Children who learn to enjoy winter sports will find it easier to stay fit and healthy into adulthood. (photo by Janet Franz)

JAMES H. DOUGLAS
GOVERNOR

State of Vermont
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 21, 2006
PHOTOS AVAILABLE ON REQUEST

MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Janet Franz, Vice Chair
wordsmithproductions@earthlink.net
(802) 985-9929, cell (802) 238-8182

Hey Kids! Try a New Winter Sport To Stay Fit

Montpelier - What gives kids power on cold winter days? Moving! Getting outside for fresh air and exercise is a great way to have fun, get fit and stay healthy during the winter. Young people who learn to enjoy winter sports will find it easier to remain fit and healthy into adulthood. Those who try new sports certainly will find activities they enjoy and will stick with.

These are the ideas behind the Stretch Your Limits Winter Challenge, a program of the Vermont Governor's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. During February and March, young Vermonters are encouraged to try a new sport or physical activity they have never done before, then tell Governor Jim Douglas what they did, why they did it and how it made them feel. Participants can put that information on a form available at www.healthyvermonters.info and send the form to the Governor in care of Fit & Healthy Kids, Vermont Department of Health, P.O. Box 70, Burlington, VT 05402. Everyone who participates by March 15 will receive an award and a chance to meet Governor Douglas at a spring awards event.

"Starting early in life to enjoy exercise and the outdoors leads to a lifestyle of activity that stays with people as they grow older. The result is a happier and healthier person," said Bob Fries, President of Bolton Valley Resort and a member of the Governor's Council. Fries developed the idea for the Stretch Your Limits challenge and helped launch the program last winter in collaboration with the Department of Health's Fit and Healthy Kids initiative. " At Bolton Valley, we are committed to providing healthy, physical opportunities for young people. The Governor's Stretch Your Limits program is one way for youth to get started on this path," Fries said.

Fit and Healthy Kids promotes nutritious eating and increased physical activity among Vermont's youth, who have become increasingly sedentary and overweight. "School-aged children should be active at least one hour a day, every day. But in Vermont, only 27 percent of students are getting that much exercise," said Suzanne Kelley, Physical Activity Coordinator for the Vermont Department of Health. "We know that children who exercise regularly do better in school and have fewer health problems as they age."

Governor Douglas has made comprehensive health care reform and improving the health of Vermonters a central component of his plan to reduce health care costs. He has said that Vermonters must "tackle the root causes of rising health care costs," and "encourage healthy decisions and preventative care."

"Venturing out for activity and exercise during the year's briskest days requires motivation and the ability to think creatively about exercise. Shovel a neighbor's driveway, commit to regular snowshoeing treks, or put on a pair of cross country skis and blaze a trail," Douglas said. Indoor activities may include basketball, volleyball, weight lifting, tennis or something that requires no equipment such as yoga or aerobics classes at a community fitness center. For information on free physical fitness activities, go to http://www.unitedwaycc.org/gmcalendar.htm

To view a video public service announcement about the Stretch Your Limits challenge, go to http://www.vermontfitness.org/activities.html.