Arizona GOP Rep. Abe Hamadeh and former NFL quarterback Brett Favre on Monday called for a "Congressional Fitness Challenge" in an effort to encourage American children to be healthy.

"The Congressional Fitness Challenge must become part of the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement – not just a program," Favre and Hamadeh wrote in an op-ed published in OutKick, a sports commentary website owned by Fox News.

In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower started the Presidential Fitness Test that was used in public middle and high schools. Students had to do pull ups, sit-ups, shuttle runs and run a mile under eight minutes and 30 seconds.

The test changed over the decades until it was discontinued by President Barack Obama in 2012.

"Once upon a time, the Presidential Fitness Test was a badge of honor," Favre and Hamedeh wrote. "Kids took pride in seeing their names on the leaderboards" for the individual challenges or strength, endurance and speed. 

They also called for the new challenge to be voluntary and said it would bring back the competitive spirit and motivate kids to be healthy.

It is not yet known how the challenge would be implemented.

"Just like generations before us, today’s kids deserve the chance to test themselves, measure their progress, and strive for greatness," they said. "At the very least, they deserve to be as healthy as they can be."

Young Americans ages 6 to 17 would be able to compete, and the challenge would be open to students whether homeschooled or in public school or private school.

They said that the initiative would be supported by congressional resources and they called on Republicans, Democrats and Independents to be a part of it.