How 8 U.S. Presidents Stayed in Shape
The role of president of the United States is intensely demanding, and requires both physical strength and mental acuity to perform the job properly. This is why it’s so important for presidents to care for themselves and embrace a healthy lifestyle, which often involves a regular fitness regimen. All 45 people who have served as POTUS have gone about this in their own unique way. Some turned to organized sport, others oversaw the installation of new fitness equipment in the White House, and one president even had a workout routine named in his honor. Here’s how eight former U.S. presidents stayed in shape.
Thomas Jefferson Rode Horses Down Pennsylvania Avenue
Thomas Jefferson is famed for being one of the most learned and bookish presidents to ever hold office. But according to some of his correspondences, he valued physical fitness even more than knowledge. In a letter he wrote on June 11, 1790 — 11 years prior to his presidency — Jefferson said that he preferred to use “all the afternoon for exercise and recreation… because health is worth more than learning.” One of his favorite ways to stay in shape was by riding horses. According to historian William Seale, Jefferson was one of a few early presidents who would hop on a horse and “jump and gallop down Pennsylvania Avenue.” Seale also noted, “In those days, there was a rule that a president didn’t have to stop at an intersection,” so Jefferson could ride unimpeded to his heart’s content. Even after leaving office, he continued to ride horses for three to four hours daily, according to a letter he wrote to John Adams in 1812.
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Teddy Roosevelt Held White House Boxing Matches
Theodore Roosevelt was an avid sportsman who wrestled and practiced jiujitsu in order to stay fit. He also enjoyed sparring with boxing partners in the White House, and one of his favorite people to spar with was Dan Tyler Moore, the cousin of first lady Edith Roosevelt. During one sparring session in 1905, Moore hit Roosevelt so hard in the eye that it partially blinded the president. However, the permanent injury wasn’t enough to deter Roosevelt, who continued to box with amateur and professional boxers. Another way that Roosevelt liked to stay fit was playing tennis. He even oversaw installation of the first White House tennis courts, just behind the West Wing. (They were relocated in 1911 by Roosevelt’s successor, William Howard Taft.)
Calvin Coolidge Rode a Mechanical Horse
The president known as “Silent Cal” for his reserved demeanor preferred artificial horses to the real thing, and even had a mechanical horse installed inside his private White House dressing room. Calvin Coolidge rode the “horse” three times a day in order to lose weight and improve his liver function. This routine was kept a secret until 1925, when the press caught word of the unusual regimen and leaked it to the public. This led to an onslaught of jokes and teasing from Coolidge’s fellow politicians. Kentucky Representative Fred Vinson even got up in front of Congress and read a mocking poem about the president’s “hobbyhorse.” To avoid any further ridicule, Coolidge switched from the mechanical horse to an electric vibration machine that purportedly reduced his waistline.
Herbert Hoover Helped Create a Game Known as Hoover-Ball
Herbert Hoover may be the only president with a popular ball game named in his honor. The game is called Hoover-ball, and it was inspired by a game called bull-in-the-ring that was popular on naval ships. The rules of Hoover-ball were developed by White House physician Joel T. Boone in 1928 in order to keep Hoover physically fit. The game was nameless until the moniker “Hoover-ball” was coined in a 1931 article by a New York Times Magazine reporter.
The game is played with two teams of anywhere from two to four players, and it’s scored quite similarly to tennis. The goal is to hurl a 6-pound medicine ball over an 8-foot-high net so it touches the ground on the other side before an opponent can catch it. Hoover and other VIPs played the game on the South Lawn of the White House at 7 a.m. sharp every morning except Sundays. In Hoover’s memoirs, he claimed the game required “less skill than tennis,” though it was also described by a friend as “more strenuous than either boxing, wrestling, or football.”
FDR Had a White House Swimming Pool Installed
Franklin D. Roosevelt was diagnosed with polio in 1921, and found that swimming was one of the best ways to get exercise with his affliction. He often swam at therapy pools at his New York home, though he had to give that up upon moving into the White House in March 1933. This is when the president’s supporters came to his aid, as the New York Daily News led a campaign to raise funds to build a White House pool. That effort was successful, and a new indoor swimming pool was installed that June. FDR’s new pool was state of the art, as it featured underwater lighting and sterilizers. Swimming quickly became a part of the president’s daily fitness routine.
The pool was also often used by Presidents Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy, but Richard Nixon drained it in 1970 to make space for a new press briefing room. President Gerald Ford, however, oversaw construction of a new outdoor pool in 1975 that opened on White House grounds. Ford took his inaugural dip on July 1, and a few days later welcomed the press to watch him do laps, telling reporters that he hoped “to do about 40 laps a day.”
Harry Truman Enjoyed Vigorous 5 a.m. Walks and Morning Bourbon
A morning stroll is often meant to be relaxing and provide a low-impact workout. But President Harry Truman’s daily walks were anything but relaxing, as he often conducted them at a rather brisk pace. The 33rd president began each morning at 5 a.m. by putting on a suit and tie and going out for a 2-mile walk. And instead of a slow saunter, Truman preferred walking at a rate of about 120 steps per minute — the pace of a traditional quick march in the U.S. Army. Upon the walk’s conclusion, Truman returned to the White House and downed a shot of bourbon at the advice of his doctor. The president diligently adhered to this fitness routine whether in D.C. or back in his hometown of Independence, Missouri, where he began his morning just a little later around 7:30 a.m. That routine also differed in that it would start with a shot of bourbon and a glass of orange juice, followed by a brisk walk around the neighborhood.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Popularized Golf as a Presidential Sport
According to historians, William McKinley was the first president to embrace golf as a hobby, though he largely kept it a secret. It wasn’t until 1953 that golf became deeply intertwined with the presidency, and it’s thanks to Dwight D. Eisenhower. While serving as commander in chief, Eisenhower played more than 800 rounds of golf over the course of his eight years in office, logging an average score in the mid-80s. He was so fond of golf that he used the South Lawn of the White House as a practice range, and even had a 3,000-square-foot putting green built outside the Oval Office in 1954. Eisenhower often played with fellow politicians and dignitaries, as well as golf legends such as Arnold Palmer.
Bill Clinton’s Jogging Annoyed the Secret Service
Bill Clinton’s affinity for long jogs was described as a “nightmare” by the Secret Service agents who were tasked with protecting him. Clinton enjoyed jogging three days a week, often at breakneck speed for no more than 37 minutes at a time. Secret Service agents sometimes struggled to maintain his pace, and their job was made all the more difficult by the many people that Clinton would encounter and talk to along the way. But the president loved jogging as a way to stay fit and also connect with voters. Despite his vigorous workout routine, Clinton was also a huge fan of McDonald’s, and many of his jogs ended up at a local McDonald’s establishment.
