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“INTRODUCTION OF THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS ACT OF 2008” mentioning the U.S. Dept of Agriculture was published in the Extensions of Remarks section on pages E408 on March 13, 2008.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
INTRODUCTION OF THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS ACT OF
2008
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HON. MARK UDALL
of colorado
in the house of representatives
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Mr. UDALL of Colorado. Madam Speaker, today, along with my colleague and co-chair of the Congressional Fitness Caucus, Representative Zach Wamp, I am introducing the ``Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans Act of 2008.'' If enacted, this bill will make important improvements in the way that we measure and promote health and fitness in our communities.
Health care has become one of the most prominent issues of our time, and coming up with solutions to curb rising costs and address the growing numbers of uninsured Americans will take a great deal of hard work and debate. Whatever our disagreements about the best ways to fix these problems, there are simple principles upon which we can all agree. This bill focuses on one of those simple principles: that exercise makes Americans healthier.
Many of us are familiar with Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a report released every five years by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Agriculture. These are recommendations that help guide the way that physicians and nutritionists talk to their patients and clients about their diets and how to think of healthy food as a way of life. Similarly, HHS also releases a report entitled Physical Activity Guidelines, which summarizes current knowledge about the relationship between exercise and fitness.
I would argue that these publications are of equal importance, as diet and exercise are the pillars of a healthy lifestyle. There is one difference, though, that I believe by fixing we can further promote healthy living for Americans. The difference is this: where Dietary Guidelines is mandated to be updated every five years. Physical Activity Guidelines has no such requirement. Fixing this difference will ensure that Americans have the most up- to-date information about the role and importance of exercise in their lives, just as they do now for their diets.
This bill seeks to accomplish that fix. It would equalize the way that the federal government dispenses information about diet and exercise, and it would benefit ordinary people by giving them relevant information about how to become healthier. As I said. curing all of our health care ills will require a great deal of work. thought. and debate, but I believe that we can get off to a good start simply by helping Americans exercise more and, by staying healthy, go to the doctor a little less. Madam Speaker. I hope my colleagues will join me in supporting this simple measure to help achieve that simple goal.
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