It is turning out that my self-imposed July 1 next-post date is artificial and unnecessary. And there is an additional observation I wish to share. It's about Trump's weight gain.
Now in the gym business, Diane and I are more tuned into people's weight gains and losses than when we were as expediters. Trump almost always hides his body under suit jackets and overcoats. The occasional golf course photo shows him in a polo shirt. Shots from the past compared to recent ones show added body fat. We also see body fat building in his face. It seems to us that Trump is carrying 30 lbs or more body fat than he did before he became president. That is a significant and dangerous gain for a man of any age but more so for one age 70.
I don't know if there is any way for Trump supporters to get through to him to caution him against the risks and urge a better diet and exercise routine. Those who care about him would do well to try. Convincing him to adopt a healthier lifestyle would add years to his life.
Except for golf (often shown using carts instead of walking), Trump says he avoids physical activity (he is a good golfer and truly enjoys the game according to the sports literature). By his own account, Trump's diet is dominated by junk food. That health history combined with the added stress of the presidency (a job in which he is finding out that he is not the boss and not the winner like he fancied himself in business) is a potentially lethal combination.
Granted, Trump has already outlived a good number of men who lead healthier lifestyles than him. Nevertheless, Trump would do well to adopt healthier habits for the same reason others do; look better, feel better, live longer. Like all top officials in Washington, Trump has easy access to doctors, nutritionists, personal trainers and fitness facilities. It would be nice to see him put them to use.
A trainer would help Trump with his posture and gait also. While the cause can be one of many possible causes, Diane and I are noticing that Trump now walks with his head lower and shoulders more rounded. Burdens of the office? Maybe. There is no way to know. We do know that improvements to posture and gait can be made when the condition is accepted and managed. In our gym, we have seen 80-something people literally give up their walkers after working with our trainers. Trump is in no need of a walker but he can clearly benefit from time with a good trainer.
Diane and I enjoyed reading
this article about 84 year-old Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's fitness routine. In our gym, we have 70 - 80+ year-olds in similar condition. It's amazing how healthy elderly people can become when they set their mind to it. Such mind-setting often happens after surviving a health scare, like a heart attack, or in Ginsburg's case, cancer.
For many, the rescue fantasy is the approach. That is, I'll live my unhealthy life until something happens. Then, after I survive my heart attack, stroke or am diagnosed as a diabetic, I'll change my ways and be good as new. Unfortunately, because of death or disability, people do not always get that second chance to be good as new. If they do survive to live another day, the old habits often prove too difficult to break. It's easy to imagine yourself healthy and fit one day in the future. Those who become healthy after being unhealthy put in the work today.
Trump is walking a dangerous path by avoiding exercise and eating junk food as he is. It seems to be a point of pride for him to avoid physical activity and eat junk food. If he can change his mind about that, his body will follow.
Uh oh. That's not what she said a couple of weeks ago.
85 year old Warren Buffett eats like a 6 year old: Ice cream for breakfast and Coke all day: the extreme eating habits of billionaires
