Philip J Walter
Former president Bill Clinton sponsored a whole conference Tuesday dedicated to that simple strategy for living a healthy life.
He brought his daughter, celebrity exercise and cooking gurus, doctors, athletes, and a few politicians with him.
Within half an hour of launching the first Health Matters meeting tied to the Human Challenge golf tournament, they all acknowledged the solution is a no-brainer.
But while Tuesday's talk clearly wasn't breaking new ground, the conference was.
Clinton's daylong workshop with doctors, spa owners, pharmaceutical reps and a handful of locals was the first of its kind, part of an extreme makeover of the former Bob Hope Classic.
In the end, panelists from actress Goldie Hawn to PGA player Notah Begay III said healthy living is a personal journey.
But it's also a journey Americans have to walk together.
“I think every human being has a responsibility to live as long as they can and to help others do the same,” Clinton said, echoing a line from his book “Giving.”
The experts spent the rest of the day tackling the structural and psychological obstacles that keep Americans unhealthy, from cuts in funding for P.E. to racial and genetic differences in diabetes rates.
The former president's conference is the highlight of a week of healthy living initiatives including a 5K walk and playground project last weekend, a series of biometrics booths at PGA West's Hope Square and pedometer-based contests for Challenge spectators.
The week's events are meant to inspire Challenge players and watchers to make a change.
“After I had my heart surgery, I had a much more personal interest in this,” Clinton said.
The former president's appearance has morphed over 20 years — changing from the chubby resident of the White House to the lean vegan father walking his daughter down the aisle two years ago.
Clinton said Tuesday his weight finally meets the approval of former U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher.
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