One of the fittest Mayors in America, Tim Keller of Albuquerque, NM wrote a letter in response to Samir’s 2022 fitness campaign aimed at motivating prominent American politicians to promote more fitness in light of the staggering CDC statistic that 42% of American adults are now obese.
Update on my new health campaign: I received a letter from @MayorKeller (one of the fittest mayors in America) highlighting the truly impressive “Better Health Initiative” being implemented in @cabq. Thank you, Mayor, for being a great role model and supporting my campaign!
— Samir Becic (@SamirBecic) April 13, 2022
In his written response to Samir Becic, Mayor Keller highlights the BetterHealth program for city employees and their families which provides a pathway to pursue a healthy lifestyle. The program includes health education, wellness interventions, and campaigns to make healthy lifestyles easier at work. It provides thousands of people with programs, incentives, and encouragement for healthy decisions around nutrition, fitness, and preventative monitoring with mammograms and blood pressure assessments. They also have BetterHealth Ambassadors in each department who act as wellness champions and advocates for healthy living, no matter where they are in their personal health journeys. Ambassadors promote health and wellness among coworkers and engaging them in wellness initiatives.
Ever since his interview with Mayor Keller, Samir has praised Keller’s fitness regimen, naming him among the Fittest Mayors in America in 2018, 2019, and 2020. And with good reason- Keller keeps an extra set of running shoes and workout clothes in the trunk of his car, and no matter where he is in the city, if he has 30 minutes, he’ll go and run. It could be around a track, around a golf course, in an open field- he just fits it in!
“Mayor Keller is a great role model- not only for the residents of Albuquerque and the state of New Mexico, but the entire nation. His belief in a healthy lifestyle goes beyond his personal fitness, which is clear from his implementation of programs that directly impact the wellness of the city employees” says Samir of Mayor Keller.
Here is Mayor Tim Keller’s fitness profile:
- Prefers running in deep sand in the desert- it’s good for the ankles and knees.
- Formally, he runs/sprints about twice a week for about an hour.
- He still plays football with the best of them and credits his athlete mentality with helping him in his successful career.
- Keller broke ground on a Sports and Fitness Center for people aged 50 and older.
- Wanted to create an inclusive space for the aging population of Albuquerque to work out in peace.
