WASHINGTON -- President Reagan, describing his personal physical fitness program in a magazine article, says he likes the 'sheer pleasure' that exertion brings as well as the health benefits he gets from frequent exercise.
In an article in the Dec. 4 issue of Parade, the 72-year-old president advocates a program combining outdoor activities -- such as swimming and horseback riding -- and indoor exercises -- such as leglifts, bench presses and walking a treadmill -- along with careful attention to diet.
'I am a great believer in exercise, not only for reasons of fitness, but also sheer pleasure,' Reagan declares. 'So, move over, Jane Fonda, here comes the Ronald Reagan workout plan.'
The president said part of any exercise plan should be outdoors, where 'there's something that clears your senses.'
He said his widely reported wood gathering at his California ranch prompted a friend to suggest he 'write a fitness book about the benefits of chopping and stacking called 'Pumping Firewood.''
Reagan noted, however, 'There is not a lot of wood to chop or trails to clear on the White House lawn, so I have set up a gym on the second floor,' where he routinely does a 10 minute warm-up, followed by a 15-minute progam of exercises.
His equipment includes an 'exercyle, treadmill, a leg-lift contraption, and a machine with pulleys and weights that enables me to do a variety of exercises fir arms, stomach, shoulders and legs.'
To avoid boredom, he said, he changes his exericises from day to day and, 'I have a TV in front of the treadmill so that when I'm walking, I can watch the news.'
In addition to extolling horseback riding as a cardiovascular stimulant, Reagan lauds swimming, which he says he likes to do at Camp David.
'Maybe I still like to show off for Nancy, but I still enjoy doing a swan dive and a jacknife now and then,' he said.
Parade said Reagan's doctors report his chest has grown 1 inches since he began the exercise program after the March 1981 assassination attempt. The 6-foot-1 president said he weighs 190 -- just 5 pounds more than when he entered office -- and adds, 'Muscle is heavier than fat and accounts for most of the increase.
