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!

If you are like many of us, you have found that applying the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans in your communties, families, and everyday lives can be challenging. These two important policy documents provide guidance on the importance of being physically active and selecting nutritious foods for living a long and healthy life. However, we know individuals are frequently crunched for time, on a limited budget, or just do not know how to make healthy foods taste yummy. Whatever challenges members of your community face when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle, the Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshops can help you teach adults how to be active and make healthy food choices everyday in the places where they live, work, and play.

Based on the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelies for Americans and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010, the Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshops are designed for community educators, health promoters, dietitians/nutritionists, cooperative extension agents, and others to teach adults how to put the Guidelines into practice in their everyday lives. This information is creatively packaged in six easy-to-use, interactive workshops. Each workshop contains specific learning objectives, icebreaker activities, talking points, handouts, evaluation forms to gather feedback from participants, and hands-on activities for helping to make lasting lifestyle changes. In addition, the workshop series includes video vignettes, live demonstrations, and a list of helpful resources. The complete Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshop series is made up of the following: 

1. Enjoy Healthy Food That Tastes Great

2. Quick, Healthy Meals and Snacks

3. Eating Healthy on a Budget

4. Top Tips for Losing Weight and Keeping It Off

5. Making Healthy Eating Part of Your Total Lifestyle

6. Physical Activity is the Key to Living Well

We know every community and every family is different. That’s why the Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshops and corresponding materials were created to be suitable for all groups of adults, including those who may not have the ability to find, understand, and use basic health information. Developed using health literacy principles, the workshops were pilot tested at ten sites across the U.S., including cooperative extension programs, worksite wellness programs, Head Start, and community groups. After attending the workshops, many participants reported increased physical activity levels and positive behavior changes in their nutrition choices. So no matter where your community is located, the Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshops can help you teach adults how to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyles through regular physical activity and healthy eating.

Download all the workshops, along with an introduction and appendix section, for free at www.health.gov/dietaryguidelines.

How could you use the Eat Healthy ● Be Active Community Workshops in your community?

Written by Suzanne Hurley, CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity

Many people are aware that too few U.S. high school students in grades 9-12 are getting enough physical activity. But do you know which groups of high school students are getting less physical activity than others?

The findings of a recent school-based study - the CDC 2010 National Youth Physical Activity and Nutrition Study (NYPANS) - provide the answers. The results can be found in a June issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), but here are some highlights:

More high school male students than female students met the Healthy People 2020 aerobic and muscle strengthening activity objective:

• 18.5% of male high school students
• 5.8% of female high school students

Additionally, more students met the aerobic and muscle strengthening activity objective during their early high school years.

• 15.0% of 9th graders
• 12.3% of 10th graders
• 10.7% of 11th graders
• 10.3% of 12th-graders

Nationwide, only 15.3% met the aerobic objective of the Healthy People 2020 Physical Activity objectives, 51% met the muscle-strengthening objective, and 12.2% met the objective for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities.

Healthy People 2020 objectives measure recommended levels of youth physical activity and are based on the 2008 Physical Guidelines for Americans:

Youth aged 6 to 17 years need at least 1 hour of physical activity each day, and muscle strengthening activity at least 3 days a week.

To improve youth physical activity participation, efforts are needed among CDC, state and local public health agencies, schools, and other public health partners that promote physical activity.

Communities have an important role to play in supporting efforts to promote or create school-based quality physical education programs, and to create or enhance access to places for physical activity.

Listen to a Podcast on the importance of physical activity. Read more information on school guidelines and strategies.

How can you improve physical activity participation rates among all high school students?