Georgia is first to fully adopt new Presidential Youth Fitness Program

The new version focuses on individual goals
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Last year, Georgia was the first state in the nation to fully adopt the updated Presidential Youth Fitness Program. The program, started by President Eisenhower in 1956, uses body composition, aerobic fitness, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility to evaluate overall fitness. The new version focuses on individual goals rather than comparison with peers, and it complements Georgia’s SHAPE initiative, a similar effort launched in 2012. “Georgia was ahead of the game with SHAPE,” says Jane Wargo, program director of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports, and Nutrition. “The governor’s office, the department of education, and the state public health office came together to do the right thing.”

For 2012-2013, nearly 221,000 (19 percent) of Georgia students in grades 4 to 12 met the standards for the Presidential award.

Did you know? There’s also a Presidential Challenge for adults. Learn more about it here.

This article originally appeared in our 2015 Health issue.

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