President Donald Trump signed an executive order at the end of July that reestablishes the Presidential Fitness Test. Among other things, this order also reestablishes the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition.
The test, which was established by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1966 to promote health in the youth, was retired during the Obama administration.
The return of the test comes as the Trump administration promotes efforts to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA). This initiative is also backed by Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, and a host of legendary American athletes.
Details are lacking on which exercises will be included this time around. Newsweek reports that the Presidential Fitness Test has historically called for schoolchildren to run a mile, do as many sit-ups as possible within one minute, and attempt pull-ups or push-ups, among other things.
Brick Lantz, MD, of vice president of Advocacy and Bioethics at Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA), says it is always a good idea to encourage more fitness.
"I am biased because I'm a fitness nut, even at my older age, and I certainly see the benefits of it," says Lantz. "As you know, we had previous first ladies who made it kind of their calling to combat adolescent obesity, which is still a huge problem in the United States. And it is multifactorial, not one simple factor, but exercise is certainly a component of the problem."
Lantz also prescribes a need to address diet and screen time.
Dr. Jessica Peck recently told American Family Radio that parents have to find ways to reduce screen time for their children.
"We see kids who are sitting for hours and hours who are having heart disease similar to forty-year-olds," said Peck, also host of The Dr. Nurse Mama Show on American Family Radio. "We're seeing an overweight epidemic just because of the lack of activity, not going outside. We see a decrease in free play time."
Lantz went on to tell AFN that he has seen that overweight children and other patients have difficulty trying to overcome injuries.
"As an orthopedic surgeon, in my practice for 34 years, now retired, it was the obese adolescent when they got an injury that was much more difficult to take care of than the healthy adolescent," says Lantz. "They have higher complication rates, their rehabilitation doesn't go as well, and pain control is more difficult compared to someone that is physically fit."
