American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Children Call on Adults to Get Physically Active for Jam World Record 2012 with Let's Move in School

RESTON, VA, August 17, 2012 – The country's first national movement led by children to get everyone moving, JAM World Record 2012 with Let's Move in School, will take place on Thursday, September 27 at 10 am local time. This inaugural national initiative has been created to raise awareness about the importance of everyone making good health choices and physical activity a daily habit. People of all ages and abilities are invited to pause and join in, wherever you are at 10 am your local time, to do a fun, easy one-minute fitness routine and participate in creating a world record. In the spirit of friendly fun, there is a state competition and the state that recruits the most people to participate will be awarded the National JAM Title. To be counted in your state's totals and learn the easy routine, go to Jam World Record. Follow the buzz on Twitter by using the hash tag: #jam4pe. Be sure to use the hash tag in all of your messages.

JAM World Record 2012 with Let's Move in School also urges everyone to support our schools where every student has the opportunity to learn healthy habits and participate in a quality physical education program. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) recommends that elementary school students have 150 minutes of instructional physical education while middle and high school students have 225 minutes per week of instructional physical education.

According to Patti Howell, founder of healthetips.com, "JAM Record 2012 is designed to be a creative way for all of us to take just a minute of our day to join in as a nation and recognize the importance of daily physical activity and the need for our kids to learn healthy habits at a young age. The success of most public health campaigns comes through educators to kids. So, I am thrilled to partner with AAHPERD's Let's Move in School initiative which is dedicated to helping every school increase physical activity for children and staff before, during and after the school day."

Cindy Sisson Hensley, founder of ConnectTIVITY, says, "This is more than a school event. This is a rare opportunity for all adults – no matter where they work – to take a break from their tasks and join their colleagues in a short 60-second fitness activity. It will feel good to stand up and get-the-blood flowing. But it is even better knowing they are supporting schools and our youth!"

"Through the network of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (AAHPERD), we want to get all states participating in the JAM World Record 2012," says AAHPERD President Irene Cucina, Ed.D., of Plymouth State University, NH. "Although it has been established by research that a minimum of 60 minutes of physical activity a day is essential for student health and academic performance, we are challenged with how to offer adequate physical education and physical activity in the face of other education demands. Let's Move in School provides a cohesive message along with tools and resources to implement a comprehensive school physical activity program."

JAM World Record 2012 with Let's Move in School was created as a partnership to raise awareness about the importance of quality physical activity and physical education programs in our schools by the JAM School Program, ConnectTIVITY, Let's Move in School and Buy4.com. Momentum is building as schools, corporations, athletes and high profile organizations support and get excited about an effort of this kind that has been created to draw the nation's attention to healthy and active lifestyles. Get more information about the JAM School Program at Jam School Program and ways to implement physical activity before, during and after school at Let's Move in School. Follow JAM World Record 2012 on Twitter: #jam4pe.

###

Contact:
Paula Kun
pkun@aahperd.org
703-476-3461

---

About Health-E-Tips & JAM School Program
Health-E-tips, Inc. & JAM School Program provide bite-size wellness tools to help people of all ages learn to make health a daily habit. Health-E-tips, Inc. has two programs, one for corporations and one for schools. The HET Corporate program assists organizations in motivating employees and their families. The JAM School Program is a free program available to every school that assists schools in their efforts to help teach kids to make health and physical activity a daily lifelong habit. As a component of the HET Corporate Program, employers engage employees to promote the JAM School Program.  Through the JAM School Program, kids engage parents in the conversation about daily healthy living. The organization's fun, one-minute physical activity routines have become a national favorite. For more information visit www.healthetips.com.

About Let’s Move in School
A national initiative to increase physical activity before, during and after school, Let’s Move in School is in support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Campaign and is a project of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD). To learn ways to increase physical activity, go to: Let's Move in School at www.letsmoveinschool.org.

The vision of AAHPERD is "Healthy People – Physically Educated and Physically Active!" Headquartered in Reston, VA, 25 miles west of Washington, DC, AAHPERD is the largest organization of professionals involved in physical education, physical activity, dance, school health and sport--all specialties related to achieving an active, healthy lifestyle. Its mission is to advance professional practice and promote research related to health and physical education, physical activity, dance and sport by providing its members with a comprehensive and coordinated array of resources, support and programs to help practitioners improve their skills to further the health and well-being of the American public. For more information, visit www.aahperd.org.