[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
[July 18, 2003]
[Pages 889-894]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks on the HealthierUS Initiative in Dallas, Texas
July 18, 2003

    Thanks a lot. Please be seated. Thanks. It is nice to be home.
    I am honored to be here at Lakewest YMCA. I've got to tell you, the 
facility is overwhelming. It is a beautiful facility, and I appreciate 
so very much the hospitality and the dedicated staff here.
    Listen, we're here to talk about a health care plan that makes a lot 
of sense. And it's a health care plan that says if you exercise and eat 
healthy food, you will live longer. I mean, there is a lot of talk about 
treating chronic diseases and finding treatments and research and 
development. And that's great, and the country is on the leading edge of 
all kinds of new discoveries. But we've already discovered what works. 
And what works is to encourage people to exercise on a regular basis and 
to eat good foods. It's called preventative medicine. An integral part 
of any health care plan is to encourage people to adapt the habits 
necessary to avoid disease in the first place. And that's what we're 
here to talk about, and that is what the YMCA does, and I'm grateful for 
that.
    And there's no better place to start in encouraging healthy choices 
and exercise than with our children. And so Lynn and I were honored to go to the--some of these exercise 
classes and were pleased to see little youngsters doing jumping jacks--
with enthusiasm, I might add--[laughter]--counting out the number of 
stretches.
    I mean, look, the YMCA is an integral part of a healthy America by 
encouraging our youngsters to exercise, to have fun, to get outside, to 
learn to eat good foods. We're really here to thank the Y, thank the Y 
here in west Dallas and thank the

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YMCAs all across America for being an integral part of a healthy United 
States of America.
    Ken Gladish is the president and CEO 
of YMCA of the entire United States. We've got the President of the 
United States of the Ys with us. [Laughter] Thank you for coming. I'm 
honored you're here. Gordon Echtenkamp is 
the president and CEO of YMCA Metropolitan Dallas. Thank you, Gordon, 
appreciate you being here. Jo Harris is the 
executive director of the Lakewest Family YMCA. Thank you, Jo, for being 
here.
    I hope this entourage of mine didn't over-stress the organization. 
[Laughter] Turns out we don't travel lightly these days. [Laughter] But 
thanks a lot to you and your staff for opening up this facility for us 
to discuss health.
    I'm honored that the Governor is here, Governor Rick Perry. I ran as Governor; he runs as Governor. He'll be running 
faster than I ran as Governor, soon. But he understands what I know: 
There's a lot of stress in certain jobs. I guess every job could have 
stress to it. There's nothing like exercise to relieve the stress, and I 
know Rick works out a lot, and I thank you for setting a good example 
for the State of Texas, friend. Thanks for coming.
    And I want to thank Congressman Sam Johnson 
and Congressman Michael Burgess, both here 
from the State of Texas, for joining us. Thank you all for coming. I'm 
honored you're here.
    In the midst of some of those Ranger losing streaks, I would get all 
anxious, and I would go over and visit with my friend Ken 
Cooper, who's got a fantastic facility 
which promotes exercise. He'd just say, ``Run until it doesn't hurt 
anymore.'' [Laughter] And I'm honored you're here, Ken. Thanks for 
setting such a good example for--see, he's on the leading edge of 
research. He's determined a lot of simple facts. One of them is, is that 
if you exercise, like, 20 minutes a day, the incident of heart disease 
drops dramatically. That doesn't seem like much of a challenge, does it, 
to convince people to exercise 20 minutes a day? And that's what we're 
here to do.
    And so I put together a group of really strong American citizens who 
understand the value of exercise, understand the value of health for our 
society, to help spread the message. And the Chairman of that, of 
course, is a fabulous person who happened to be a very good football 
player named Lynn Swann. And I appreciate you, 
Lynn.
    And I appreciate so very much, Lynn, 
because he's a busy guy, and he's got a lot to do. And for him to 
volunteer, along with others on the Council, to help to make America a 
healthy place really speaks to the character of the person. And I'm 
honored to be associated with him, just like I'm honored to be 
associated with Dr. Dot Richardson, Olympic gold medalist, surgeon, and Vice Chairwoman. 
Doc, thanks for coming.
    As I say, we put together a really good Council, people who are out 
in the communities putting the word out. One guy who is here is a guy 
who I know has put the word out for running. Austin, Texas, is one of 
the greatest running cities in the country. And one of the reasons why 
is because Paul Carrozza, who is an 
entrepreneur, a business entrepreneur, started with nothing--except a 
good pair of legs--[laughter]--and started what they call RunTex. I know 
him well, and he'd probably like me to say, if you're interested in a 
pair of shoes in the Austin area, drop by. [Laughter] But he has 
organized a lot of running clubs and really has convinced a lot of 
people who never would think about running or exercise to get out on 
Town Lake and run. And I know we've got the same type of folks here in 
Dallas, but Paul, thank you for your dedication to a fit America.
    President of Trek Bicycle Corp. is John Burke. John is with us, been introduced now twice. But John is an 
entrepreneur as well who cares a lot about fitness. He

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recognizes there's other ways to stay fit than running, for example, 
like getting on a bicycle. That also counts, by the way. And I 
appreciate you coming, John. Thank you for being here, as well as Dr. 
Ted Mitchell. He works at the Cooper 
Clinic. He works for the Cooper Clinic Wellness Program. They take the 
research at Cooper Clinic and implement it into programs to get people 
to stay fit. And I want to thank all of you all for joining this 
Council, and thanks for coming. Good to see you, Doc. How's the 
fastball?
    I appreciate Dennis Roberson, who is 
here with us today. Dennis is a active volunteer. The reason I like to 
talk about volunteers, this country of ours has got a lot of muscle, and 
we're strong. And we, by the way, stay strong in order to keep the 
peace. We will stay strong in order to promote freedom. But the truth of 
the matter is, the great strength of America is the heart and soul of 
the American citizen, people who are willing to dedicate time to make 
somebody else's life better, people who are willing to volunteer. And 
this guy, Dennis Roberson, comes here and volunteers to help teach 
children healthy lifestyles, to teach children how to use the computer, 
to teach children how to access the Internet, to teach children that a 
healthy body and a healthy mind will lead to a strong future.
    And I want to thank you, Dennis, for 
setting a good example for volunteers all across the Metroplex, all 
across our State, and all across our Nation. One of the things--my jobs 
is to call people to a higher calling. And there's nothing higher than 
to loving a neighbor just like you would like to be loved yourself and 
volunteering your time to help somebody in need. Thank you, sir.
    We have a problem when people don't exercise and eat bad food. 
Obesity can cause serious health problems, like heart disease and 
diabetes. And it adds to the cost of health care in America; that is a 
fact. In 2000 alone, obesity costs totaled the country an estimated cost 
of $117 billion. Since 1980, rates of obesity have doubled among 
children, tripled among adolescents. Now, that is a problem, and the 
Nation must do something about it for the sake of our future.
    We must reverse the trend, and we know how to do it. It's exercise 
and good dieting. Good foods and regular exercise will reverse the trend 
and save our country a lot of money but, more importantly, save lives.
    The local Ys is a great place to start, and that's why we're here. 
There are other programs across the country, by the way, that encourage 
exercise, no doubt about it. The YMCA is on the forefront. I remember 
being a loyal Y member in Midland, Texas, playing basketball with a 
bunch of 45-year-olds. [Laughter] It was like full-court karate. 
[Laughter]
    But here at this Y, they hook youngsters on exercise. And Andrew 
Simpson just gave us a tour, gave Lynn 
Swann and me a tour. He's a good guide. He 
tells me exercise not only gives him energy but, as importantly, 
confidence. He's a more confident person as a result of the program. He 
said he was always tired of being the little guy, and so he decided to 
work out. He's not a little guy anymore. [Laughter] He's a man who 
understands that when you make right choices in life, you'll have a 
healthier future.
    The thing that I like to see, and the Y is good at this, and other 
programs need to understand, exercise doesn't need to be drudgery. It 
can be fun. It can be a fun way for people to spend their day. I love 
the idea of a day camp. I asked how long the day camp is. I think it's, 
like, 10 weeks. It's a really good idea. It's a good idea to help build 
up the spirit of the community. It's a good idea to give the kids 
something smart to do. It's a good idea to instill the habits necessary 
for a healthy future.
    And so we saw the problem in this administration, and we decided to 
do something about it and started what I call the HealthierUS 
Initiative. Washington has got

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to have initiatives, and so this is a HealthierUS Initiative. [Laughter] 
And here's the--we came up with four basic guidelines which make a lot 
of sense. And so our job of the Council and me and others, the 
Governors, the mayors, hopefully, is to focus on these four guidelines.
    First, be physically active every day, not just once a week or a 
couple times a week and say, ``Gosh, I've met the goal.'' It's every 
day, try to get some physical activity. And moms and dads, by the way, 
need to stay physically active as well, just not the sons or daughters.
    Secondly, develop good eating habits. It's been estimated that 
dietary changes can reduce cancer deaths in the United States by a 
third. Well, that's--given that potential, it seems like to make a lot 
of sense for all of us to figure out what we're going to eat. Listen, 
I'd be the first to admit to the kids here, I didn't like vegetables 
when I was young. I've learned to like them because I understand that 
they're good for you. That means not only vegetables but fruits, wise 
choices, not grease--[laughter]--but fruits and vegetables.
    Third, take advantage of preventative screenings. This is more, 
obviously, applicable to older Americans. Ken Cooper insists that I have preventative screenings on an annual 
basis. And it is important for us to do this, I mean, for example, like 
check your blood pressure. It can be an indicator that something might 
go wrong. I hope the Y--I don't know if you do or not, it would make 
sense if you did, a neighborhood screening--you do; that's good--to help 
provide screening for citizens in each community, so people can be able 
to detect early whether or not they may have a potential problem. A lot 
of disease can be picked up through a simple test.
    And fourth, make healthy choices. That not only means food, but no 
cigarettes, no excessive drinking, no drugs, no underage drinking. Those 
are the kind of healthy--you hear people say ``healthy choices,'' that 
is what we're talking about. And if our country, old and young alike, 
followed the four steps and measures, we'd be a much healthier nation. 
It would be, really, one of the best health care plans we could possibly 
implement in America.
    To promote this program, as I mentioned, I talked Lynn into doing this job. It's called--and we're setting a 
fitness challenge today. And he and I are going to spend a lot of time 
working on the fitness challenge. I probably will spend most time by 
trying to set the example. It turns out, when a President shows up, 
cameras show up. And I like to exercise, and I want people to see their 
President exercising. Today I knocked off about 30 minutes' worth of 
exercise and feel better for it.
    But our goal is to get 20 million additional Americans to exercise 
for at least 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. That is a noble goal, and 
it's an important goal. Americans will feel better if they accept the 
challenge. America will be better off when Americans accept the 
challenge. It's easy to get started in this, and so we've set up a web 
page, as Lynn mentioned, and John is responsible for the web page. It's 
presidentschallenge.org.
    And it's an interesting opportunity for people. If you need a little 
discipline in your life--in other words, if you need--so you can check 
on yourself, a self-policing mechanism, call up the web page and follow 
the instructions, and there's a go-by to help you get involved with an 
exercise program. And I can assure you, and Lynn can assure you, the Governor assure 
you, once you get hooked on exercise, it is hard to get off. Once you 
get started, once you realize the benefits, once you understand how 
great you feel, once you understand that it's easier to go to sleep at 
night after a good day of exercise, you're not going to quit.
    And so our job as a country, at the Federal level, the State level, 
and the local level is to get people started and realize the great 
benefits of exercise. And so we've

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set up this web page, trying to take advantage of the new technologies. 
So if people are interested, please go to presidentschallenge.org.
    Now, the other thing is, I do think there is a role for the Federal 
Government to help. I proposed $125 million for community monies to help 
different organizations like the Y to start promoting awareness. It's to 
facilitate an awareness campaign, to make people aware of what it's like 
to exercise, to make people aware of opportunities available in the 
communities, and to make people aware that--what good nutrition and good 
exercise will do for their long-term health.
    The funds would be available to target obesity and diabetes and 
asthma. It also could be used to encourage preventative screenings. In 
other words, it's a part of a larger process throughout our society to 
get this initiative going. And I hope Congress takes a good, solid look 
at it.
    The other thing we're going to try to do at the Federal--not ``try 
to do''--will do at the Federal level, is provide incentives for local 
schools to focus on better nutrition and eating habits. As you know, the 
Federal Government is involved with the school programs. The U.S. 
Department of Agriculture is integrally involved, and it makes sense to 
me, since we've got a lot of kids eating food around the country once 
the schools are in, that we have better nutrition. And the Federal 
Government must encourage better nutrition at the local school level, 
which we will do.
    One of the things I talk a lot about is the need to really work on 
cultural change in America to encourage a culture of personal 
responsibility, to encourage people to be responsible for the decisions 
they make in life. I like to talk about, if you're a mother or a dad, 
reminding people you're responsible for loving your child and really 
making sure your child understands the difference between right and 
wrong and what it means to make right choices in life. If you're 
involved, if you're worried about your public school system, you're 
responsible for getting involved with it, as opposed to hoping somebody 
far away gets involved. You're responsible for getting involved with 
your schools.
    You're responsible if you're a CEO, by the way, in America, for 
telling the truth to your shareholders and your employees. You're 
responsible for loving a neighbor like you'd like to be loved yourself. 
The Initiative, the HealthierUS Initiative, really speaks to personal 
responsibility, doesn't it? It says that we are responsible for our own 
health. By making the right choices, we can make the right choice for 
our future. By making healthy choices, we can do the right things for 
our future.
    Moms and dads, by working on healthy choices not only for themselves 
but their kids, are doing their job as a parent. By exercising every 
day, by finding time, by carving out time, no matter how busy you may 
seem or how boring exercise may seem initially, it's a part of a 
responsibility culture. And I appreciate giving it--being given the 
chance to come and talk about this.
    We'll work on health care matters. We're working on Medicare reform. 
That's--we need to work on Medicare reform. And we're working on how to 
make sure the working uninsured get insurance. But the truth of the 
matter is, one of the best reforms in America for health care is a 
strong, preventative health care program that starts with each American 
being responsible for what he or she eats, what he or she drinks, what 
he or she doesn't smoke, and is responsible for whether or not they get 
out and exercise on a regular basis. I encourage my fellow citizens to 
exercise.
    Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming, and may God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 2:04 p.m. in the gymnasium at the Lakewest 
Family

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YMCA. In his remarks, he referred to Chairman Lynn C. Swann, Vice 
Chairman Dorothy G. ``Dot'' Richardson, and Council Members Paul R. 
Carrozza, John P. Burke, and Dr. Teddy L. Mitchell, President's Council 
on Physical Fitness and Sports; Kenneth L. Gladish, national executive 
director and chief executive officer, YMCA of the USA; Gov. Rick Perry 
of Texas; Kenneth H. Cooper, the President's personal physician; and 
Andrew Simpson, youth volunteer, Lakewest Family YMCA. The Office of the 
Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these 
remarks.