's motd Mon Jan 18, 2010

[Guest guest]

A PROGRESS REPORT

Monday, 18 January 2010

Over three years ago, Anne C., one of my dear friends who teaches and is one of my consultants at Slimmons, asked me an important question. ", what will be your legacy," she asked.

Well, I guess I'd never really thought about it. But when Anne asked me that question, I know I had been reading in newspapers and seeing on the television news reports that a lot of schools in our country were no longer offering PE courses. The lack of Physical Education classes came as a result of the No Child Left Behind Act. That act added more reading, science and math classes to public school curriculums at the expense of other courses, one of them being physical education.So I began thinking, since I loved to exercise so much, I knew I should do something in the exercise field to leave behind as part of my legacy. So Anne and I put together a team to pursue that mission. Our mission was to bring PE back as part of the core curriculums in America's public schools.

Lots of television appearances and hard work led us to a congressional hearing on the subject of PE back in 2008. When I testified before Congress, I told everyone in the hearing room that our kids are overweight and out of shape. And if we didn't help them now, they were going to grow up to be overweight, obese and unhealthy adults. I shared with them what a positive difference exercise had made in my own life. And I have a plan to get PE back into America's schools so our kids can become stronger and healthier.Through my website, I asked people to E-mail their own senators and representatives in the House of Represenatives and the President himself, asking them to make physical education an important part of our public school curriculums. Thankfully, thousands of you did send those E-mails!And very soon, we began getting more and more congressional cosponsors. Ten, then 40, 60 and my progress report to you today is that we now have 106 cosponsors of the Fit Kids Bill that my team and I helped to introduce. 106...that's triple digits. Hoo-ray!

This year, the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act will come to the floor of Congress and be voted on. I believe it will pass, too. We're trying to get the Fit Kids Bill included as part of that reauthorization by making physical education a multiple measure in schools across America. (That way, PE courses can be used to boost a school's overall test scores.) This is a big and important start. Once we get those PE classes started again and our schools begin seeing the progress our more fit kids are making in the classroom, I believe they'll want to add physical education to every school day. For it's true, the child who works out is the child who works harder in the classroom. Because of our planning and persistence, we are now part of a group that is helping get this fitness program for America's children underway. I want to list some of the organizations where our Ask America PE crusade is included. The American College of Sports Medicine, The Campaign To End Obesity, Health Corps, Obesity Action Coalition, YMCAs of the USA and the Center For Disease Control. Wow! I can't tell you how honored we are to be among these amazing organizations.

If you haven't written your own Congressman and the President yet, it's not too late. This is the link to our PE Crusade where you can send that E-mail today. Will you please do me a favor? Make some time to send those E-mails to help our children. It would mean the world to me...and to the kids. It only takes a few minutes. You and I will be so proud when the Fit Kids Bill is passed and our children begin getting more healthy.Thank You for always helping me with my crusade...and now with my legacy.Love,