Presidential Fitness Awards

Twenty-seven students qualified for the Presidential Youth Fitness Award. During the school year, students are tested twice, once in September the other in March,  on their: aerobic capacity, abdominal strength endurance, upper body strength and endurance, body composition, trunk strength and flexibility, and overall flexibility.

This fitness assessment is not just solely for The Presidential Youth Fitness program, but also to help gather data for the “Physical Genesis” study sponsored by the NAD Education department. A study that will answer the question, “Are young Adventists still enjoying the benefits of a healthy life in comparison to their elderly counterparts?

Alex Adams, athletic director at Madison Academy, is excited about these results. He shared with us, “This is great to see that over  1/3 of our student body meets the Presidential Youth Fitness standards. Especially when you consider that 40% more students qualified for the award the second time we tested. Our kids are taking their health more seriously. We are sharing with them the importance and how to follow a healthful lifestyle including diet and exercise.”

Madison Academy wants to instill the tenets of the Adventist health Message in their students. “It’s more important now than ever,” continues Adams. “The state of Tennessee has the 2nd highest rate of high school students that are obese and overweight in the nation. I don’t want our kids to feel like that is their future, I don’t want them to suffer from poor health due to being overweight or obese. They can learn the habits now that will ensure that they don’t contribute to these statistics.”

Click the links to find out more about the Physical Genesis study or the Presidential Youth Fitness Program.