Candidate with Most Fit Supporters Wins

If the Congressional or Senatorial or Presidential candidate whose supporters are the most physically fit were guaranteed to win the election, how much exercise would you do toward that goal?

May is National Physical Fitness Month, and Steve Beshear, as governor of the third-least-fit state in the (that's us, Kentuckians) has issued a challenge.

"With the warmer weather, there's more opportunity to be outdoors and be physically active," said William Hacker, M.D., Health and Family Services' acting undersecretary for health and public health commissioner. "Get Healthy Kentucky was created to help Kentuckians make a commitment to their personal health. The Governor's Challenge is a great program to help you get in shape and headed down the path of life-long wellness."

All it takes is 30 minutes of activity a day (60 minutes for kids ages 6-17), five days a week for six weeks. Participants who log on to the Governor's Challenge at www.gethealthy.ky.gov will be redirected to the national President's Challenge home page where they can sign up for an account and start monitoring progress via the personal activity tracker.

To register or learn more about the Governor's Challenge, visit gethealthy.gov and click "Take the Challenge."

Get Healthy Kentucky is a statewide wellness initiative that incorporates physical activity, nutrition and tobacco cessation and prevention components. GHK has created an opportunity for individuals and groups to have a one-stop, central location for information and resources that will improve the quality of life for Kentuckians and help prevent chronic illnesses like diabetes and heart disease.

GHK is designed for residents of all ages and includes access to reliable, unbiased information on the GHK Web site, www.gethealthy.ky.gov. The site provides information about the Governor's Challenge program, an incentive-based fitness program designed to help participants set personal fitness goals and track progress online.

To date, around 6,500 people have participated in the challenge.

Through the Governor's Challenge, participants will be able to choose how to become and remain physically active. GHK has provided more than 100 activities from which to choose, along with the capability to track progress on an activity log. Once the initial goal is met, there are additional levels of achievement - bronze, silver and gold.

One of the cool things about the governor's/president's Challenge is that it allows you to create teams which compete against each other, and to compare your own achievement against others throughout Kentucky or the entire country, or in your same age group.

It also has a large selection of physical activities that gain you points, ranging from yard and garden work through daily steps with a pedometer up to running and aerobics. Virtually anything you do that is not sitting still watching YouTube counts.

Twenty-one days to Kentucky's Primary Election. May the Fittest Win!

Cross-posted at BlueGrassRoots.