THE PRESIDENT: Please be seated -- except for those of you
behind me. (Laughter.) Welcome to the White House. And thanks for
joining us as we launch a new national initiative designed to help the
American people live longer, live healthier, live better lives.
Better health is an individual responsibility, and it is an
important national goal. We're making great progress in preventing and
detecting and treating many chronic diseases, and that's good for
America. Doing a better job with heart disease and cancer and
diabetes. We're living longer than any generation in history. Yet we
can still improve. And we can do more. And it's not all that
difficult to do. When it comes to your health, even little steps can
make a big difference.
I really appreciate the First Lady for joining us. She is
-(applause.) She's a regular exerciser. I appreciate Tommy Thompson,
the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, for being
here. Tommy told me the other day even at his advanced age he's
thinking about running a marathon. (Laughter.)
I appreciate very much Gale Norton, who's the Secretary of
Interior, for being here, as well, Gale. Thank you both for coming. I
want to thank all the athletes who are here, and physical fitness
experts, Olympians and Paralympians and President's Council on Physical
Fitness are joining us today. I'm honored you're here.
This is an important message that we're sending to America. When
America and Americans are healthier, our whole society benefits. And
that's important to know. If you're interested in improving America,
you can do so by taking care of your own body.
This year, heart disease will cost our country at least $183
billion. If just 10 percent of adults began walking regularly, we
could save billions in dollars in costs related to heart disease.
Research suggests that we can reduce cancer deaths in America by
one-third simply by changing our diets and getting more exercise. The
evidence is clear, a healthier America is a stronger America.
And today, I'm taking two actions to put a new emphasis on health
and fitness in America. First, I'm appointing the men and women you
see behind me to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and
Sports. These are professional athletes, trainers, U.S. Olympians,
executives from the public and private sector, and physicians. Lynn
Swann, a friend and a football legend -- not necessarily a friend to
Cowboy fans, I might add -- (applause) -- will be the Chairman of
this Council. I named him Chairman because, after a discussion with
him and with his friends, he is committed to using the platform that he
now has to make America a healthier place by encouraging individual
responsibility.
I appreciate so very much his Vice Chairman, Dot Richardson, an
Olympic gold medalist in softball and an orthopedic surgeon, for
joining us, as well. (Applause.) These fine Americans will serve as
role models, and will join me in working with Americans to encourage
exercise and healthy choices in life. Together, we're going to educate
our country. We can do so by adopting four guideposts in a new
initiative called Healthier Us.
First, Americans should be physically active every day. Second,
develop good eating habits. Third, take advantage of preventative
screenings. And fourth, don't smoke, don't do drugs, and don't drink
excessively. These four simple measures will help our country a lot,
by helping our fellow Americans a lot.
First, let me talk about physical fitness. People ought to work
out every day, one way or another. A report released today by the
Department of Health and Human Services confirms that virtually all
individuals can benefit from regular physical activity. Yet more than
a third of our children, 9th through 12th grades, failed to exercise at
least 20 minutes a day, three times a week. More than a third of our
children don't get an hour's worth of exercise a week.
Secondly, 60 percent of American adults do not get enough exercise
to improve their health. With this initiative, we propose simple
solutions. How about just walking 30 minutes a day? That's pretty
simple. It's easy to do. It will make you feel a lot better, by the
way. How about parents just playing a game with children in their
backyard for 30 minutes or an hour? It would be good for the child, it
would be good for the parent, and it's good for the family.
Regular hiking through a park can add years to a person's life. To
honor that commitment, I want to thank Secretary Norton for waiving all
entrance fees this weekend to national parks and federal lands. If
you're interested in doing something about your health, go to one of
our parks -- and take a hike. (Laughter.)
Second, eat a nutritious diet. That means at least five fruits or
vegetables a day. I've got a little work in my family. We've been
working on the old -- well, been working on number 41 to eat broccoli
for all these years. (Laughter.) But it's good advice. If you're
interested in your health, cut out fatty foods, watch what you eat.
And by the way, when you eat better food it will give you more energy
for your 30-minute walk.
Third, get preventative screenings. These are simple tests that
can save your life. Screenings available through your doctor may tell
you if you're prone to developing certain diseases, such as diabetes or
cancer or heart disease. By acting on information you can help prevent
a potentially life-threatening illness.
And fourth, cut out tobacco, drugs and excessive drinking. Tobacco
use is the single most preventable cause of death and disease in
America. Drug and alcohol abuse destroys our families and lives and
hopes of our fellow Americans. Our message is clear: Avoiding
tobacco, drugs and excessive alcohol can save your life.
This initiative is part of this administration's ongoing commitment
to raising awareness about the benefits of exercise and healthy
choices. Exercise is a part of my daily life. It kind of helps me
deal with the stress a little better. After I get a good run in, I
even like the press corps a lot better. (Laughter.) I don't know if
they like me a lot better after my run. But I value exercise. It's an
important part of a balanced life.
I've urged the folks at work inside the White House to exercise on
a daily basis. As an employer, I insist that they take time off, out
of their daily grind, to get some exercise. I found them to be better
able to communicate and happier on their job when they take some time.
And it doesn't matter to me when they do it. They can do it anytime of
the day, so long as they get it done.
Today I'm going to sign an executive order directing federal
agencies to work together to develop new policies to promote fitness.
And at the White House, federal agencies and businesses and
professional sport leagues have set up activities, as you can see, to
educate people about better eating, preventative screenings, and the
danger of substance abuse.
On Saturday, members of my staff will join the First Lady and me in
a fitness challenge to serve as an example to get people running and
exercising, and walking. And throughout this year and so long as we're
here in Washington, we will do everything we can, as we travel around
the country, to demonstrate ways to help keep America fit.
It is important for all of us to be responsible for the decisions
we make in life. It's important for us to be responsible for taking
care of our own health. And as we do so, not only will we each have a
more fulfilling life, collectively we'll make a great contribution to
the country we love.
I want to thank you for coming. I want to thank you for your
commitment to making America the greatest place it can possibly be.
Take a small step for America by exercising on a daily basis.
God bless you all, and God bless the country. (Applause.)