Show y Family Weekly 0 5 November 29 1970 How President Nixon Guards Running in place bowling and Just after waking every morning in the White House Richard M Nixon automatically steps onto his bedroom rug and in his bare feet starts briskly running in place Lifting his feet about eight inches above the rug he keeps going at the rate of 75 steps a minute for a total of almost 400 steps During the routine he lets his arms swing naturally like any yood runner At the end he is perspiring ready for a shower and breakfast This simple but effective exercise to launch his workday is one way the President resolutely keeps in trim In n world as he faces today's and copes with the awesome burdens in the toughest of all jobs the health of our Chief Executive assumes high importance The nation's destinies may g depend on his Thus far Mr Nixon appears to be five-minu- crisis-ridde- well-bein- President Nixon prefers bowling in Executive Office Building but gets out on golf course with friends while away from Capital 4 te the healthiest President we’ve had in decades After his most recent checkup at the Bethesda Naval Hospital he was pronounced in "excellent physical condition" Doctors found his pulse normal and his Mood pressure has not varied five points from normal (122 over 70) since he took over the helm at the White House Nixon's steady weight of 172 pounds is considered 11 ideal for his 57 years and five-foinches height Just the other day the President remarked that he couldn't remember ever having had a headache despite the tensions and pressures to which he is constantly exposed Yet President Nixon has been described as the hardest-drivin- g Chief Executive since Theodore Roosevelt Shortly before the recent election for instance he embarked on a one-da- y trip which took him to a number of eastern states then to a dinner in Wisconsin then back to the White House late at night During the course of this day there were motorcades talks and handshake sessions with huge airport crowds several news conferences where pointed and controversial issues were raised and other demands on his store of energy However his pep seemed undiminished when he arrived back in Washington late at night How does President Nixon stand up to the physical and mental strain of such a schedule? Part of the secret of his vitality is his stationary running routine It's adapted frdm the Aerobic or official Air Force physical fitness program Dr Kenneth H Cooper director of clinical research at the Aerospace Medical Laboratory in San Antonio describes stationary running as a kind of life insurance When it's done properly the exercise stimulates action of the heart lungs and blood Breathing muscles are strength- ot ’ 15-ho- ur low-f- at diet help keep him fit ened to ease the rapid flow of air in and out of the lungs Muscles are toned up Chances of a coronary attack are diminished by the exercise because the heart is able to pump more blood and oxygen with each beat IllIt's a robust exercise but I recommended it to Mr Nixon because he has the constitution to take it" says Dr Walter R Tkach (pronounced Teekash) the official White House physician President Nixon however avoids overdoing his morning exertion Generally moderate in his habits he knows just when to stop Golf a favorite pastime of the late President Dwight Eisenhower is usually too for the man who was once Eisenhower's Vice President But when Mr Nixon is on vacation he is apt to go out on the golf course several days in a row In California and Florida he is usually joined by such old friends as Bebe Rebozo Bob Hope and Jackie Gleason and on occasion by his daughter and Julie and David Eisenhower Nixon shoots in the mid-90- 's his drives averaging between 175 and 200 yards In 1962 he shot a 165-yahole in one the only such Presidential feat ever recorded But bowling takes less time and therefore Nixon can fit it more regularly into his physical fitness routine After dinner three or four times a week he will stroll across West Executive Avenue to the alleys in the Executive Office Building and bowl a few games Mrs Nixon frequently joins him At other times he picks up Frank Blair a White House kitchen worker as his time-consumi- ng son-in-la- w rd partner The President usually bowls a 175 game (a respectable score) and takes advantage of the alleys at Camp David whenever he spends a weekend there He has found that bowling relieves the postural backache caused by long hours of sitting in an office chair It also helps improve vision coordination and muscle coordination Nixon also likes to swim but not indoors nor in fresh water He does his swimming at the San Clemente and Key Biscayne beaches He's careful not to overtax himself so when his daughters presented him with a surfboard he turned it over to his staff members He also likes to walk along the beach when he is in California or Florida and is usually accompanied by his wife or Tricia He sometimes goes fishing from Bebe Rebozo’s boat The White House swimming pool AS Dr Walter Tkach which was used in the past by Presi- dents Johnson Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt is now cpvered and serves as working space for the Washington press corps Tlie adjoining sauna bath which was presented to President Kennedy by the President of Finland has been moved out of the White House Nixon's moderate eating habits contribute to his fitness He hasn't forgotten the advice he once received from Presidential candidate Thomas E Dew“ ey: “Don't get fat!" He himself fre- quently remarks that "the worst thing you can do is eat heavy food when you have a lot of work to do" The Nixon meals are low in calories and low in cholesterol Breakfast is simple and the President blends wheat germ with his cereal for added nutrition Lunch usually served on a tray in a small private A and favorite is a cottage cheese lunch with either fresh peaches or ketchup office is low-f- at high-protc- in The family menu for dinner is checked by Mrs Nixon and Tricia and checked again by Doctor Tkach The women like rich sauces and desserts but the President continues to observe his formula and sticks to meat fresh vegetables and salads His No-Opreference is chopped steak medium rare Although the President is given vitamin tablets Doctor Tkach isn't sure he actually takes them Mr Nixon doesn't smoke cigarettes but now and then he will light up a cigar at an official function In his office the Chief Executive sometimes relaxes by putting his feet up on the edge of the desk He seldom naps during the day in contrast to LBJ who liked to take brief sroozes in the morning and again after lunch On occasion Nixon will take a nap in the afternoon but be won't get into his pajamas as President Johnson did low-calor- ie ne five-or-10-min- |