We’ve been very active at the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS). I had the pleasure of presenting our Lifetime Achievement Award to two of the honorees who were announced at our Council meeting in May – Joe Weider and Judi Sheppard Missett.  Governor Schwarzenegger hosted Joe Weider Day at the State Capitol in Sacramento, a perfect venue to present this award. It was great honoring Mr. Weider alongside a former Chairman of the President’s Council!  It is evident that Mr. Weider has made an indelible mark on the field of fitness and strength training.  Following that, I visited Chicago to present Judi Sheppard Missett with her award at the Jazz Dance World Congress.  It was particularly special to conduct the presentation in front of hundreds of Judi’s Jazzercise fans who were there to take her energizing class.

We hope you all had the chance to submit your nominations for the 2008 PCPFS Lifetime Achievement Award or Community Leadership Award.  We will announce the winners in 2008!

We worked closely with our friends at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on their “A Healthier US Starts Here” Prevention Bus Tour. The bus traveled across the country with HHS representatives spreading the message about the HealthierUS Initiative: nutrition, physical activity, preventive screenings and avoidance of risky behaviors. CMS informed thousands of Americans about the preventive benefits of Medicare. Many of our council members participated in the stops:  Indiana with Governor Daniels, Vermont with Governor Douglas, Trek Bikes in Wisconsin, Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, and also California.

We have great updates on our council members.  Governor Crist appointed Dr. Dot Richardson, PCPFS Vice Chair, to the Florida Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness.  Dr. Catherine Baase has been busy speaking on the benefits of worksite health promotion. Dr. Ed Laskowski spoke to a group of recreational trail leaders at a trails conference in Minnesota.  John Burke was a keynote speaker at the HERO conference in New Orleans on Oct. 4th. Jerry Noyce and Bill Greer led the PCPFS team at the HERO Forum. Donna-Richardson Joyner joined HHS Secretary Leavitt as a member of the delegation representing the United States at the Pan American Games in Brazil.  Fortunately, she took some time to answer some questions for PCPFSNews.

This Fall promises to be just as exciting, as work continues on the development of the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans.  The next meeting of the federal advisory committee charged with developing the guidelines is scheduled to take place December 6 and 7. The third meeting is scheduled for February 28 – 29. Both meetings are open to the public and will be held in Washington, D.C. Public comments are welcomed at both meetings. Use this link for Physical Activity Guideline Updates.

Our next Council meeting is scheduled at the Mayo Clinic on Nov. 7th. If you’re interested in attending, please contact Tynetta Dreher at tynetta.dreher@hhs.gov for further info. We also look forward to launching our new President’s Challenge Adult Fitness Test and an on-line toolkit to help implement worksite physical activity programs.  A partnership with the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability will result in a series of new fact sheets targeting the importance of physical activity for individuals with disabilities. 

All my best,

Melissa Johnson, M.S.
Executive Director