Office of Health Policy

The President’s Challenge is a physical activity and fitness awards program—a long-standing program of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports that is designed to motivate Americans of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to be physically active every day.  To advance this goal, individuals are challenged to build a personal “Active Lifestyle Plan” that includes meeting an activity goal of exercising at least 5 days a week, for a total of 6 weeks, in order to Get Fit!  Participants in the program are encouraged to track their activities and record their progress on paper or through an interactive website.   The website, www.presidentschallenge.org, offers participants, as well as groups, the opportunity to collect useful health and fitness information, to tailor their Active Lifestyle Plans to their own personal characteristics, such as age, gender and current level of fitness, and to challenge and support others in achieving their fitness goals.   Since its inception, the President’s Challenge has helped to motivate millions of people each year to be physically active.  There are currently four President’s Challenge programs:  1) Active Lifestyle Program—helping Americans ages 6 years and up become active, 2) Presidential Champions Program—encouraging already-active individuals to strive for even greater fitness improvements, 3) Physical Fitness Program—helping educators and community leaders plan events to assess the physical fitness of young people and recognize their achievements, and 4) Health Fitness Program—recognizing students who achieve a healthy level of fitness.  This motivational, interactive tool has attracted corporations, community groups, schools, and state governors who are adopting the President’s Challenge to track physical activity within diverse venues.