We did it! At Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play, I had the pleasure of announcing the success of the Million Presidential Active LifestyleAward(PALA) Challenge and celebrating with the members of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition and thousands of kids and families in front of the White House.

Last September, I joined First Lady Michelle Obama and the President’s Council members to launch the Million PALA Challenge, with the goal of one million Americans achieving the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award in one year. Not only did we reach our goal we hit it out of the park, with over 1.7 million Americans joining our call to “get moving”! I extend my congratulations to all who achieved PALA and contributed to the success of the Million PALA Challenge.

Photo from the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition.

I’d like to send special thanks to all of our partners who helped get more Americans active through PALA, from spreading the message about the importance of daily physical activity to making it possible in local communities and homes across the nation. 

Partners included the U.S. Tennis Association and Sharecare.com which each helped more than 200,000 participants earn PALA. Several other partners reached the 100,000 PALA milestone, including the General Mills Foundation; Miami-Dade County Public Schools; the National Basketball Association and Women’s National Basketball Association; National Football League PLAY 60 Challengeand Fuel Up to Play 60; Nickelodeon; and PGA of America & The First Tee.

As the Million PALA Challenge comes to an end, I’m thrilled to announce the next phase, which incorporates activity AND nutrition: PALA+. The physical activity requirements for PALA+ remain the same: 60 minutes per day for kids, 30 minutes per day for adults, five days a week for six out of eight weeks. The new component requires participants to add a weekly healthy eating goal throughout the duration of the program. Individuals who achieve the physical activity and healthy eating goals will earn PALA+ and receive a certificate signed by the Council co-chairs Drew Brees and Dominique Dawes. 

It takes working together to make positive change happen, and I encourage Americans to build off of the success of the Million PALA Challenge and join me in participating in PALA+, so we can continue to say that we’re ‘moving’ in the right direction!