[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 29 (Monday, July 21, 2003)]
[Pages 931-935]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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 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

[[Page 932]]

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 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.

[[Page 933]]

    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 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

[[Page 934]]

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 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.

[[Page 935]]

    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 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; Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper, President's personal physician; and 
Andrew Simpson, youth volunteer, Lakewest Family YMCA.