Health Habits of the Living Presidents: Meatless Diets, Active Lifestyles
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Alex Wong/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — The five living presidents, who gathered Thursday for the opening of the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University, have managed to stay pretty healthy despite enduring some serious stress in the White House.
Here’s a look at how diet and lifestyle could be sustaining our past and present leaders.
Barack Obama: He’s gone a bit grey since his first inauguration in 2008, but Barack Obama is still in good shape. Earlier this month, the 51-year-old president shot hoops with the Washington Wizards at the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. He also loves to golf. And while he’s been open about his struggle to quit smoking, Obama said in 2009 he was “95 percent cured.”
George W. Bush: The 43rd president, George W. Bush, loves to ride his mountain bike. On Thursday, his wife, Laura, said he recently helped push a wounded veteran up a hill during a bike race. And when he’s not cycling, the 66-year-old Texan works hard to clear the network of bike trails through his ranch.
Bill Clinton: The 42nd president was known for his morning jog around the South Lawn. But it was emergency heart surgery in 2004 that convinced Bill Clinton to make big changes. In 2011, the 66-year-old adopted a vegan diet free of meat, eggs and dairy, which he credits for his 20-pound weight drop.
George H.W. Bush: After a string of health scares starting late last year, 88-year-old George H.W. Bush appeared at Thursday’s ceremony in a wheelchair because of a form of Parkinson’s disease. But the 41st president has been very active throughout his life. In 2009, the avid golfer jumped out of a plane for his 85th birthday.
Jimmy Carter: Jimmy Carter, 88, has been working with Habitat for Humanity since 1984, helping to build homes in countries around the world and needy neighborhoods across the U.S. In 2012, the 39th president was pictured wearing a red bandana around his neck and a tool belt around his waist while carrying long planks of wood at a building site in Haiti.
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