BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The PACER running test, one-mile run and sit-and-reach are just a few exercises that might bring haunting memories to students who participated in the Presidential Fitness Test that was discontinued over a decade ago.
Now that President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month to reinstate the program, one fitness professional called attention to potential problems behind this exam’s physical health assessment.
Eli Toussaint, a professional trainer at New York Sports Club in Boston, said it is difficult to benchmark general fitness without a specific goal in mind.
“Being able to do a lot of push ups or pull ups – that's not exactly the best determinant of whether a child's fit or not,” he said. “Growing, and just like, being active in general I think is more important for children versus how many push ups they can do.”
Trump’s executive order also plans to reinstate how students, who placed at or above the 85th percentile on all of the test’s exercises, can qualify as potential recipients of the Presidential Fitness Award.
Meanwhile, the administration will also reestablish the President's Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition in an attempt to reverse what they called a “health crisis,” according to the order.
"Rates of obesity, chronic disease, inactivity, and poor nutrition are at crisis levels, particularly among our children," the order said.
Toussaint said the competition that accompanies this physical test is what sparks concern. Instead, he said schools should focus more on students' health, rather than building competition between their peers.
“Just being able to say you can do a lot of push ups – that doesn't quite mean that I might be an excellent football player or an excellent track star,” Toussaint said.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Jay Willett (@JayWillettWBZ) reports.