Chairman, Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports, California, a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting fitness, especially children and youth, since 2005
Fitness trainer to the stars: Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, George Lucas, etc.
Founder, Body by Jake products including Cardio Cruiser Plus®, Shadow Boxer®, etc.
Founder, ExerciseTV, the first fitness-on-demand network in partnership with Comcast, New Balance and Time Warner, 27 million homes
Founder, Major League Lacrosse, the nation’s first professional outdoor lacrosse league (MLL)
Actor, TV series Big Brother Jake, 1990-1994, etc.
Guest
Jake Steinfeld: Inspiring Kids to Get Healthy
By Mimi Elliott
The 700 Club
CBN.com – GETTING KIDS FIT
Jake is the chairman of the California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. In 2008, annual physical tests given to 5th through 9th-grade students showed a 1 percent and 5 percent improvement in overall fitness. While that is a slight improvement, Jake says it also shows that 60 percent of the students were not meeting the state’s physical fitness standard.
“This is a sobering reminder that we need to do more to help our children reach the level of health and fitness they deserve. This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. This is a kid issue, and they are our most precious resource,” says Jake.
He believes helping children get healthy is a moral, economic, and academic imperative. With more than 125 million children overweight or obese, Jake says that California Department of Health Services estimates the cost of physical inactivity and obesity at over $20 billion per year.
“Academics and fitness go hand in hand,” he says.
Regular exercise improves the function and performance of the brain. Kids are less fidgety, they are more focused, and therefore do better in the classroom. Over the last three years, the Governor’s Council was revived to help increase physical fitness among school children. Participating students are healthier, have increased confidence, and improved self-esteem. They are also reaping academic awards as well.
Recently, the council launched the 2009 Governor’s Challenge Competition among K-12 schools. The challenge runs from September 2008 to May 2009, and encourages kids to be active for 30 to 60 minutes a day, every other day for a month.
“It’s about getting these kids started. Once they find something they like, they will stick to it,” says Jake. Top prizes for schools include three $100,000 fitness centers. This year, Jake motivated 150,000 kids to take the challenge compared to 70,000 the year before. That is nearly twice the number that participated nationally in a similar effort led by the Governor’s Council.
Jake and the Council advisory board have created a Fitness Pyramid, which will be unveiled across the nation soon.
“We have a Food Pyramid and now we will have a Fitness Pyramid,” he says.
Other council members include Olympian Peter Vidmar, Laila Ali, Pro Skater Tony Hawk, Olympian ice skater Michelle Kwan, baseball great Reggie Jackson, Jack Lalanne, volleyball Olympian Misty May-Treanor, Jerry Rice, tennis champ Serena Williams, and others.
PASSION IS PEOPLE
Jake Steinfeld created the personal fitness training industry and became the first nationally recognized fitness trainer in the U.S. He achieved celebrity status by working with clients such as Steven Spielberg, Harrison Ford, Bette Midler, Priscilla Presley, and others. His fee of $200 per session created a national buzz and spawned an industry of fitness professionals to follow his lucrative and unique method of getting people into shape. Jake has also authored several books and lectured to corporations and universities around the country. He starred in his own sitcom, Big Brother Jake, and hosted Body by Jake television shows. His involvement in TV led to the creation of ExerciseTV, the world’s only video-on-demand fitness TV network. In 1990, Jake founded Body by Jake. He has a vision of finding simple, fun ways to inspire and motivate people to get fit and healthy.
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