When I was fourteen, I was about six feet tall, had pimples, and weighed 130 pounds soaking wet. I remember because that was the year I joined a gym. It was on Daniel Webster Highway, not far from my house in Nashua, NH, and my mother said she would drive me as long as I kept up my grades.
I’ll never forget the sounds that greeted me as I walked through the door: the clinking of the weights, the plates being loaded onto the machines, the grunt that came with each rep. I remember thinking: Powerful things are happening here. In fact it was more than that. It was transformative. When I started, I couldn’t do a single pull-up. Luckily, some of the older guys encouraged me and gave me tips on everything from technique to nutrition. Suddenly I was hooked. The gym has helped me to look at myself in a different way. It allowed me to imagine what I wanted to become. For me, sports illuminated a destiny.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque addresses the crowd during Wrestlepalooza at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on September 20, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Michael Marques/WWE via Getty Images)
Now, I’m not suggesting that you become a WWE superstar or even an athlete. You do you. Just understand that a fitness regimen – which doesn’t have to involve lifting weights in a gym – will help you get there. And I implore you and your children to start right now. It will make you all better, sharper and healthier.
TRUMP SIGNS EXECUTIVE ORDER TO REIZE PRESIDENTIAL FITNESS TEST
This year marks the 70th anniversary of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition, founded by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Now President Donald Trump is reviving the council and reviving a core principle: the presidential suitability test. We will work with schools and communities across the country to encourage Americans of every generation to be healthier, stronger and more active in their daily lives.
Paul “Triple H” Levesque looks on during Night One of WrestleMania 40 at Lincoln Financial Field on April 6, 2024 in Philadelphia, Penn. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Here’s the deal: Our health has declined dramatically in recent decades. Americans are increasingly sedentary and lack a nutritious diet. Our children in particular are facing a crisis. The number of chronic diseases and poor nutrition is increasing enormously. Diabetes in children is increasing at an alarming rate. One in five American children is obese – a 270% increase from 50 years ago – and obese children are five times as likely to remain overweight into adulthood.
KATHY IRELAND SAYS STAYING YOUNG IS A ‘STATE OF MIND’ AS SHE EMBRACES LIFE AT 62
Bottom line: We let our kids eat super-sized portions of ultra-processed foods and spend too much time on their butts looking at screens. Children no longer play outside. Schools rarely instill the lifestyle necessary to live a healthy life: exercise, good nutrition and the inclination to challenge oneself.
John Cena and Triple H watch during Saturday Night’s Main Event at Capital One Arena on December 13, 2025 in Washington DC (Rich Freeda/WWE via Getty Images)
We can’t continue like this.
That’s why those of us at the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition are so committed to reversing this disaster and revolutionizing the health and fitness of Americans, especially for the next generation.
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It is essential to take care of ourselves physically. But it is even more important to set an example. Children don’t just listen, they observe. The good news is: it’s not that complicated. You don’t have to spend hours pumping iron or training for a marathon.
Just a daily walk of 15 minutes significantly reduces the risk of early death. So get outside, move and start pushing yourself. Start small and progress gradually as long as you keep showing up. Remember: it’s not just about you. It’s about your children.
Physical fitness is much more than being strong and fast or playing varsity sports. Actually, I’m not writing this for those who consider themselves athletes so much, but for those who don’t. I told them the same thing I told my own daughters when they said something was difficult.
The reward is on the other side of difficult.
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It doesn’t matter if you can’t do a single pull-up, push-up or sit-up. It matters if you try. If you keep trying, you will succeed. Exercising gives you discipline. Discipline gives you self-confidence. It will open a door to the possible. That’s what this is really about.
A physical fitness regimen changes you as a person. It changes the trajectory of your life. So I ask on behalf of the president: are you ready?
