The Health Fitness Revolution team attended Beto’s Official Presidential Kick-off in Houston on Saturday, March 30th. We did so on behalf of our on-going look at politicians and their personal health and fitness, in addition to their policies affecting their constituents’ wellness.
Since Beto announced his presidential candidacy for 2020 we’ve been keeping tabs on his personal fitness and how important he thinks it is for Americans to stay active. In 2016, we made a Presidential Candidate Fitness report card– and we plan on doing it again for the 2020 hopefuls!
On Saturday, Beto O’Rourke partook in a marathon of a grassroots campaign day across Texas, starting in his hometown of El Paso before traveling to Texas Southern University in Houston and finishing the night with a rally in front of the Texas State Capitol in Austin. In his speech, Beto shared his unifying vision for bridging divides and bringing together Americans from all walks of life to overcome the greatest set of challenges this country has ever faced. He touched on the urgent need to take on powerful special interests to address the most profound issues facing the nation, including climate change, and access to universal, guaranteed, and high-quality health care.
In Houston, he spoke of some neighborhoods having a lack of access to quality, healthy foods. In particular, he mentioned Cashmere Gardens in Houston, Texas which was greatly affected by Hurricane Harvey. An inhabitant of the neighborhood, Keith, explained to Beto that “long before Harvey, a storm hit this neighborhood.” The storm according to Keith is the inability to find a healthy meal within walking distance, which by definition is considered a food desert. Beto iterated: “he said try being able to find a healthy meal in walking distance from any one of these homes, Beto I want you to see how many check cashing places and payday lenders there are, and how few places to get a healthy meal or put a nutritious meal in front of your kid.”
On a more personal front, Beto is an avid runner. In January 2018, Beto even hosted a run at the pioneer plaza in Dallas, Texas. He ran with about 50 other participants. As they were running he was answering their questions concerning his stance on various political topics.
He also frequently posts his morning workouts onto Facebook, and from his appearance, one can see that he engages in physical activity. Even after his losing the Senate seat last year, he still managed to compete in the sandstorm marathon.
Stay tuned as we continue to analyze Beto and the other 2020 candidates on their health and fitness…
