The first presidential caucus will take place in February 2016 in Iowa. While looming, more politically-inclined issues such as the economy, healthcare and immigration leap to the forefront of many frontrunners when it comes to deciding issues, I decided to hold a health and fitness caucus five months before Iowa to give the presidential candidates enough time to scale up their fitness and health. It may even motivate them to promote living a healthy lifestyle among voters.
Health Fitness Revolution created fitness profiles for each of the presidential candidates. Some candidates are fit and some are not; some promote fitness regularly, and others who are fit don’t promote it at all. At this time, I am focusing on three particular candidates: former first-lady, senator, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former Florida governor Jeb Bush, and successful business and media tycoon Donald Trump.
Our list of the Fittest Heads of State made global news twice and a majority of countries with had fit leaders are some of the most powerful nations in the world. This being said, I believe that the next president of the United States needs to step up their health and fitness to a higher level. How our future president will reign could very well depend on how healthy he or she is now and how healthy he or she will be once they take office.
Hillary Clinton: When speculation in 2013 first began that she might run for president, I thought this was a bad decision on her part. She was barely able to walk, her voice trembled, her hands shook, her posture slouched and she looked exhausted with no energy. There was no way she would be able to go head-to-head in negotiations with Putin, who works out daily, has tremendous energy and is a very difficult international political opponent. I don’t negate her tremendous political experience; Senator, Secretary of State, even First Lady at the side of Bill Clinton, a fierce president and among the Fittest Heads of State in 2013.
The media at the time speculated her having a stroke, and she really looked like she went through a major health crisis. I don’t know if she had a stroke or not, but as a health and fitness expert who has dealt with thousands of people in his career, I can clearly distinguish between someone who is healthy and vibrant, which she was not at the time. She looked like she was worn down, a diminished version of her former self.
In 2014, Health Fitness Revolution began researching the health and fitness profiles of all the presidential candidates. A few months later, Hillary Clinton went from looking sickly, without energy, without balance, to a revitalized looking woman, who was walking better, more coordinated, and lost the tremble in her voice. As time progressed, her healthy improvements grew more noticeable. She started working out on a regular basis, hired a nutritionist, and this improvement showed visibly in her demeanor.
In the past few months, I have continued to notice a steady increase in her energy, healthy appearance, healthier skin, more alert eyes, a coordinated and balanced walk. She went from a C- health and fitness rating in 2014, to a B+ rating today. Like her husband, who first suffered a major health ailment before becoming fit, running on a regular basis and watching his diet, she followed a similar pattern.
Like a majority of Americans, she has struggled with weight and the health issues associated with lifestyle- it’s never too late, and everyone can improve. Good improvement, Hillary, continue to bring your health and fitness to the next level and motivate American citizens to follow your great example!
Jeb Bush: When I first heard that Governor Bush would run for president, I actually started laughing. He reminded me of German Chancellor Helmut Kohl of the 80s, who was so obese that he could barely walk. I reasoned that this was no longer the 80s and having an obese president in the White House was outdated. The last obese American president was William Howard Taft who weighed 370 pounds and would get stuck in the White House bathtub. Jeb was the opposite of his brother George W., who was proclaimed one of the Fittest Heads of State by Health Fitness Revolution in 2013.
At the time of his announcement to run for president of the United States, Jeb’s walk was heavy, his posture slouched and his face very red – he was the unhealthiest presidential candidate. When our Presidential Candidate list came out, we tweeted, messaged, and emailed him, his family, and his political supporters. As months passed, Jeb no longer was obese.
Instead, he lost 40 pounds by adopting a Paleo diet and working out regularly. Throughout the following year, he continued to look slimmer, more energetic and fitter. He definitely transformed his body and now looks like a true presidential candidate, who takes care of his health. He went from a C- on the health and fitness scale, to a B, and continues to improve. He is still far behind his brother, George W., in terms of health and fitness, but he is much improved from his former self. Although Bush may still sometimes feel down due to his sudden weight loss, he should push through in order to feel even greater in a few months.
Donald Trump: When I heard that Donald Trump was running for president, I assumed it was a self-promotional stunt and I did not take him seriously. To my surprise, Trump became a serious contender and is now leading in the Republican polls.
His fitness, unfortunately, is not special. He plays a bit of golf and moves around, but it is visible that all the business lunches and dinners are making his walk heavy and his appearance plump. It was a shock to me when I discovered that in his youth, he almost went pro in baseball and was the captain of his team. It’s amazing what 40 years of minimal activity can do to the human body, as Trump is several shadows of his former fit self.
It is publicly known that he likes younger women, his most recent wife, Melanie, who was born in former Yugoslavia like me, is 24 years younger and appears to be very fit. Trump even said in an interview that she would be interested in promoting health as her role of first lady. My recommendation to the future possible first lady is to start at home and encourage Trump to be healthier and fitter! Because he was fit in his youth, it will be easier for him to get in shape due to muscle memory. As of right now, his health and fitness grade is C, which is a better grade than I gave either Hillary or Bush at the beginning. So Trump, with your German ancestry, use the famous German discipline and get yourself in shape so that you can compete with some of the most powerful leaders in the world. American needs an energetic, and fit president who knows how to balance stress!
Top Fittest Heads of State 2013
Top Fittest Heads of State 2015
Presidential Candidate Fitness Report Card for 2016 Hopefuls
