Honor Thyself

The final days of our 42nd president's term are upon us. So, if you want to honor your commitment to exercise with a Presidential Sports Award signed by a president who can truly appreciate your efforts to stay fit and healthy, now is the time.

Developed by the President's Council on Physical Fitness & Sports in 1972, the purpose of the Presidential Sports Award is to motivate all Americans to become more physically active, emphasizing regular exercise rather than performance level. Anyone age six or older is eligible to participate in this program.

To earn an award, a person must participate for a certain number of hours in the sport of their choice. They then must submit a fitness log and check for $8.00 to the council. For example, the qualifying standards for aerobic dance are:

1. Participate in a minimum of 50 hours of aerobics, aerobic dance, step aerobics, dance exercise or similar activity.

2. Credit only one hour each day, four hours per week.

3. Recommendation: One hour of activity must include a five- to 1 O-minute warm-up, 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity within target heart rate range, 10 to 15 minutes of strengthening exercises and five to 10 minutes of cool-down.

For more information, send a SASE to: Presidential Sports Award/AAU c/o WDW Resort PO Box 10,000 Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830-1000