Donald Trump thinks exercise makes you die young

Really

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Donald Trump has said and done many things that have prompted eyebrow-raises across the globe.

And the latest revelation? The fact that the President believes that people are born with a finite amount of energy and therefore shouldn’t exercise if they want to live longer.

The point was highlighted in a sizeable feature by The New Yorker on how Trump might be removed from office:

“There has been considerable speculation about Trump’s physical and mental health, in part because few facts are known. During the campaign, his staff reported that he was six feet three inches tall and weighed two hundred and thirty-six pounds, which is considered overweight but not obese…

“Trump himself says that he is ‘not a big sleeper’ (‘I like three hours, four hours’) and professes a fondness for steak and McDonald’s. Other than golf, he considers exercise misguided, arguing that a person, like a battery, is born with a finite amount of energy.”

Yes, really.

Being president of the United States is undoubtedly a very stressful job which is likely to take its toll on one’s health. But whilst the previous POTUS Barack Obama was regularly seen out for jogs, Trump has rarely been spotted doing anything more active than playing a round of golf.

But his surprising viewpoint comes despite reams of previous studies going back years seemingly proving that moderate exercise makes you live a longer, healthier life.

One study from 2012, for example, concluded that 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week (such as walking, bicycling, or hiking) will mean you live 3.4 years longer. And just 75 minutes a week could add on 1.8 years.

That same study found that being inactive could reduce your lifespan by 7.2 years.

So how can President Trump - with endless experts and advisors surrounding him - possibly believe that exercising uses up energy that will shave years of your life? But he really does.

The Washington Post's Michael Kranish and Marc Fisher explained in a recent book:

“After college, after Trump mostly gave up his personal athletic interests, he came to view time spent playing sports as time wasted. Trump believed the human body was like a battery, with a finite amount of energy, which exercise only depleted. So he didn’t work out.

“When he learned that John O’Donnell, one of his top casino executives, was training for an Ironman triathlon, he admonished him, ‘You are going to die young because of this.’”

It’s been claimed that Trump believes standing up and speaking is a good enough workout.

But if numerous studies, scientists and personal trainers are to be believed, it’s probably best not to pack in your fitness regime and follow Trump’s lead.