Dear President Trump,
I am writing this letter with hope that you will join my efforts in making America the fittest and healthiest nation in the world.
As a Bosnian-born American who came to this country in 2000, I have devoted my professional career to making America one of the healthiest and fittest nations in the world so that we can lead the world in health and fitness, as we do in so many other things such as freedom, democracy, economics, and the military, to name a few.
My Health Fitness Revolution team and I are the first in the country to rank American leaders in terms of health and fitness so that they can be motivated to promote a healthy lifestyle across our great nation. I created this ranking system in 2005, and it has become an annual list since 2013.
However, all my efforts are not creating enough momentum to tip the balance in our favor. Even though the mass media have reported my lists of the fittest mayors, senators, Congressmen, actors, pastors, churches, billionaires and athletes (just to name a few), it is clearly not enough. The obesity epidemic, the incidence of childhood Type II diabetes, and so many other illnesses associated with unhealthy lifestyle are increasing every year.
In order to break the ice and begin the social conversation, I started some of the most difficult fitness challenges the world has ever seen. I ran 7 marathons in 8 weeks with compressed weights equivalent to a 73.5-pound weight vest; I lived for 6 weeks carrying an extra 200-pound weight vest on my body (in order to better understand obesity); and at the end of this experience, I speed-walked 3 miles with the 200 lbs extra weight in order to motivate Americans to be more active. In the last 5 years, I have tried everything in my power to create a national awareness about obesity and its effects on our great country, with little results.
While this has been frustrating, it has also motivated me to fight for something that I believe in with all my heart and soul, which is that healthy lifestyle is a cornerstone of our nation in so many aspects. By ignoring this problem, we will be facing repercussions that will be difficult to reverse. Our corporations are losing hundreds of billions of dollars due to sick days and loss of productivity, our children are underperforming in schools, and our creativity and discipline are suffering, which may ultimately affect our military strength.
Former President George W. Bush once said, “Exercise is so important that corporate America should help its employees make time. There should be flextime for families, and there should be flextime for exercise. A healthy workforce is a more productive workforce. We have got to do a better job of encouraging exercise in America.” John F. Kennedy also famously proclaimed, “Physical fitness is not only one of the most important keys to a healthy body, it is the basis of dynamic and creative intellectual activity.”
The problems that we currently have with our healthcare can be minimized with preventative self-care through healthy lifestyle. It is not very difficult to be healthy, but actually, it is very simple. The key is sticking to the basics and not trying to reinvent the wheel.
Approximately 75% of Americans are overweight and more than 35% are obese, which is such an alarming number that using the term “epidemic” is not strong enough.
Millions of our children, who are the future of our country, are suffering from Type II diabetes and dozens of other illnesses that are associated with unhealthy lifestyle, lack of physical fitness, and poor nutrition. Our children will not be able to reach their full potential without first living in a healthy environment. This is ultimately our duty as parents, educational institutions, and the government to provide for them. How can they be the best CEOs, officers, professors, scientists, and leaders if unhealthy lifestyle and obesity puts the odds against them?
Mr. President, America is asking you for support on this matter that is threatening our great nation just as much, if not more, than the many other hot topics that we see and hear about on a daily basis.
Mr. President, your campaign quote is “Make America Great Again,” so, I’m asking you, does that also mean: “Make America Fit Again”?
Sincerely,
Samir Becic
Originally published on samirbecic.com
