The Challenge
What is the President's Challenge?
The President's Challenge is a series of programs designed to help improve anyone's activity level. It's the latest initiative introduced by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports to help promote the benefits of fitness for all Americans.
The Challenge offers different programs for people of all different ages and abilities. Each program helps identify realistic goals to encourage fitness for a lifetime. A personal activity log records activities right online. There are also special Presidential awards for completing each program. [ top]
Active Lifestyle program
This program encourages people to stay active on a regular basis. So it's ideal for anyone who's just getting started. That includes adults who are active less than 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week - and kids who get less than 60 minutes of daily activity, 5 days a week.
The rules for the Active Lifestyle program are simple. There are all kinds of activities to choose from. A personal activity log records activities right online. Anyone completing the program will also earn a special Presidential award. [ top]
The rules for the Active Lifestyle program
Making fitness part of your everyday life shouldn't take a whole lot of rules. Basically, your goal is to meet your daily activity goal (30 minutes a day for adults/60 minutes a day for kids under 18) at least 5 days a week, for a total of 6 weeks.
As you go along, you'll record your activity right online with your personal activity log. When you reach your goal, your log will remind you that you've earned an award. Then you can continue earning awards in the Active Lifestyle program or move on to the next challenge: the Presidential Champions program. [ top]
What activities count?
The best way to stay active is to find things you like doing. That's why the President's Challenge gives you almost 100 different activities to choose from. [ top]
Presidential Champions Program
If you're already active and want a new challenge, this program is for you. For adults, that means you already get at least 30 minutes of activity a day, 5 days a week. For youths under 18, that means at least 60 minutes of daily activity, 5 days a week.
The rules for the Presidential Champions program are simple. There are all kinds of activities to choose from. A personal activity log records activities right online. Anyone who meets the program goals will also earn a special Presidential award. There's even a special option for performance athletes who train at more advanced levels. [ top]
The rules for the Presidential Champions program
Setting a new challenge for yourself shouldn't take a whole lot of rules. Basically, your goal is to see how many points you can earn by staying active. Points are based on the amount of energy each activity burns. So the more active you are, the more points you'll get.
As you go along, you'll record your activity right online with your personal activity log. This program has a 750-point daily cap to encourage staying active every day. When you reach 20,000 points, you'll earn a Bronze award. Then you can continue on in the Presidential Champions program for a Silver or Gold award. [ top]
What activities count?
The best way to stay active is to find things you like doing. That's why the President's Challenge gives you almost 100 different activities to choose from. [ top]
Advanced Performance Presidential Champions Program
If you're active more than an hour a day, at least 5 days a week, you can choose the Advanced Performance Presidential Champions program - where you'll participate against others who train at advanced levels.
The rules for the Advanced Performance Presidential Champions program are simple. There are all kinds of activities to choose from. A activity log records activities right online. Anyone who meets the program goals will also earn a special Presidential award.
The rules for the Advanced Performance Presidential Champions program
Setting a new challenge for yourself shouldn't take a whole lot of rules. Basically, your goal is to see how many points you can earn by staying active. Points are based on the amount of energy each activity burns. So the more active you are, the more points you'll get.
As you go along, you'll record your activity right online with your personal activity log. When you reach 40,000 points, you'll earn a Bronze award. Then you can continue on for a Silver or Gold award. [ top]
What activities count?
The best way to stay active is to find things you like doing. That's why the President's Challenge gives you almost 100 different activities to choose from. [ top]
Joining a group
If you want to join up with friends, family, or co-workers, you can take the President's Challenge together. Groups are a great way to make staying active fun. If you've been invited to join a group, signing up is simple. Or you can create your very own group with our group admin tool - which will lead you through the process, step by step. [ top]
Earning Awards
Your Activity Log
The Active Lifestyle activity log
To earn an Active Lifestyle award, you need to meet your daily activity goal (30 minutes a day for adults/60 minutes a day for kids under 18) at least 5 days a week, for a total of 6 weeks. You have up to 8 weeks to complete the program.
Your activity log features a large star that shows your progress for the current week. Every day you log at least 30 minutes of activity, you'll see another point of the star filled in. When all five points are filled in, you've completed the week.
Below the large star, a line of smaller stars shows how many weeks you've completed. When all six stars are filled in, you'll have earned an Active Lifestyle award. Then you can order your award, continue on with the Active Lifestyle program, or go on to the next challenge: the Presidential Champions program. [ top]
The Presidential Champions activity log
In the Presidential Champions program, you'll earn points for every activity you log. Points are based on the amount of energy each activity burns. So the more active you are, the more points you'll get. The first award you can reach, a Bronze, takes 20,000 points.
The Presidential Champions activity log features three indicator bars that show how many points you've earned toward a Bronze, Silver, and Gold award. Every time you log activities, you'll see your progress updated in your log.
When you earn enough points to reach the end of an indicator bar, you'll have earned an award. Then you can order your award, or go on to the next challenge. [ top]
The Advanced Performance Presidential Champions activity log
In the Advanced Performance Presidential Champions program, you'll earn points for every activity you log. Points are based on the amount of energy each activity burns. So the more active you are, the more points you'll get. The first award you can reach, a Bronze, takes 40,000 points.
The Advanced Performance Presidential Champions activity log features three indicator bars that show how many points you've earned toward a Bronze, Silver, and Gold award. Every time you log activities, you'll see your progress updated in your log.
When you earn enough points to reach the end of an indicator bar, you'll have earned an award. Then you can order your award, or go on to the next challenge. [ top]
Logging your activity
Even if you're new to the President's Challenge, logging activities is simple. Just click "Log Your Activity" at the top of the screen, then use the pull-down menus to select all the details:
- The date of your activity (month, day, and year)
- The type of your activity
- Your activity level
- The duration of your activity (or your total pedometer steps)
Then click the "Add to Log" button, and your log will automatically update your progress. You can log activities as often as you want, in increments as small as 5 minutes. Although you can't log time for activities you haven't done yet, you can go back up to 7 days to enter past activities.
At the bottom of the screen, you'll also see a chart listing your latest log entries. If you need to correct a particular entry, just click "delete" then re-enter the information. [ top]
Reviewing your progress
Whenever you go to your activity log, you can see just how far you've come toward your goal - at a glance. Just click "Review Progress" at the top of the screen, use the pull-downs to select which entries and dates you want to review, and click "Continue."
Your log will display a list of your activities during the time period you selected. You can review all your log entries (by clicking the "View Entire Log" button), a single day, or anything in between. You can also print out your progress report if you need a copy for your records. [ top]
Comparing your progress to others
At any time, you can see how your progress compares to others at your fitness level. Just click "Compare With Others" at the top of the screen, then use the pull-down menus to select which comparisons you want:
- Group
- Age
- City
- State
- Country
- Activity
- Date
Then click the "Compare" button and your log will automatically create a graph which shows where you rank. [ top]
Your awards
In addition to offering guidance along the way, your log will automatically keep track of all the awards you've earned. Just click "Your Awards" at the top of the screen and you'll see a list of all the awards you've won in chronological order.
To print out a copy of your awards list, just click "print results." You can also place an order for any awards you've earned by clicking "order award." [ top]
Your groups
If you've been invited to join a group, click "Your Groups" at the top of the screen. You'll need a Group ID Number and Group Member ID/Name from your group administrator. Just enter them and click the "Add" button.
You'll also see a listing of all your current groups. If you'd like to leave a particular group, check the "Remove?" box and click "Update." [ top]
Editing your profile
If you want to change any of the information you've registered for the President's Challenge, it only takes a moment. Just click "Edit Profile" at the top of the screen. Review your current profile to the right, then select the information you'd like to update:
- Your Log-In Info
- Your Personal Info
- Your Height & Weight
- Your Email Info & Preferences
- Your Program Preferences
- Your Favorites
Once you've entered any information you want updated, click the "Save Edits" button. [ top]
Tools to Help
About these tools
Your activity log gives you all the information you need to start the President's Challenge. But you don't have to stop there. The Challenge also provides additional tools to help you reach your fitness goals.
With our activity comparison tool, you can compare different activities to see which ones expend the most energy. The BMI calculator determines your Body Mass Index, which can show at a glance how weight affects your health. Or you can look over our list of 10 ideas to get active if you need a little extra inspiration. [ top]
Group Administration
How group administration works
Using the group admin tool, you'll find everything you need to manage your group. When you log in, you'll see a list on the right side of the screen that shows the members of your group who have most recently logged time - along with those who have earned the most activity points.
From this page, you can search for details on any individual member of your group. Just select a member number from the pull-down menu or enter it manually and click the "Search" button. You can also look up group records by activity. Just use the pull-down menus to select the time periods and activities you'd like to review, then click "Search." [ top]
Tracking group progress
At any time, group admin can show you details about your group's progress. Just click "Group Progress" at the top of the screen and use the pull-down menus to select the time period and activities you want to review. Then click the "Search" button and group admin will automatically display the records you requested.
If you'd like to re-sort the list, click on a column title above the records. You can also click on any user name to find details on that individual group member. [ top]
Running group reports
If you need even greater flexibility, the President's Challenge allows you to download your group information directly into a spreadsheet - so you can create totally customized reports. [ top]
Ordering awards for groups
Ordering awards for the President's Challenge is easy. When you're ready, you can place orders by mail, by phone, or by fax. We can ship orders around the world, with rush orders available anywhere within the United States. If you have any questions, you can also call our order center at 1-800-258-8146 Our toll-free line is open 8am to 5pm, Monday through Friday (Indianapolis, Indiana time). [ top]
Editing your profile
If you want to change any information about your group, it only takes a moment within group admin. Just click "Edit Group Profile" at the top of the screen. Review your current profile to the right, then select the information you'd like to update:
- Your Admin Log-In Info
- Your Personal Info
- Your Group Type & Activities
- Your Email Info & Preferences
Once you've entered any information you want updated, click the "Save Edits" button. You can also discontinue your group from here if needed. [ top]
Email Invitation/Group notification
Once you've formed a group to take the President's Challenge together, you'll need to invite others to join you. Feel free to cut and paste the text message below into an email or flyer you can send to potential members. Just be sure to replace any [TEXT IN BRACKETS] with your group's info.
===========================================
INVITATION TO JOIN YOUR GROUP
===========================================
YOU'RE INVITED TO JOIN THE PRESIDENT'S CHALLENGE!
[YOUR NAME] has started a group to take the President's Challenge together: [GROUP NAME]
And you're invited to be part of it!
WHAT IS IT?
The President's Challenge is a series of programs designed to help improve anyone's activity level. Joining a group is a great way to make staying active easy.
To learn more about the President's Challenge, go to:
http://www.presidentschallenge.org
WHY JOIN?
Staying active with others can be a lot of fun. They'll help keep you motivated - even when you don't really feel like it. Groups are a great way to meet new people. There are even programs for people at different activity levels: the Active Lifestyle program aimed at beginners, and the Presidential Champions program for those who are already active.
Signing up for a group is simple. And there's no limit to how any you can belong to. You can join or leave at any time. All you have to do is register. It's quick, and there's no cost just to participate!
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HOW TO JOIN:
1) Go to http://www.presidentschallenge.org/login/register.aspx
2) Fill out the registration form.
* Be sure to include the following info during registration *
Your Group ID: [GROUP ID]
Your Member ID: [MEMBER ID]
3) After registering, start logging your activities. As you log activities you'll be able to track your progress toward winning a President's Challenge Award or Medal.
Good luck!
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