports and the WHCoA invite all delegates to participate and sign up for the Presidential Active Lifestyle Program (PALA) or the Presidential Champions Program. Both of these programs are designed to help individuals make and keep a commitment to staying active. The Presidential Active Lifestyle Program helps adults and seniors get and stay active for at least 30 minutes per day, five times per week, for six weeks. Individuals who meet their activity goals earn an official President’s Challenge award. Once you earn an award through the PALA Program, you can continue to earn awards through this program by increasing your segments of time to reach 30 minutes, or progress to the Presidential Champions Program. The Presidential Champions program is designed for people who are already physically active and want to step up to a new challenge. All activity counts!! To participate in either of these programs, simply register at http://www.PresidentsChallenge.org/login/register_individual.aspx. Please note that interested parties should register as individuals because participants will be tracking their own progress.

After registering, you can begin tracking your physical activity. As you log your daily minutes of activity, you will also be able to track your progress towards earning a Presidential certificate, which will be presented at the conference. Participating WHCoA delegates will be required to bring confirmation of program completion, which is a “congratulations notice” that pops up at the conclusion of the program. Remember: if you do not have a computer, you may keep a paper log of your activities. To learn more about the benefits of physical activity and how to become more active, go to http://www.fitness.gov/fitness.htm

We hope WHCoA delegates will join us in the effort to become active role models so we can walk the talk and encourage others to lead healthier lifestyles. A major goal of the 2005 WHCoA is to encourage healthy living for all, but especially for current and future generations of older Americans. Please join us on a journey toward healthy living!