A Wave Of Exercise

Exercise Coast To Coast For 10 Hours

The Inaugural Year

The date for the second year of Exercise US has been set for October 7, 2010, but year one of the event in 2009 was a huge success. Feedback from around the country was outstanding, as the teachers and students involved loved the concept. The program was even recognized in US News & World Report magazine. It was also included in The President's Council On Physical Fitness & Sports newsletter. We hope that year two will be just as successful! Thank you to all schools and organizations involved in the inaugural year of the event in 2009. If you are new to the program this year, read on to learn more. To register, simply click the 'sign up' link at the top of the page.

Introduction

Childhood obesity has been on the rise, as approximately 1/3 of the youth in the United States are now considered overweight. Many reliable media sources are stating this may be the first generation of children whose life expectancy could be lower than their parents'. According to The Washington Post (May 17, 2008), "The average 10-year-old girl weighed 77 pounds in 1963; today, 88. The 10-year-old boy weighed 74; today, 85." Sadly, physical education in the schools is being reduced, and recreation programs have taken serious financial cuts. Sedentary lifestyles among children seem to be peaking as technology is replacing exercise. Is there any hope on the horizon? According to The Associated Press and CBS, (May 27, 2008), "The percentage of American children who are overweight or obese appears to have leveled off after a 25-year increase, according to new figures that offer a glimmer of hope in an otherwise dismal battle." Now is the time to motivate our children about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle and to lead the fight against childhood obesity. The Department of Health & Human Services offers The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans on their web site which shows the importance of physical activity towards maintaining good health.

In 1987, physical education teacher Len Saunders of New Jersey participated in the historic youth fitness exchange with the former Soviet Union. The Soviet children took the United States fitness test created by The President's Council On Physical Fitness and Sports. The children of the United States took the Soviet fitness test. At the time, experts were stating that the Soviet children were far superior to the American children when it came to being physically fit. By the completion of the test, 90% of Saunders' students passed the Soviet test, far exceeding the low expectations for the American children that was suggested by the national media. Since then, Saunders has successfully created dozens of children's health and fitness programs that have motivated millions of children to exercise which includes Project ACES and PACES Day. Now, in the next chapter, Saunders is going to introduce the Exercise US program.

How Does This Program Work?

The concept behind the Exercise US program is to motivate children to become physically fit and healthy by making fitness fun. Children will enjoy the concept of participating in 10 continuous hours of fitness from coast to coast. Schools or organizations that sign up will partake in 15 minutes of exercise at their location. When their 15 minute time allotment is over, they have completed their portion of the program. At that moment, in a new location, the next exercise session will begin, which could potentially be in a different state. The program will begin at 8:00 a.m. eastern time, and finish at 3:00 p.m. pacific time.

For example, at 8:00 a.m. (EST) during the first time slot of this program, a school in New Jersey may begin to exercise. This school will exercise for 15 minutes, ending at 8:15 a.m. Beginning at 8:15 a.m., another school in New York may start to exercise until 8:30 a.m. At 8:30 a.m., a school in Connecticut may begin exercising and conclude at 8:45 a.m. This pattern will continue for 10 hours straight, starting on the US East coast at 8:00 a.m., and finishing on the US West coast at 3:00 p.m.

Please visit the sign up page to secure your spot in history. More than one school or organization may sign up for each time slot. This program can be done with your entire school population, or to make it simple, use one class. This program is a great way to highlight your school's physical education program or your organization's youth fitness program.

Expansion Worldwide?

If the Exercise US program proves to be successful, the next step will be to try and accomplish a similar program worldwide. The thought of 24 hours of continuous exercise is very exciting to think about! The program could start on the eastern coast of the United States and start traveling west hitting each time zone around the world.