Issue date: July 30, 2000

Also this week: Interview: Al Gore Comparison of the candidates' exercise regimens

USA WEEKEND's fitness expert, Dr. Tedd Mitchell of the famous Cooper Clinic in Dallas, worked out recently with George W. Bush and Al Gore. His Rx for both men: Continue strength training and flexibility exercises for aging muscles

USA WEEKEND: How long have you exercised?
Gov. Bush: Well, I have been in team sports since I was a young fellow in Midland, Texas. I played baseball my freshman year at Yale, then I played rugby my junior and senior years. Senior year, I was a rugby fullback. And I have been running seriously since 1972.

USAW: At the Cooper Clinic, we always try to talk to people about exchanging bad habits for good habits. You quit drinking when you were 40?
Bush: Yeah, I quit smoking when I was much younger, partly because I was running.

USAW: Did you notice a difference when you stopped those things?
Bush: You bet I did.

USAW: Tell us about that.
Bush: I used to be an Air Force pilot and they taught us about hypoxia and about the residues from smoke that crowd out oxygen in your blood cells. Obviously, the more wholesome the blood cells are, the more oxygen that you store and the better runner you are. In terms of drinking, my running was affected when I drank too much -- exercising the next day became more theraputic, more of a 'let's sweat it out.' And I got tired of that.

USAW: Now that you don't drink, how is running different for you?
Bush: Well, instead of focusing on sweating it out, running is therapy, running is a chance to be alone, a chance to think, running is a chance to set a daily goal and achievement. Running is an opportunity to be outdoors in fresh air. Running is a wholesome and important experience for me. It helps me think, clears my head. It's always a good break in the day.

USAW: What exercise do you hate?
Bush: First of all, I'm pretty good [about sticking to an exercise regimen]. If I am stuck and need an exercise to do, I'll do it no matter how much I dislike it. Doing no exercise is the worse option for me. But I guess it would be trying to do pull-ups.

USAW: You don't like them.
Bush: I can't do them. I don't particularly care for the stationary biking relative to other forms of exercise. But when I had my knee operated on, I was on the exercise bike. I swam for a while.

USAW: Only about 20% of the American population exercises regularly.
Bush: Kids are in lousy shape. That is not a very healthy statistic. We must do a better job.

USAW: The kids are sitting on their couches watching TV, or they are on the computer. What do you do?
Bush: I think that anything we do to convince people of all ages to exercise, the more likely it is that we will have a healthy society. One of the things that I have learned at the Cooper Clinic is that there's a direct correlation between daily exercise and health. That is very important for America to hear. I think it's important for the president to exercise and convince people that exercise will yield benefits and describe the benefits. I think there have to be incentives for companies to encourage [employees to exercise regularly].

USAW: How would you accelerate that?
Bush: Well, there's no law that you can pass. These are decisions made in the private sector. But I think the president can use the bully pulpit to convince [the American public and corporations of the benefits of exercise].

USAW: Who are your exercise heroes? Have you had a great exercise partner?
Bush: I generally run alone in Austin, which is stark contrast to what my routine was like in Dallas. There, I would go to Cooper Clinic and know that I would be with a bunch of fellow runners. Most of them were better runners than me and all of them are really great runners still. But I became a better runner as a result and made good friends.

USAW: Did you ever work out at the White House gym when your father was president?
Bush: I don't think they have one. There were some [exercise] machines.

USAW: What did your father do for exercise then?
Bush: Occasionally he would go [to a nearby military base] and run there.

USAW: Was that because of security?
Bush: Well, that's the problem, it's hard to move around.

USAW: Your dad has exercised for years, hasn't he?
Bush: Uh huh. He's more of a walker now. He's 75 years old and he is still active. He's a very fast walker -- he's cranking them out at about 13 minutes a mile.

USAW: Wow! That's a pretty fast walk.
Bush: It is. He came to visit one Saturday morning, said 'Let's go for a walk,' and five miles later I was worn out after he set the pace.

USAW: What would you do about exercise facilities if you are elected president?
Bush: I don't know. There are fantastic exercise facilities at [presidential retreat] Camp David -- great running trails and a wonderful gym. I don't know what I would do in Washington. I'm trying to get there first!

USAW: Are you going to change your exercise routine if you become president?
Bush: No. I'm not sure what the exercise regime would be, but there would be one, I promise you.