President's Challenge to get fit

By LISA LIDDANE
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
Motivation can be a fit person's worst enemy. It's way too easy to succumb to the excuse-a-rama drama, especially at this time of the year. Too cold. Too tired. Too lazy. Too hard. Too tiring. We're beginning to sound like "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," except that there's never a moment when it's "just right."
And it gets worse: Gotta go holiday shopping. Sorry, there's a party I can't miss.
Sound familiar?
For anyone who needs a little boost in the motivation department, and especially for those who are sedentary and/or are struggling with excess weight, the government offers some help through the President's Challenge. It's a newly revamped program that encourages children and adults to make physical activity a part of daily life, said Melissa Johnson, a native of Corona del Mar, Calif., who recently was appointed executive director of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports.
Individuals, families, friends, groups and employers can answer the challenge, she said. Your goal is to complete 30 minutes of activity every day for six weeks.
That's about the period most people need when learning to make fitness a daily habit, Johnson said.
How it works
You pick from a wide list of activities that include doing household chores and playing soccer. Each activity has a corresponding number of points.
You track every activity that counts -- even something as short as five minutes -- as often as you wish on your personal activity log at the President's Challenge Web site. Or, you can download an activity-log form in PDF format and keep track on paper.
If you keep a log online, the site reminds you when you've reached a goal and have won an award:
The Presidential Active Lifestyle Award: for minors who log 60 minutes of activity a day, five days a week for six weeks.
The Presidential Adult Active Lifestyle Award: for people 18 years or older who log 30 minutes a day, five days a week for six weeks.
You can order your award online or by mail. They include emblems, certificates, pins and stickers, costing from 25 cents to $3.
Higher goals
Once the six weeks are over, there are other challenges ahead.
"Our hope is that once a person finishes the six weeks, they join the Presidential Champions program, and that can take up to two years to complete," Johnson said.
This is also a program for those who are already active, such as intermediate or advanced fitness enthusiasts or athletes.
There are three levels in this next stage -- bronze, silver and gold.
You choose one or more activities, each of which is worth a certain number of points. Points are based on the amount of energy each activity burns. More intense activities done over longer periods are worth a higher number of points. Anything that involves using large muscle groups and burning energy counts -- snowboarding, weight-training, Tai chi, lifting and hauling objects and yoga.
You can earn 20,000 to 160,000 points.
Go to www.presidentschallenge.org, or call (800) 258-8146, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST).
XLisa Liddane is a health and fitness writer for The Orange County Register and an American Council on Exercise-certified group fitness instructor. Write to her at the Register, P.O. Box 11626, Santa Ana, Calif. 92711 or send e-mail to lliddane@ocregister.com.