The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is again teaming with the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS) to host a HealthierFeds Physical Activity Challenge scheduled to take place January 22-March 18, 2007. All Federal employees and their families, as well as Federal retirees and contractors, are encouraged to participate. The HealthierFeds Physical Activity Challenge is based on the President's Challenge and will use the web site at www.presidentschallenge.org/the_challenge/index.aspx.
The last HealthierFeds Physical Activity Challenge, hosted in 2004 by OPM and the PCPFS, yielded impressive results with participation from 30 Federal agencies. The 2007 Challenge goals are:
- to inspire employees to be physically active;
- to achieve the highest levels of agency participation possible; and
- to build a spirit of camaraderie at the agencies.
The Challenge is designed to include all Federal employees, from those who already practice an active lifestyle to those who currently are less active. Participants can choose from nearly 100 activities to earn points, offering enough variety and flexibility to sustain their interest and enthusiasm.
The Challenge encourages a spirit of "healthy" competition by tracking agencies according to the levels of employee participation over the entire competition period. At the conclusion, OPM and the PCPFS will recognize department and agency-level special achievements.
Details on registration, rules for participation, and other information will be distributed as the Challenge draws closer and will also be made available on www.healthierfeds.gov . Challenge staff from OPM and the PCPFS will communicate relevant information directly to the agency points-of-contact. Meanwhile, early planning and preparations for related activities, including agency-tailored motivational programs, can begin now.
We hope your agency will capitalize on this unique opportunity to have fun while sending positive messages about the link between physical activity and health. OPM looks forward to working with the Federal agencies on this important event in our HealthierFeds Initiative.