GOVERNOR’S COUNCIL ON PHYSICAL FITNESS PROMOTES ACTIVE, HEALTHY LIFESTYLES
August 24, 2007
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GOVERNOR'S PRESS OFFICE
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TAMPA – Governor Charlie Crist today convened the first meeting of the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Training Facility in Tampa. The 20 Council members appointed by the Governor are charged with developing a state plan of action to increase Floridians’ level of physical fitness through regular exercise and sound nutritional practices. The Governor’s goal is to reduce the number of Floridians who suffer from chronic diseases resulting from obesity within the next 10 years. Derrick Brooks, linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, serves as the Council’s chairman.
“I am pleased that the Council has initiated work on the important issue of the overall fitness and healthy lifestyle of Floridians,” said Governor Charlie Crist. “The expertise and experience of the Council members will help them develop recommendations that will assist Floridians in improving their health and overall quality of life.”
Shannon Miller, former Olympic gymnast, will serve as the Council’s co-chair. Members provided an initial state plan of action to the Governor on August 1, 2007. The draft plan addressed all objectives of Executive Order 2007-52, which created the Council.
During the meeting, the Council heard testimony from three Floridians about programs that helped them adopt a healthier lifestyle:
David Latu, a Lee County Special Olympics athlete and computer technician for Goodwill Industries, shared how Special Olympics leadership training, health education and sports training and competition have changed his life. Latu is the past chair of the Athlete Leadership Council in Lee County and has been a representative to the Special Olympics Florida Athlete Congress for the past two years.
Chris Brito participated in Shaq’s Big Challenge, the ABC Television Network show that told the story of six overweight Broward County middle-school children as they met with Miami Heat basketball star Shaquille O’Neal and his team of health and fitness experts. Brito, who lost 77 pounds and has become an advocate for healthy lifestyles, is playing football for the first time since age five because he now meets the weight-range requirement.
John Scully, a senior at Matanzas High School in Flagler County, is a founding member of the Project GYM (Getting Youth Moving) community problem-solving team. Project GYM focused last year on building a youth wellness center at Bunnell Elementary School. This year, they have begun negotiations with a Japanese school to establish a virtual wellness center where American and Japanese students can share health information and strategies.
The Council will consider the best methods for promoting and encouraging a variety of programs and strategies that will help Floridians increase physical activity and adopt healthier eating habits in schools, workplaces and throughout communities.
The Council will provide recommendations on the implementation of daily physical education in elementary schools, the feasibility of including daily physical education courses and activities for students in grades 6 through 12 by 2012, the nutritional value of school lunches, and the development of a Governor’s Recognition Program, which will highlight healthy schools, communities, worksites and health care settings. A second draft of the state plan will be due October 1, 2007. A final, comprehensive state plan will be presented to the Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives, the President of the Senate, and the Governor by December 1, 2007.
For more information regarding the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness, please visit www.healthyfloridians.org