Doctors say Bush in excellent shape, trimmer
By Caren BohanBETHESDA, Md. (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush said he was "feeling pretty good" after an annual medical exam on Saturday found him in excellent health and trimmer than he was just after winning re-election last year.
Bush, 59, prides himself on physical fitness and had lamented gaining weight at his last physical in December which he blamed on eating foods like doughnuts during the campaign.
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U.S. President George W. Bush waves upon returning to the White House in Washington after receiving his annual physical checkup, July 30, 2005. (REUTERS/Chris Kleponis) |
"I'm feeling pretty good," he told reporters as he left the National Naval Medical Center near Washington.
Skin lesions caused by sun damage and an occasional case of acid reflux were among the minor ailments cited in the report from a team of nine doctors, led by Bush's physician, Richard Tubb. The lesions appeared to be benign and no treatment was recommended.
"The president remains in excellent health and fit for duty," the doctors said. "All data suggest that he will remain so for the duration of his presidency."
They said Bush was in the superior fitness category for a man his age and had a "low" to "very low" risk of heart disease.
His resting heart rate of 47 beats per minute and blood pressure of 110/64 are consistent with someone in good aerobic shape. Endurance athletes have an average resting heart rate of 50 to 60 beats per minute.
AN OCCASIONAL CIGAR
Mountain biking has become Bush's favorite sport after knee problems forced him to give up jogging a couple of years ago.
But he has taken a few well-publicized spills, including one on his July 6 birthday, when he collided with a police officer while cycling in Gleneagles, Scotland.
In addition to cycling, Bush does elliptical training, low-impact treadmill, weight training and stretching. He exercises six times a week.
Bush's body fat of 15.8 percent was below last year's 18.25 percent and lower than the normal range of 16.5 percent to 20.5 percent for a man his age.
His cholesterol level of 178 was within the "desirable" range of less than 200.
Bush no longer drinks alcohol but has an occasional cigar and has caffeine in coffee and diet soda.
The latest exam puts Bush back on his regular schedule of having annual checkups in the summer. Last year, he postponed it for several months because of the campaign.
Bush, who visited with wounded Marines after his exam, planned to leave Washington on Tuesday and go to his Crawford, Texas, ranch for a vacation.
As Bush left the medical center, he ignored a question about expected plans to bypass the U.S. Senate to install John Bolton as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Two U.S. officials told Reuters on Friday he would give Bolton a "recess appointment" while the Senate is on its August summer break.
(Additional reporting by Jeremy Pelofsky)
Copyright © 2008 Reuters
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