Wouldn’t things be easier if the race for the US Presidency was a marathon or iron man competition? Okay, maybe not–but the President still needs to be in good physical health because of his strenuous schedule (although Teddy Roosevelt seemed to do just fine). We have often seen news clips of George W. Bush jogging the streets of D.C. Do the presidential candidates do the same?
Hillary Clinton’s exercise of choice is speed-walking, even if she doesn’t seem like a person who would exercise. When asked in a recent interview about her fitness goals, she responded that she “simply wanted to lose weight.” She has also played basketball, tennis, and softball.
As for the Republicans, Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee is best known for his extreme weight loss as governor. For his 5″11 frame, Huckabee weighed 300 pounds and was also diagnosed with type II diabetes. One embarrassing episode occurred when he sat down for a Cabinet meeting at the state capitol in Arkansas and broke a 100-year-old chair. He then decided to start running 5 days a week and stop eating junk food. Since then, Huckabee lost 110 pounds and has participated in four marathons.
The other candidates range drastically in their health. John Edwards, for example, has been an avid runner for over thirty years. Obama, too, is a runner (mainly on the treadmill) and also has played basketball the majority of his life. Both Giuliani and Thompson have been diagnosed with (and beaten) cancer. John McCain, however, is in a league of his own. After beating two rounds of skin cancer, surgery to treat an enlarged prostate, and being tortured as a POW in Vietnam, he’s definitely one tough cookie. Not to mention he smoked until he was 45.
Whether or not physical health and appearance will aid these candidates in winning the nomination, you can’t help but wonder if the way they take care of their bodies will mirror how they take care of our country!
