10 Fittest Presidents

I can't tell you how many times I've heard people make the excuse "But I don't have time to exercise."

Exercise isn't a full-time job (unless you're a personal trainer, in which case you should be in pretty good shape anyway.) All it takes is 20 or 30 minutes about three times a week and you'll start seeing major improvements.

You can't possibly be so busy that you can't afford half an hour three times a week to walk, jog, swim or play some sort of sport. If the President of the United States can find time to exercise, then you can too.

So to inspire you I found a list of the 10 Fittest Presidents:

1. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809): This dude was buff -- tall, sinewy, virile. He was an avid walker and horseman on his Monticello estate. He walked until his 83rd birthday.

2. Teddy Roosevelt (1901-1909): He wrestled, boxed, fenced, rock-climbed, engaged in jujitsu, played tennis, rode horseback and hiked. Still, he died at age 60.

3. George W. Bush (2001-present): He mountain-bikes, runs and lifts weights. His resting pulse is 44.

4. Herbert Hoover (1929-1933): He used to have Cabinet members toss a medicine ball back and forth during meetings on the South Lawn. He handled the stress of the Great Depression, living 31 years after leaving office.

5. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981): Before George W., he was the top presidential runner and tennis player. The only mar on his record was when he collapsed during a 10K.

6. John Q. Adams (1825-1829): Most mornings, he'd do his own version of a triathlon (walk several miles, ride horseback, swim in the Potomac River). Someone once stole his pants from the shore, and Mrs. Adams had to go to the White House to retrieve some trousers.

7. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865): At a wiry 6-foot-4, Lincoln won his county wrestling title in Illinois. Yes, he beat the fabled Jack Armstrong, too. Legend has it that, in his youth, he lifted a box of stones weighing 1,000 pounds.

8. John Adams (1797-1801): He awoke at 5 a.m. each day for a five-mile walk. He used to burn calories by writing standing up at a podium. He was an avid horseman into his 80s.

9. Harry Truman (1945-1953): An avid power walker, Truman would occasionally hold news conferences during his walks, leaving reporters gasping to keep up. He lived to age 88.

10. George Washington (1789-1797): The father of our country got a lot of walking in during his early career as a surveyor. He survived smallpox, dysentery and malaria because of his strong constitution (6-foot-3, 200 pounds). He used to throw a ball around with troops during the war.

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)

And I bet Barack Obama will find himself on this list soon. He is a guy who takes fitness very seriously, even on the campaign trail. He apparently enjoys playing basketball and swimming and is in pretty good shape.