 Leader of the Pack: AAFP President Michael Fleming, M.D., leads the federal government's Get Fit With US campaign walk June 5 in St. Paul, Minn. |
Leading the way. That's what AAFP President Michael Fleming, M.D., was doing June 5 at the federal government's Get Fit With US campaign kickoff in St. Paul, Minn. Fleming led a one-mile walk and shared his personal story of changing to a healthier lifestyle. Several hundred walkers participated in the event.
Get Fit With US, an initiative of the Department of the Interior, pairs public health promotion with the use of public lands. It is part of a larger initiative, HealthierUS, announced by President Bush in June 2002. The goals of the federal programs dovetail nicely with those of the AAFP's fitness initiative, Americans in Motion. Fleming, of Shreveport, La., has been boosting his physical activity and has lost 35 pounds since he took the AIM challenge at the AAFP Scientific Assembly in October.
Commenting on the June 5 event, Fleming said, "We were the only medical organization there. Several people, including (Secretary of the Interior) Gale Norton, noted the importance of the physician community. Because if we're going to recommend getting fit to our patients, we need to get fit ourselves."
Fleming told participants that recreation should be the key to good health -- and that it's important for people to find an activity they enjoy. For information on how you and your practice can become involved in AIM, go to http://www.aafp.org/aim.xml.
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