Jim Baugh
PHIT America, a non-profit education and advocacy organization designed to combat the nation’s inactivity and obesity crisis – has signed NFL great Hershel Walker, tennis legends Mike and Bob Bryan, fitness expert Denise Austin and Golf Channel instructor Michael Breed as its first celebrity ambassadors.
PHIT America was founded by Jim Baugh, former President of Wilson Sporting Goods and a member of the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame.
Baugh said each of the PHIT America ambassadors that will follow – were selected due to a common vision. PHIT’s goal is to create “A Movement for a Fit and Healthy America” by educating men, women and children about the importance of an active lifestyle to improve overall health.
Breed, host of “The Golf Fix” on the Golf Channel and 2012 PGA National Teacher of the Year, incorporates fitness activities into his instructional routines while encouraging students to walk while they play.
“Almost 30 percent of Americans are totally sedentary and this has increased the last five years,” Baugh said. “Inactivity is the prime contributor to the escalating health care costs we all face and our celebrities are helping create a more fit country, one person at a time.”
PHIT America supports two pieces of legislation crucial to increasing the number of healthy Americans. When passed, the Personal Health Investment Today Act (PHIT) will allow people to use pre-tax medical accounts for physical activity expenses. The Physical Education Program (PEP) is a 12-year Federal grant from the Department of Education for schools to rebuild health and fitness programs.
