Our coverage of the 2016 election has narrowed to the two remaining candidates: Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. We have covered the election since the field was full of hopefuls, delving into each candidate’s stance on health and fitness.
We’ve written about the Republican Royal Rumble. We hosted the Fitness Fight. Now our founder Samir Becic shared his thoughts on the two remaining presidential nominees: “The one question that the media doesn’t raise very often is ‘how fit and healthy are our two presidential candidates?’ Who has the energy, endurance, strength, and stamina to cope with the stress that the oval office brings? Both of our candidates are far past sixty, and that by itself brings many health issues.
Here at Health Fitness Revolution, we did a combination of research on each of these politicians through various interviews, internet sources, library, industry literature and videos. This project was led by HFR founder Samir Becic, who is a leader in the industry and has knowledge and experience of over two decades as a health and fitness professional, coupled with his experience as a four-time No. 1 Fitness Trainer in the World.
After emerging victorious from a long battle for their respective nominations, Trump and Clinton must return to the fray and face each other once more. That will test their strength and endurance to go the distance.”
Hillary Clinton Fitness Report
Hillary does a fantastic job of keeping up a healthy lifestyle on her campaign. She knows life on the road- as Secretary of State she visited 112 different countries- and she knows that staying active is the only way to keep up with the burden of travel.
This campaign season Hillary worked out 3-4 times a week, practiced yoga, and did water aerobics. She doesn’t just stay active, but also keeps a healthy diet. In addition to the bottle of hot sauce she always keeps in her purse (to keep her metabolism up and boost her immune system), Hillary eats a pescatarian diet that consists mainly of fish and veggies and little meat and starches.
Other Hillary-approved snacks include Boca Burgers, lots of water, and vitamins.
There are some concerns about Hillary’s health, cough, and the fact she has fallen had injuries in the past before.
Samir’s Report and Recommendations: A woman her age that has a BMI over 25 can have future problems with coronary and cerebrovascular disease, arthritis, hip-fractures, and diabetes. I recommend that she increase the intensity of her workouts. To help deal with her stress and improve her sleep quality, which is a crucial element of healthy lifestyle, she should also take some time for herself everyday. She should aim to eat light dinners, which also improve sleep quality, and will help her feel more rested upon waking. Because she is known to like burgers, both veggie and beef, I would recommend that she eat them in moderation. Even if they appear to be healthy, they are still high in fat and calories. I like that she promotes a healthy lifestyle to American society!
Update: Considering that she admits to having a problem eating healthy on the road, my recommendation to her is to read this article on the best foods for a roadtrip. Also, based on an interview I saw from June 2016, she looks more vibrant, energetic and slimmer (which is why her grade improved from a B to a B+).
Donald Trump Fitness Report
Donald Trump is a man of extremes when it comes to health and fitness. He doesn’t consume any alcohol (far healthier than drinking in excess), sleeps only 3 or 4 hours per night, and often skips breakfast. On the campaign trail he eats only snacks, which he admits isn’t the healthiest but has resulted in him losing 15lbs.
Trump played baseball, football and soccer in high school. His athletic pedigree signifies high potential for athletic performance, but these days Trump exercises in two ways: golf and speaking. Trump owns a number of golf courses, so the first is unsurprising. The second is a revelation Trump revealed in an interview with PEOPLE. He states “I never thought it, but speaking is almost a form of exercise.”
Samir’s Report and Recommendations: It’s fantastic that Donald Trump plays golf and has a positive and balanced view of life. But due to lack of information regarding other exercises and nutrition, I chose to give him a B-. That said, Trump needs to perform more strength and cardio workouts to improve cardiovascular function, and be more vocal about nutrition and healthy food intake. Furthermore, given how stressful his career is, Trump should partake in eating stress-relieving foods while also adding stress-relieving exercises to his workouts, such as prayer or meditation in order to find spiritual balance to help him relieve stress. Given Trump’s age, he should also be wary of his prostate health and focus on flexibility exercises to smooth out his stiff, foot-dragging walk.
Hillary has always looked flabby even when she was young. Saying that she keeps fit is ridiculous!