Who: Jeff McClaine, associate director of The President's Challenge, based in Bloomington

What: Online chat, June 26, 2009

MODERATOR: Good morning everyone, thanks for joining us for today's myINstride.com Q&A.

Jeff McClaine, associate director of The President's Challenge, is here to answer your fitness questions, so feel free to send them on.

Jeff, are you ready to get started?

JEFF MCCLAINE: I am, thanks for having me today!

QUESTION: How many awards are processed by the President's Challenge each year? Have the fitness tests changed at all over the years?

Susan, Bloomington

JEFF MCCLAINE: Each year our office sends out approximately 2.5 million awards to students around the country in over 30,000 schools. The fact that this year was the first year for a new administration, the awards are extremely popular and everyone wants a certificate signed by President Obama. In addition, we have online programs for adults where they can earn awards. Our adult users are every bit as excited to earn an award, if not more so.

QUESTION: The V sit-and-reach... When I was in high school doing the President's Challenge, I always got a terrible score on it, and I recently got another bad score during a wellness checkup (I'm 30). I do yoga and stay pretty fit. What exactly does it measure? If I'm doing poorly on it, could it be a back problem? Thanks!

Suzanne, Bloomington

JEFF MCCLAINE: Great question. Our fitness test for youth measures muscular strength and endurance, cardiorespiratory endurance, flexibility, speed and agility. Experts in our field tend to agree that these are all components that measure fitness, however, not all agree on how they should be measured.

As you mentioned, we use the V-Sit Reach (or the Sit and Reach as an alternative) to measure flexibility. The great thing about this component is that it can easily be improved to some extent. We always recommend to warm up before attempting any of our fitness testing items - especially a flexibility test. Cold stretching can lead to discomfort or even injury if pushed too far. Practice can also improve your score and it sounds like you are already doing that by taking a yoga class, which is a great way to improve flexibility and strength. Beyond warming up and practice every individual is unique on their ability to do well on a flexibility test. Certain body types may result in a misleading score (i.e. longer legs vs. a shorter torso). However, our standards are taken from a national data set representing all body types.

Other benefits of enhanced flexibility include increasing range of motion and reduced injury rates. In either case, we wish you best of luck and encourage you to keep moving.

QUESTION: Hi Jeff,

I see on the President's Challenge Web site that there are awards for participating in the different programs such as Active Lifestyle. What type of awards are given? And about how many people participate in the programs?

Sarah Morin, HTO

JEFF MCCLAINE: We have two different programs offered online that are available for all ages. First is our Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA). For this program individuals are asked to complete 30 minutes (60 minutes for youth) of physical activity each day, five days per week for a period of six weeks. This program offers emblems, certificates, and pins for those meeting the requirements.

Our other online program is the Presidential Champions. For this program participants log their activities and earn points. The more active, both time and intensity, that you are the more points you earn. There are different levels of awards based on the points including Bronze, Silver and Gold. We offer medals, ribbons, pins and certificates for those that earn these awards. It's a great way for those that are a little more active to motivate themselves.

QUESTION: Do you think the given President, at any time, really cares if the people of the US are truly in shape, or is this hype and propaganda for the kiddos?

I recall doing it in gradeschool, but then I got an Atari 2600 and got fat. :)

Jason, Bloomington

JEFF MCCLAINE: I think President Obama has already shown his commitment to being physically active each day. He is an avid basketball player and has been known to work out with the First Lady in the exercise room at the White House quite often.

The President's Challenge has been in existence since the Presidential Physical Fitness Award was introduced by the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports in 1966. So as you can see it has lasted many administrations but the great thing is that each and every administration has been dedicated to making Americans more fit and active by offering programs like ours.

Another great thing is that we now offer programs for all ages, like the PALA and Presidential Champions. These programs are great for people just getting started or for those that are already active. I would encourage you to try them out online at www.presidentschallenge.org.

QUESTION: When did the President's Challenge begin to target all ages not just those in school? How do you get the word out about the expanded demographic? Also, how long has the President's Challenge been based in Bloomington?

Sarah Morin, HTO

JEFF MCCLAINE: We launched our current site, which contains the fitness tracking tools for all ages, in 2003. Prior to that we offered the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award since 2001. So as you can see we are relatively new to the field of adult fitness.

Bye the way, I would encourage everyone to check out our adult fitness test at www.adultfitnesstest.org. Whether you earned an award as a kid or not you can see how you stack up today. The site will give you great feedback on your current fitness level and offer suggestions for improvement.

As far as promoting our programs to all ages, we work closely with many national organizations to get the word out. We are fortunate to have many Science Partners like the American College of Sports Medicine located in Indianapolis. We also work with grassroots organizations like the Amateur Athletic Union on promoting our efforts.

The President's Challenge has been located in Bloomington since 1988 as a unit within the IU School of HPER's Department of Kinesiology. I think that is a surprise to many people and I think they are also surprised to learn that we are the national headquarters for the President's Challenge, working closely with the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports to make it happen.

QUESTION: Hi Jeff, I had no idea that the President's Challenge was here in Bloomington. Can you tell us a bit about how it ended up here, and what you do for the Challenge?

J.J. Perry, HTO

JEFF MCCLAINE: My role with the President's Challenge is administer and promote all of our programs as well as direct our staff here in Bloomington. We have a staff of approximately 35 people, most of which are students at IU, that help us serve the schools, organizations, and individuals that utilize our services.

Our office previously administered a fitness testing program on behalf of the Amateur Athletic Union - which at the time was located in Indianapolis - and in 1988 the President's Council approached the staff to see if they would be interested in handling the President's Challenge. I think they saw the impending growth of the program and were looking for an organization like ours that was truly committed to the field of health and fitness to manage it for them. The staff submitted a bid for co-sponsorship and the rest is history. We continue this process every three years at the direction of the President's Council, which is an office within the US Department of Health and Human Services.

MODERATOR: Thanks everyone for all the questions today. Remember, you can join myINstride.com for fitness/wellness/nutrition tips and to meet other locals who want to get fit.

Jeff, thanks again for joining us. Is there anything else you'd like to add?

JEFF MCCLAINE: I would encourage everyone to visit the President's Challenge website at www.presidentschallenge.org to learn more about all of our programs, and to visit www.adultfitnesstest.org to assess your current fitness level. And if you have any questions please feel free to contact our office at 800-258-8146 or via email at preschal@indiana.edu.