Ready to teach the Eat Healthy * Be Active Community Workshops in your own community? Join us for a one-hour Webinar to learn how you can best implement the workshop series.

Date: Wednesday, September 12

Time: 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.

Register now!

The Webinar will provide:

• Tips on how you can use the workshops to motivate individuals in your community to eat healthier and engage in regular physical activity
• Firsthand experiences from one pilot site instructor who shares ways she made the workshop a success in her community
• Ideas for planning a successful workshop series, improving attendance, and boosting group participation

For more information and to download the workshops visit www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines.

If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that physical activity is good for you. The list of health benefits regular physical activity can bring seems endless. During childhood in particular, being active is just plain fun. Today, America’s youngest generations are met with frequent obstacles to being physically active during a time when running, jumping, and playing is a natural – and crucial – part of growth and development. 

Across the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), we're teaming up to tackle these challenges. Today we are excited to share with you the latest happening on the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans (PAG). The President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition (PCFSN) convened a subcommittee to review the evidence on strategies to increase physical activity among youth. The subcommittee is chaired by President's Council member Dr. Risa Lavizzo-Mourey and comprised of experts in physical activity.

PAG Mid-course Review Subcommittee Members

• Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, MD, MBA (Chair), President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition, Council Member, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 
• Joan M. Dorn, PhD, CDC, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity
• Janet E. Fulton, PhD CDC, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity
• Kathleen F. Janz, EdD University of Iowa
• Sarah M. Lee, PhD CDC, Division of Population Health
• Robin McKinnon, PhD, MPA NIH, National Cancer Institute
• Russell R. Pate, PhD University of South Carolina 
• Karin A. Pfeiffer, PhD Michigan State University 
• Deborah Rohm Young, PhD Kaiser Permanente Southern California  
• Richard P. Troiano, PhD, CAPT NIH, National Cancer Institute 

The subcommittee will present their findings in a Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Mid-Course Review Report. The report is scheduled for release in 2013, and the topic is "Strategies for increasing physical activity in youth (3-17 years)."

We want to hear from you. A federal register notice will be released this fall, announcing an opportunity for you to provide public comments on the draft report.

By: Katrina Butner (See full bio)

I have defined myself as an athlete since the age of 4 when my parents signed me up to play soccer. My love of the sport continued though school and culminated with a scholarship to play for a division 1 team.

When I first think of Title IX, athletics comes to mind. But Title IX afforded women opportunities far beyond the playing field. The recent 40th Anniversary of Title IX on June 23rd provided a respite to pause and reflect on the opportunities I have had as a female, both in athletics and in academics, and consider the progress we have made as a country. Since 1972, high school athletics have increased 10-fold, with a six-fold increase at the collegiate level, and the proportion of female professors in science and mathematics has more than doubled!

I had the opportunity to attend a Title IX Anniversary event hosted by the Women's Hall of Fame with members of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition this week. This was a great experience to learn from those who directly influenced Title IX, including former Senator Birch Bayh, who is known as the "grandfather of Title IX."

I never thought twice about attending the college of my choice, or then pursuing a graduate degree. During the anniversary event, several esteemed members of a panel spoke on their experiences prior to Title IX. Before 1972, there were limited options for women in higher education, often with small quotas of 10% or even 0% of women allowed to be enrolled at a University.

As a competitive runner, I loved hearing Katherine Switzer recount her experience as the first woman to run the Boston Marathon in 1967. Did you know that soon after starting the race, the race director attempt to remove her when he realized a woman was running? Luckily, she was able to continue running - with new motivation. Dr. Condoleezza Rice delivered the keynote address and spoke eloquently on her experiences as an athlete and her wish to help empower women to continue to reach for their goals.

Want to learn more about Title IX and the perspectives of other female athletes? The President's Council has more information on their website, including blog posts by Council Members Billie Jean King and Michelle Kwan, and a video clip from Billie Jean King on the important of equal opportunities in sports.

Overall, there have been great advances for women in the past 40 years, both on and off the field, but we still have a long way to go to ensure equity for girls and women in sports.

Have you or your family members benefited from Title IX? Share your story here!