Our 10 fittest presidents

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The 10 fittest presidents:1. Thomas Jefferson (1801-1809): This dude was buff -- tall, sinewy, virile. He was an avid walker and horseman on his Monticello estate. He walked until his 83rd birthday.2. Teddy Roosevelt (1901-1909): He wrestled, boxed, fenced, rock-climbed, engaged in jujitsu, played tennis, rode horseback and hiked. Still, he died at age 60.3. George W. Bush (2001-present): He mountain-bikes, runs and lifts weights. His resting pulse is 44.4. Herbert Hoover (1929-1933): He used to have Cabinet members toss a medicine ball back and forth during meetings on the South Lawn. He handled the stress of the Great Depression, living 31 years after leaving office.5. Jimmy Carter (1977-1981): Before George W., he was the top presidential runner and tennis player. The only mar on his record was when he collapsed during a 10K.6. John Q. Adams (1825-1829): Most mornings, he'd do his own version of a triathlon (walk several miles, ride horseback, swim in the Potomac River). Someone once stole his pants from the shore, and Mrs. Adams had to go to the White House to retrieve some trousers.7. Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865): At a wiry 6-foot-4, Lincoln won his county wrestling title in Illinois. Yes, he beat the fabled Jack Armstrong, too. Legend has it that, in his youth, he lifted a box of stones weighing 1,000 pounds.8. John Adams (1797-1801): He awoke at 5 a.m. each day for a five-mile walk. He used to burn calories by writing standing up at a podium. He was an avid horseman into his 80s.9. Harry Truman (1945-1953): An avid power walker, Truman would occasionally hold news conferences during his walks, leaving reporters gasping to keep up. He lived to age 88.10. George Washington (1789-1797): The father of our country got a lot of walking in during his early career as a surveyor. He survived smallpox, dysentery and malaria because of his strong constitution (6-foot-3, 200 pounds). He used to throw a ball around with troops during the war.(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)