The 2016 Presidential election is several months away, but the final few presidential hopefuls are at the forefront. The President of the U.S. is not only the leader of the free democratic world, but also an example to us, our children, and indeed the rest of the world. Because of this, presidents have a moral and ethical responsibility to serve as a good example – and this extends to the way they live their lives as well.
While a race in politics is not to be taken as a literal test of physical prowess, that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t. One of the most pivotal issues in American politics right now is healthcare and with obesity and chronic illness on the rise, HFR found it necessary to break down the presidential candidates in a fitness report card in terms of their political issues regarding health and fitness, as well as their personal health.
“The president’s job is a very stressful one that requires him or her to be on duty 24/7. The stress that they are exposed to can affect their health so drastically that if they don’t maintain a healthy lifestyle, they can be subjected to any number of chronic illnesses – both physical and mental,” said HFR Founder Samir Becic. We are noticing an increase in healthy and fit heads of state in other countries who are becoming dominant world leaders. With this article we hope to make sure that our future president is healthy and fit in order to improve this country, so that it can continue to be a dominant force in the world for decades to come.
“Our future president will have much more competition than the previous presidents because of where the modern world is heading – and against other leaders whose views differ, such as Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.” – Samir Becic
With this being said, HFR is politically neutral and not affiliated with any political party.
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.
Hopefully the fitness report card motivates these presidential hopefuls to improve their nutrition, fitness and advocacy about healthy lifestyle in the next couple years – who knows, maybe in our next report card, we can give them all A’s! This fitness report card is ranked in alphabetical order:
Ben Carson
Fitness Grade: B
- Political party: Republican
- Supporting issues
- Promoter of Health Savings Accounts instead of ACA
- Community involvement
- First surgeon to successfully to separate twins who were conjoined at the head
- 2010, elected into the National Academy of SCiences Institute of Medicine – one of the highest honors in the health and medicine field
- 1994, established the Carson Scholars Fund to provide scholarships to students who show academic excellence and perform community service
- Personal health
- Promotes academic intelligence more than athletic ability
- Constantly ate crops from local farms while growing up
Hillary Clinton
Fitness Grade: B+
- Political party: Democrat
- 2nd presidential bid
- America’s first female
presidential candidate
- Supporting issues
- Supports green energy and clean air and water; has supported the EPA and improved funding for mitigating climate change and
- Supports universal health care
- Community involvement
- Working with diet guru Dr. Mark Hyman
- Dr. Hyman remains a health and diet advisor for Clinton
- She is a supporter of his work; his latest book, “The Blood Sugar Solution: 10-Day Detox Diet,” a sequel to his best seller “The Blood Sugar Solution,” provides a 10-day cleanse for quick weight loss
- Personal health
- Hillary Clinton used to have an Olive Burger in high school, and the burger is now renamed to Hillaryburger
Ted Cruz
Fitness Grade: C+
- Political party: Republican
- Texas U.S. Senator
- Supporting issues
- Pro-life
- Opposes gun control
- Privatize social security
- Community involvement
- Serves on several Committees in the Senate, including the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation; the Committee on Armed Services; the Committee on the Judiciary; the Joint Economic Committee; and the Committee on Rules and Administration
- Youngest Solicitor General, the longest serving Solicitor General in Texas, and the first Hispanic Solicitor General of Texas
- Personal health
- Formidable auditory skills
Marco Rubio
Fitness Grade: A-
- Political party: Republican
- Supporting issues
- Advocates for the expansion of mental health facilities, universal childhood vaccinations- with the exception of those with medical issues
- Proposes to defund the federal health care
system and replace it with a market service - Supporter of Medicare
hospice program, which helped his father die with dignity - Recently sponsored a bill to improve the quality of Florida fisheries to promote
sustainable conservation and management in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic
- Community involvement
- Supporter of the Boy Scouts, responded to a scout’s letter on Youtube in his weekly edition of Marco’s Constituent Mailbox
- Personal health
- Played football in high school and college – got a scholarship but was injured in his freshman year
- Played on the congressional flag football team
- Wife and sister-in-law were professional cheerleaders for the Miami Dolphins
- Established the West Miami bicycle patrol officers
Bernie Sanders
Fitness Grade: B-
- Political Party: Democrat
- Running Independent (self-described “democratic socialist”)
- Supporting Issues
- Universal health care
- Women’s health issues, pro-choice
- Supports health care programs
for seniors and general senior welfare - Fight income inequality for the health and welfare of the impoverished
- Proposes labelling of all GMO foods
- Believes in raising the minimum wage to a liveable wage
- Community Involvement
- participated in the Civil Rights Movement as a student at Brooklyn College, a student organizer for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
- Coordinated sit-in protests against segregated campus housing
Donald Trump
Fitness Grade: C+
- Political Party: Republican
- Entrepreneur
- Supporting Issues
- Supports universal healthcare, but against Obamacare
- Supports private schools and school choice
- Community Involvement
- Founded the Eric Trump Foundation, which dedicated to raising money for children battling life-threatening diseases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. To date, they have raised and pledged $30 million
- Supports GirlUp, a United Nations charity that seeks to educate and empower teen girls in third-world countries
- Supports The New York City Police Foundation to encourage excellence in NYPD by promoting public safety and improving training
- Supports the Police Athletic League, a nonprofit organization based in New York City that offers daycare and aftercare to youth ages 3-19. The organization offers truancy prevention programs, city-wide sports, youth employment, and youth adventure programs.
- Personal life
- Has written a book called “Think Big & Kick Ass,” which includes a wide variety of life types, many of which can be applied in the gym, such as being passionate, being positive and thinking big.
- Played several sports while growing up and captained several teams
- Active golfer and enjoys going on walks
- Says golfing keeps him in shape, as after playing several rounds of golf, Trump claims to notice a change in weight
- Avoids all drugs, including alcohol and marijuana, and has avoided them his whole life.
- His brother’s death was a wake up call for Trump. His brother was an alcoholic.
