American Council on Exercise-How to Participate in the Campaign Against Obesity

ACE is the acronym for the American Council on Fitness, a nonprofit organization that promotes health through fitness and exercise programs. With over 25 years of educating the public, certifying physical fitness professionals, and offering continuing education courses to maintain standards of fitness for leaders in the area of exercise, ACE has trained over 50,000 participants and is one of the leading organizations in its field.

Since 1985, ACE has been committed to the health and well being of Americans, as well as collaborating with leading organizations in other countries, to set high goals for fitness worldwide. It offers expert information based on scientific data, and is continuously researching updated information to keep the American public informed of fads, fitness product scams, and the importance of staying fit through every day activity.

In the article, Battling Obesity in America, Seth Doane reports that more than, “…190 million Americans are overweight or obese” and that “childhood obesity has tripled in the past thirty years.” Indeed, Americans have the highest rate of obesity than any other people in the world.

Obesity is the second greatest preventable health risk following tobacco use. It is a leading cause of two of the greatest health problems in the United States: heart disease, including high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Therefore, the vision of the American Council on Fitness is to address the growing epidemic of obesity in America through activity that is enjoyable for each individual. They do this through the many programs they offer via their website: www.acefitness.org. One of the programs is called ‘Operation FitKids’, a free program with a plethora of useful information for parents, educators, health professionals, and fitness leaders. On this site one can download activity lessons, utilize the free resources, or check quick facts.

There are also free, kid friendly recipes that show a caloric and nutritional breakdown, the prep time, and of course the recipe. Some of the dishes are everyday foods that children eat such as chicken tenders and hamburger…other dishes range from unique ways to incorporate vegetables, along with tempting desserts.

One of the more recent changes that have occurred from the United States Department of Agriculture is the replacement of the old food pyramid with a new icon representing healthy eating. It is called, ‘MyPlate’, the symbol of an ordinary plate divided by four, colorful segments representing each of the four basic food groups: fruits, vegetables, protein, and grains. And, off to the upper, right corner is a small circle designated for ‘dairy’. It is believed that this symbolic plate is simpler and more eye catching for the average person to connect with, and thus easier to put into practice.

Other programs that are accessible on the ACE website are: ‘Let’s Move’, the program launched by First Lady, Michelle Obama, challenging kids from across the nation to get more active; the ‘Let’s Move Child Care’ which targets toddlers and preschoolers in child care centers to provide less T.V. time and more physical activities; the LMIC-or ‘Let’s Move in Indian Country’ which specifically supports the battle against obesity with Native American and Native Alaskan children; support for military families, including free personal training, and membership in sports clubs; and PALA, which is the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award program, part of the Presidential Fitness Challenge.

One of the things I like about the Presidential Fitness Page is that it walks you through the questions of ‘how-overweight-are-you’ through a BMI (body mass index) calculator that analyzes those extra inches based on your height and weight. My numbers pointed to ‘overweight’-nothing I wasn’t already aware of from standing on the scale.

According to the BMI calculator I only have 26 pounds to lose in order to fall back into the ‘healthy’ range. Not an insurmountable weight loss goal…but, I haven’t seen the number they suggest for over two decades. I guess that’s why they call it a challenge!

Michelle Obama may have kicked off the campaign against childhood obesity on February 2, 2010, but today I joined thousands of other Americans by taking one small step towards resuming control of my own fitness program, and you can too. How? It is a simple act of participating in the Presidential Fitness Challenge. The website: www.presidentschallenge.org will take you to the page that has information on how to participate. Take the challenge, your heart will thank you!