The Precedent Of The United States

This was very evident in the recent presidential campaign, when fitness was as much a factor as the candidates’ stands on major policy issues. While the media never missed an opportunity to show images of a sweat-soaked Obama leaving a gym, his significantly older Republican opponent, John McCain, faced tough questions about his health. McCain, who has battled skin cancer and would have been the oldest president had he won, picked a younger Sarah Palin as his running mate, in part to offset concerns over his health. That move backfired though, as Palin’s patent unsuitability for the job became apparent.

America’s focus on the fitness of its political leaders really began with Clinton, according to Lisa Wheeler, an international fitness expert. "He was our first real ‘baby boomer’ president and that generation seems to be a bit more involved with fitness," she says. "Clinton," she adds, "is an interesting case since he was a runner, but he’d also run to McDonald’s for a high-fat, high-calorie burger!" That was probably a move calculated to endear himself to the American aam admi, in much the same tenor as Vajpayee’s much-publicised appetite for chaat and street food. George W’s fondness for cycling, running and pumping iron were well projected during his presidency as signs of his discipline and control, though Wheeler observes that Bush seemed to have "substituted his addiction to alcohol with an exercise addiction".

So what drives Obama, who sports six-pack abs, to make time for a demanding exercise regime? Chicago-based physician Dr Balu Natarajan echoes accepted medical wisdom when he points out that exercise and fitness help maintain healthy blood pressure, blood sugar and arteries, and combat high levels of stress, long working hours, irregular meals and jet lag—all of which are occupational hazards for politicians. New York-based Masala Bhangra Workout founder Sarina Jain adds, "Exercise calms the nerves, helps you keep a sane mind and rationally think things over, which is essential for a president."

Not all US presidents have enjoyed perfect health, though. Dwight Eisenhower was hospitalised for seven weeks after a serious heart ailment in September 1955, but was re-elected in 1956, and completed his second term in excellent health, thanks to his strict fitness and diet regime. Ronald Reagan was seriously injured in an assassination attempt in 1981, and also underwent surgery for colon and skin cancer. An avid horseman and golfer who exercised daily, he bounced back from these ailments. The fact that the White House and Capitol Hill have gyms, swimming pools and other sports facilities certainly helps US presidents and politicians fit regular exercise into their crowded daily schedules.

They also make time for leisure and holidays, which in American culture are regarded as equally essential for both mental and physical health. Annual vacations and regular weekend breaks are sacrosanct for most US presidents. Apart from the presidential retreat at Camp David, Bush often went to his Texas ranch, the Reagans to their California villa, Kennedy to his family home at Cape Cod, the Clintons to Martha’s Vineyard. It’s an example that Indian politicians, who make a virtue out of never taking time off, might do well to consider.