COLUMN: Street wants you in shape

From Jeremy Reiss', "Vegas, Baby," Fall '00 From Jeremy Reiss', "Vegas, Baby," Fall '00If only we had known John Street would be our personal trainer and not just our mayor, he would have won the November election in a landslide. In case you haven't heard, in addition to obviously pressing issues such as crime and economic development, Mayor John Street said last week he is making a commitment to making Philadelphia a "healthier, fitter city." The announcement came when Street appeared as a guest on The Oprah Winfrey Show in an episode dedicated to health and fitness improvement. Street was asked to discuss Philadelphia's ranking in the January issue of Men's Health magazine as America's least fit city. Thanks to our new mayor, we can all rest assured that help is on the way. Street's going to "create a movement" to make the City of Blubberly Love a healthier one. Yup, he's got it all figured out. Yesterday, he appointed Gwen Foster, the former health director of the Allegheny East Conference of Seventh Day Adventists, to be the city's "health and fitness czar." Foster's job will be to provide us with innovative health tips such as the benefits of eating fruit and drinking water. Soon, all of Philadelphia will be following in the footsteps of Street himself, who once lost 60 pounds in a couple of months. "The overarching goal is to see Philadelphia be the healthiest city in the nation," Foster explained yesterday. Somehow I don't think that's going to happen any time soon. And at a cost that is thus far uncertain for taxpayers, the program might not be worth its while. There's a reason why San Diego was rated the country's fittest city and Philadelphia the least fit. And it has very little to do with political leadership. Rather, each city's trademark tells the story. San Diego: surfing. Philadelphia: the cheesesteak. Millions of Americans suffer from obesity, and many others from a slow metabolism. One could certainly make the argument that the plethora of low-cost, high-fat culinary options in Philadelphia do not bode well for such conditions. Sure, it's just a stereotype that in San Diego they spend their days running along the beach in 90 degree weather, shaping their perfectly toned bodies, while in Philadelphia, we sit around drinking beer and eating buffalo wings in sports bars. But stereotypes don't come from nowhere. And because health and fitness is much more a function of cultural influence and personal choice than political decisions, I'm certain our fattest-city status has a lot more to do with names such as Pat's, Gino's and Wing Bowl than those of Street, Katz or Rendell. Of course, for the purpose of public relations, it makes sense for Street to try to take responsibility for the problem. It's bad enough as a person to be made fun of for being a little obese. But if somebody called your entire city fat, you'd feel the need to defend it. In politics, though, you fight the fights you can win. I know, America is on a health craze. Membership in gyms across the country is increasing. Here at Penn, we crave an expansion of Gimbel Gym so that the Katz Fitness Center won't be so crowded. But the fact of the matter is obesity has still gone up substantially over the past few decades. Why? For one, our new toys -- the most recent being the Internet -- are only increasing the average person's desire to stay indoors. Still, why Philadelphia? Well, in fairness, let's not forget that warmer weather cities are inevitably advantaged in a survey like the one in Men's Health. It's kind of hard to go running, for instance, when there's a sheet of ice covering the street. But more specifically, it's because old habits die hard. Try to train the average beer-guzzling, cheesesteak-devouring Eagles fan to eat more fruits and vegetables and he's likely to spit them out. It's unlikely that Philadelphia's fitness-challenged are unaware of what it takes to get in better shape. But perhaps the city's culture makes them less inclined to do so. As Street himself said on Oprah, Philadelphia is a fat city "because we eat great." Indeed, institutions like Nifty Fifties, the Melrose Diner and Pat's and Gino's have become as integral to the Philadelphia experience as the Liberty Bell. Who knows? Street may in fact be right. Maybe he and his intrepid czar can stir up a widespread health kick and motivate Philadelphians never to come in last place again. But I think his time may be better focused on other mayoral duties.