ACSM Partnership Will Combat Childhood Obesity, Get K...( ACSM and Youth Fitness Coalition join...),Health

ACSM and Youth Fitness Coalition join to promote youth fitness

INDIANAPOLIS, March 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an effort to decrease the prevalence of childhood obesity and promote physical activity to children, the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) has announced a partnership with the Youth Fitness Coalition (YFC). This partnership will feature ACSM's Exercise is Medicine(TM) initiative, designed to encourage America's patients to incorporate physical activity and exercise into their daily routine, and YFC's signature program, Project ACES (All Children Exercise Simultaneously).

Created in 1989 by physical education teacher Len Saunders as a method of motivating children to exercise, Project ACES Day takes place on the first Wednesday each May as part of National Physical Fitness and Sports Month and National Physical Education Week. In the past, it has been labeled as "the world's largest exercise class." Project ACES Clubs continue to promote physical activity all year long by pledging to create youth fitness programs in their schools.

"For more than 20 years, Project ACES' programs have been organized and conducted by the YFC and have involved millions of children, parents and teachers in every state and more than 45 countries," said H.J. Saunders, YFC Founder and President.

Project ACES Day on May 6 coincides with Exercise is Medicine(TM) Month, a time for physicians, health and fitness professionals, the public, and supporting organizations and their constituents to recognize, emphasize and celebrate the valuable health benefits of exercise on a national scale.

In 2008, many states, including Florida, Nevada, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, South Dakota'/>"/>