Gold Gym names top 10 fittest presidents

DALLAS, Oct. 15 (UPI) -- Officials of Gold's Gym say their analysis of U.S. presidents down through the years leads them to conclude John Quincy Adams was the fittest.

The fitness routines of the 43 men who have held the nation's top elected post were as diverse as their leadership styles, but Adams was noted for his more than three-mile daily walks and Potomac River swims. The sixth president lived to be 80.

The current president, George W. Bush, who is said to exercise six days a week and steers clear of alcohol and cigarettes, ranked second most fit. Listed next are Gerald Ford, who turned down professional football for a career in law and politics, and Jimmy Carter, who hunts, fishes, skis and climbs mountains.

Ranked fifth fittest was Theodore Roosevelt, who fought through childhood ailments and, as an adult, took up boxing, horseback riding and hunting. He is followed by Harry S. Truman, who played horseshoes, bowled, and also was a daily walker and swimmer.

Filling out Gold's Top 10 are Zachary Taylor, whose 40-year military career kept him toned; Thomas Jefferson, who rode horses, fished and walked; Herbert Hoover, who was ordered by his doctor to play tennis and volleyball and figure out how to use a medicine ball; and George Washington, who enjoyed jigs and country dancing to stay fit.