When Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger agreed to back a conference on health and obesity in Los Angeles, he recruited an old friend who knew a lot about the subject matter; former President Bill Clinton.
"I believe that until we get a hold of our lifestyles and our food chain and how we eat and how we exercise, we're going to have serious, serious problems," Clinton told attendees at the governor's "2010 Summit on Health, Nutrition and Obesity: Action for Healthy Living" at the California Endowment.
The former president recently had two stents put into an artery to improve his blood flow, and he knows that his lifestyle and eating habits are a big reason why he is one of the millions of people in the United States suffering from heart disease.
"We have enacted some of the most innovative and successful strategies in the nation to promote health and nutrition since my first summit in 2005," Schwarzenegger said. "But there is still work to be done to create a healthier future for our children and all Californians."
Schwarzenegger and Clinton called on Californians to drink healthier beverages and increase their physical activity.
The two politicians have worked together for years through the American Heart Association's Alliance for a Healthier Generation to combat childhood obesity.
"Through the alliance's efforts, we have increased health care benefits for the prevention of obesity for more than 1.5 million young people, more than 2.2 million kids and teens have made a commitment to healthier lives and more than 7,800 schools across the country have enlisted to build healthier environments for students and staff, including 398 schools in the state of California," Clinton said.
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"This summit gives us an opportunity to discuss what we've done well and what we can do better in California and across the country to ensure this generation of kids isn't the first to live shorter lives than their parents," he said.
