The Governor's Council on Physical Fitness, Health & Sports
and the Michigan Fitness Foundation

The Michigan Fitness Foundation is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Vice President of Active Communities. Click the link for a job description and how to apply.

Click on the icon above to register for ACES		Click on the icon above to register for the 2008 Bridge Run Lottery

Top Stories:

Learn The Power of Policy at the 4th Annual Designing Healthy Livable Communities Conference

Former Governor's Council Chair Inducted into National Fitness Hall of Fame

Michigan Announces Safe Routes to School Grant Recipients

Farm Bureau Insurance Celebrates 10 Years of ACES

Register for the Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Run Lottery

      

Fit Bits Provide In-Class Health and Wellness

 

Learn The Power of Policy at the 4th Annual Designing Healthy Livable Communities Conference

National and state experts will gather to discuss how to create policies that will enable community members to lead healthy, active lives at the 4th Annual Designing Healthy Livable Communities Conference: The Power of Policy. The conference will take place May 29th – 30th at the Lansing Center in Lansing, Michigan. The conference and training session will provide:

• A place to network and learn from other professionals working to design healthier communities.
• An opportunity to learn about public policies that have helped to enhance healthy nutrition and physical activity in communities.
• Proven tools and resources to accomplish the goal of designing healthy communities, particularly as they relate to public policy development.
• Specific ideas for improving public health through land use, community design, physical activity, nutrition and transportation choices.
• Action plan ideas that you can take back to your communities to enhance healthy choices.
  

The conference is presented by the Michigan Department of Community Health with support from the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports.

Deadline for early registration is May 5. To download a copy of the conference brochure and registration form, click here.

Former Governor's Council Chair Inducted into National Fitness Hall of Fame

Dr. Charles T. Kuntzleman, former chair of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, Health and Sports and the Michigan Fitness Foundation, was inducted into the National Fitness Hall of Fame on Sunday, March 16, 2008.

Kuntzleman has dedicated his life to fitness. His vision and leadership during the years he served on the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness has impacted the lives of over one million Michiganians for better health.

Kuntzleman is the owner of Fitness Finders, Inc. along with his wife Beth, and he served as a professor in the department of kinesiology at the University of Michigan for many years. He is the author of several books and is nationally and internationally renowned as a fitness and health expert.

The Induction Class of 2008 in attendance at the ceremony included: Cory Everson, Bob Gajda, Kathy Kaehler, Kuntzleman, Dr. Don Powell, Dr. James Stoxen, Michael Thurmond and Tamilee Webb. These “Hall-of-Famers” are voted, by their peers, as the “Best of the Best” in the fitness industry. For more information on the National Fitness Hall of Fame, visit www.nationalfitnessorganization.com.

Michigan Announces Safe Routes to School Grant Recipients

In January, the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced that nine Michigan elementary and middle schools will receive $1.6 million in federal funding for Safe Routes to School this year.

"We want to protect the health and safety of our Michigan children," said Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. "This program offers our children encouragement and opportunities to walk or bike to school. These schools are to be commended for the neighborhood and community-building efforts they accomplished in developing action plans and pursuing these grants to improve safety and encourage healthy lifestyles."

Safe Routes to School is an international movement and now a federal program to make it safe, convenient, and fun for children to walk and bike to school. Nine schools completed a required handbook planning process which resulted in an action plan tailored to meet specific needs of the schools.

"We are proud of Michigan’s comprehensive, integrated transportation system and the opportunities provided by all modes of travel, including walking and biking" said State Transportation Director Kirk T. Steudle. "With the partnerships developed, and still developing, this is a transformational approach to promoting safety and health. These improvements will not only benefit Michigan children, but will result in safer routes for all pedestrians and bikers in these local neighborhoods."

The schools receiving Safe Routes to School funding are:

• Christa McAuliffe Middle School, Bangor Charter Township, Bay County.
• Winans Elementary School, Delta Township, Eaton County.
• George Long Elementary School, village of Grass Lake, Jackson County.
• Frost and Cascades Elementary Complex, city of Jackson, Jackson County.
• Jackson Arts and Technology Academy, city of Jackson, Jackson County.
• Northeast Elementary School, city of Jackson, Jackson County.
• Springport Elementary and Middle School, village of Springport, Jackson County.
• Clear Lake Elementary School, Oxford Charter Township, Oakland County.
• Lincoln Elementary School, city of Cadillac, Wexford County.

For more information on Safe Routes to School, visit www.saferoutes.michigan.org or click the link on the menu to the left.

Farm Bureau Insurance Celebrates

10 Years of ACES

Continued Support Makes Physical Activity Events Possible

2008 marks 10 years of partnership between Farm Bureau Insurance and the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness/Michigan Fitness Foundation in bringing physical activity programs to Michigan residents.

"We've made a long-term commitment to the health and well-being of Michigan residents," said Jim Robinson, executive vice president of Farm Bureau Insurance.  "As Michigan's Insurance Company, we proudly invest in programs that make Michigan a better place to live."

Each May, children throughout Michigan exercise in unison as a part of ACES (All Children Exercise Simultaneously).  The statewide event draws approximately 450,000 participants from over 1,000 schools in Michigan and highlights the importance of regular physical activity.  The support of Farm Bureau Insurance makes the program a reality for Michigan schools, by allowing the Governor’s Council/Michigan Fitness Foundation to provide an educational newsletter and stickers to every ACES participant, as well as online support.  For more information about ACES, click here.

In addition, 2008 is the fifth year of Farm Bureau Insurance’s sponsorship of the Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Run.  Each year, 300 participants are selected by an online lottery to run across the Mackinac Bridge at sunrise on Labor Day.  For more information about the Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Run, click here.

“We are proud to continue our successful partnership with Farm Bureau Insurance in their support of ACES and the Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Run,” said Marilyn Lieber, president and CEO of the Governor’s Council/Michigan Fitness Foundation.  “This partnership shows their commitment to the health of Michigan residents.”

Register for the Mackinac Bridge

Labor Day Run Lottery!

Running across the Mackinac Bridge at sunrise on Labor Day is an unforgettable experience.  Now is your chance to participate in the 2008 Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Run.  Register today for the lottery that randomly selects 300 participants for this event!

The Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Run is a non-competitive run of about 5 miles over the Mackinac Bridge.  The run is organized by the Governor’s office, the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness/Michigan Fitness Foundation, and the Mackinac Bridge Authority.  The event is not timed and the course will not be certified for distance. 

The Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Run is limited to 300 participants who will be selected from the lottery drawing on June 26, 2008.  In order to register for the lottery, runners must have participated in a Governor’s Council endorsed running event between July 1, 2007 and June 30, 2008, be at least 18 years old, and be able to complete the 5-mile run.

For more information about the Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Run, or to register for the lottery, click here.

Many running events held across the state have been endorsed by the Governor’s Council.  To find an endorsed running event near you, click here.

Fit Bits Provide In-Class Health and Wellness

Creators of the award-winning Exemplary Physical Education Curriculum (EPEC) have developed a series of classroom activities for K-5 intended to improve students’ health and wellness.  Classroom teachers can use these short activities for their students to release excess energy and continue the day refreshed and refocused.  For more information on Fit Bits click here.

The Michigan Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (MAHPERD), Comprehensive School Health Coordinators’ Association (CSHCA), and the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness have joined forces this year to coordinate Legislative Education Day on February 27, 2008.

Interested parties such as physical education and health education teachers, university professors, undergraduate PE/HE majors, Governor’s Council and Michigan Fitness Foundation employees and board members, MAHPERD members, and School Health Coordinators will have the opportunity to meet with State senators and representatives to advocate for quality physical education and health education for Michigan students at the event.