The President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition (PCFSN), is an American government organization that aims to "promote, encourage and motivate Americans of all ages to become physically active and participate in sport". It is part of the Office of Public Health and Science, an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Prior to June 2010, it was called the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.

History[link]

• The President's Council on Youth Fitness was founded on July 16, 1956, to encourage American children to be healthy and active children, after a study indicating that American youths are less physically fit than European children, by then President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

• In 1963, President Kennedy changed the council's name to President's Council on Physical Fitness to reflect its role to serve all Americans.
• In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson created the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, name of which was later changed to President's Challenge Youth Physical Fitness Awards Program. In 1968, the council's name was changed to President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports to emphasize the importance of sports in life.
• In 1972, the Presidential Sports Award Program was created.
• In 1983, the United States Congress declared May as "National Physical Fitness and Sports Month".
• In 1996, the Surgeon General's Report on Physical Activity and Health was released. In 1997, the Council released its report on Physical Activity and Sport in the Lives of Boys.
• In June 2010, President Barack Obama renamed the agency the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, with a new emphasis on nutrition as an element of fitness.^[1] First Lady Michelle Obama announced the new commission's goal "to end the epidemic of childhood obesity in a generation" and also announced that the president had named, as the new co-chairs of the council, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and former Olympic gymnast Dominique Dawes.^[2][3]
• On January 11, 2012, operators of the website for participants of the Challenge and Active Lifestyle programs learned that the website had been hacked resulting in the release of personal information of the participants.^[4] The President's Challenge website said it was down for "Site Maintenance – We're taking a little breather."^[5] On January 20, 2012, the website was modified to explain the hacking.^[6]
  • On January 27, 2012, The President's Challenge sent out emails to its participants saying that the website was functional as of January 24, 2012, and asked participants to reset their user passwords.^[7][8]

Awards[link]

The Council publishes guidelines for awards that are given out. They are the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, the National Physical Fitness Award, and the Participant Physical Fitness Award.^[9] Additionally, there is the Health Fitness Test as an alternative,^[10] the Active Lifestyle Award for staying active,^[11] and the Presidential Champions Award for raising their amount of activity.^[12]

See also[link]

• The President's Challenge

References[link]

1. ^ Executive Order – President's Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition, White House press release, June 23, 2010.
2. ^ "Michelle Obama jumps rope, emphasizes nutrition", USA Today, June 24, 2010.
3. ^ "First Lady Launches President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition", White House press release, June 23, 2010.
4. ^ Tau, Bryon (January 19, 2012). "Let's Move-affiliated website hacked". Politico. Politico.com. http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/01/lets-moveaffiliated-website-hacked-111532.html. Retrieved January 19, 2012. 
5. ^ "Site Maintenance". The President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. https://www.presidentschallenge.org/maintenance/index.shtml. Retrieved January 19, 2012. 
6. ^ "We apologize for the site maintenance. We will be back up soon.". The President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition. https://www.presidentschallenge.org/maintenance/index.shtml. Retrieved January 20, 2012. 
7. ^ Important Security Information
8. ^ The President's Challenge Facebook page
9. ^ Physical Fitness Awards
10. ^ Health Fitness Test
11. ^ Active Lifestyle Award
12. ^ Presidential Champions Award

External links[link]

• President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition official website

Look up council in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Council may refer to:

In politics[link]

• Borough council, a form of local government
• City council, a form of local government
• Community council, the most local official representative bodies in Scotland and Wales
• Council of Europe, a political, intergovernmental organization with 47 member countries
• Council of the European Union, the upper house of the European Union
• Council of State, an organ of government in many states
• County council, a council that governs a county in the British Isles
• European Council, the body of heads of states or governments of the European Union
• Labour council, an association of labour unions or union branches in a given area
• Municipal council, borough/city council in France (conseil municipal)
• National Security Council, an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues
• Parish councils in England, a form of local government in the United Kingdom
• Privy council, a body that advises the head of state of a nation
• Town council, a democratically elected form of government for small municipalities or parishes
• UK Research Councils, government agencies responsible for an area of research in the United Kingdom
• United Nations Security Council, a decision-making body at the United Nations
• Workers' council, a council composed of working class or proletarian members

In other fields[link]

• Arts council, a government or private, non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the arts
• Bar council, a professional body that regulates the profession of barristers together with the Inns of Court
• Buddhist councils, important historical events in the history of Buddhism
• Council (Boy Scouts), a non-profit private corporation within Boy Scouts of America
• Ecumenical council, a meeting of the bishops of the whole church convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice
• Floyd Council, an American blues musician
• Student council, a student organization present in many elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, colleges and universities
• Synod in a Christian church
• University Council running a university
• Works council, a body representing the workers of a plant, factory, etc., elected to negotiate with the management about working conditions, wages, etc.
• Youth council, an example of youth voice engaged in youth-led decision-making

In United States geography[link]

• Council, Alaska
• Council, Idaho
• Council Bay, Wisconsin

See also[link]

• Accreditation Council (disambiguation)
• Advisory Council (disambiguation)
• Affairs Council (disambiguation)
• American Council (disambiguation)
• Australian Council (disambiguation)
• Canadian Council (disambiguation)
• Christian Council (disambiguation)
• Common Council (disambiguation)
• Consul
• Cooperation Council (disambiguation)
• Council High School (disambiguation)
• Council house (disambiguation)
• Council of Elders (disambiguation)
• Crown Council (disambiguation)
• Dance Council (disambiguation)
• Danish Council (disambiguation)
• Defence Council (disambiguation)
• Dental Council (disambiguation)
• District council (disambiguation)
• Dutch Council (disambiguation)
• European Council (disambiguation)
• Examinations Council (disambiguation)
• Executive Council (disambiguation)
• Federal Council (disambiguation)
• Federation Council (disambiguation)
• French Council (disambiguation)
• Funding Council (disambiguation)
• General council (disambiguation)
• General Teaching Council (disambiguation)
• Grand Council (disambiguation)
• High Council (disambiguation)
• Hong Kong Council (disambiguation)
• Indian Council (disambiguation)
• International Council (disambiguation)
• Iraqi Council (disambiguation)
• Legislative Council
• Local Council (disambiguation)
• Medical Council (disambiguation)
• Military Council (disambiguation)
• Muslim Council (disambiguation)
• National Council (disambiguation)
• Olympic Council (disambiguation)
• Policy Council (disambiguation)
• Polish Council (disambiguation)
• Pontifical Council
• Press Council (disambiguation)
• Regional Council (disambiguation)
• Restoration Council (disambiguation)
• Revolutionary Council (disambiguation)
• Scottish Council (disambiguation)
• Shire Council
• State Council (disambiguation)
• Supreme Council (disambiguation)
• The Council (disambiguation)
• United Nations Security Council
• Valley Council (disambiguation)
• Vietnamese Council (disambiguation)
• World Council (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. Please improve this article and discuss the issue on the talk page. (June 2011)

Physical fitness can be achieved through physical exercise.

Physical fitness comprises two related concepts: general fitness (a state of health and well-being), and specific fitness (a task-oriented definition based on the ability to perform specific aspects of sports or occupations). Physical fitness is generally achieved through correct nutrition, exercise, and enough rest.

In previous years^[when?], fitness was commonly defined as the capacity to carry out the day’s activities without undue fatigue. However, as automation increased leisure time, changes in lifestyles following the industrial revolution rendered this definition insufficient. In current contexts, physical fitness is considered a measure of the body’s ability to function efficiently and effectively in work and leisure activities, to be healthy, to resist hypokinetic diseases, and to meet emergency situations.

Fitness[link]

A US marine performing fitness exercises.

The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports—a study group sponsored by the government of the United States—declines to offer a simple definition of physical fitness. Instead, it developed the following chart:^[1]

A comprehensive fitness program tailored to an individual will probably focus on one or more specific skills,^[2] and on age-^[3] or health-related needs such as bone health.^[4] Many sources^{[citation needed]} also cite mental, social and emotional health as an important part of overall fitness. This is often presented in textbooks as a triangle made up of three points, which represent physical, emotional, and mental fitness. Physical fitness can also prevent or treat many chronic health conditions brought on by unhealthy lifestyle or aging.^[5] Working out can also help people sleep better. To stay healthy it is important to engage in physical activity.^[6]

Training[link]

Specific or task-oriented fitness is a person's ability to perform in a specific activity with a reasonable efficiency: for example, sports or military service. Specific training prepares athletes to perform well in their sports.

Examples are:

• 400 m sprint: in a sprint the athlete must be trained to work anaerobically throughout the race.
• Marathon: in this case the athlete must be trained to work aerobically and their endurance must be built-up to a maximum.
• Many fire fighters and police officers undergo regular fitness testing to determine if they are capable of the physically demanding tasks required of the job.^[7]
• Soldiers of the United States Army must be able to pass the Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT).^[8]

See also[link]

• Powerlifting
• Bodybuilding
• CrossFit
• CPR
• Exergaming
• Harvard Step Test
• Health club
• National Academy of Sports Medicine
• Neutral spine
• Obesity
• Personal Trainer
• Physical exercise
• Physical fitness test
• VO2 max
• Olympic Games

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• 2004 September 21. Medical News Today. The Benefits of Physical Activity
• Brandon, Leigh (2009). Anatomy of Strength and Fitness Training for Speed. McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-163363-5. 

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fitness

• HealthierUS.gov Official website
• President's Council on Physical Fitness

Look up physical in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Physical may refer to:

• Body, the physical structure of an organism
  • Human body, the physical structure of a human
• Physical abuse, abuse involving contact intended to cause feelings of intimidation, injury, or other physical suffering or bodily harm
• Physical body, in physics, psychology, philosophy, mysticism and religion
• Physical change, any change in matter not involving a change in the substance's chemical properties
• Physical chemistry, the study of macroscopic, atomic, subatomic, and particulate phenomena in chemical systems in terms of physical laws and concepts
• Physical cosmology, a branch of astronomy, is the study of the largest-scale structures and dynamics of the universe and is concerned with fundamental questions about its formation and evolution
• Physical education, a course taken during primary and secondary education that encourages psychomotor learning in a play or movement exploration setting
• Physical examination, a regular overall check-up with a doctor
• Physical exercise, any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness
• Physical fitness, a state of health and well-being, and a task-oriented definition based on the ability to perform specific aspects of sports or occupations
• Physical property, any aspect of an object or substance that can be measured or perceived without changing its identity
• Physical Review, an American scientific journal founded in 1893 that publishes original research and scientific and literature reviews on all aspects of physics
• Physical Review Letters, a peer reviewed, scientific journal that is published 52 times per year by the American Physical Society
• Physical therapy, a health care profession

Music[link]

• Physical (album), a 1981 album by Olivia Newton-John
  • "Physical" (Olivia Newton-John song), 1981
• "Physical" (Alcazar song), 2004
• "Physical (You're So)", a 1980 song by Adam & the Ants from Kings of the Wild Frontier

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Look up fitness in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

Fitness may refer to:

• Physical fitness, a general state of good health, usually as a result of exercise and nutrition
• Fitness (biology), an individual's ability to propagate its genes
• Fitness (magazine), a women's magazine, focusing on health and exercise
• Fitness and figure competition, a form of physique training, related to bodybuilding
• Fitness approximation, a method of function optimization evolutionary computation or artificial evolution methodologies
• Fitness function, a particular type of objective function in mathematics and computer science

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fitness

• FitNesse, a web server, a wiki, and a software testing tool
• Survival of the fittest

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.