Fitness czar to help cut the fat

Mayor John Street appointed a health and fitness czar after Phila. was named the country's fattest city. Newly inaugurated Philadelphia Mayor John Street promised yesterday to trim the city's fat. Literally. Today marks the kickoff of "Fit and Free 2000," a campaign designed by Street and his administration to help Philadelphia -- recently named the fattest of America's big cities by Men's Health magazine -- adopt a healthier lifestyle. "We think this is very serious," Street explained yesterday at a press conference introducing the campaign. "We spend about $259 billion a year in this country on health care costs -- a significant portion of which could be avoided by doing simple things," like drinking more water, he said. So yesterday, Street issued the second executive order of his mayoral career, establishing a Health and Fitness Office in City Hall, creating a Health and Fitness Commission and kicking off the "Fit and Free 2000" campaign. And the new mayor crowned Gwen Foster, the former Health Director of the Allegheny East Conference of Seventh Day Adventists, as "Health and Fitness Czar" for the city. Foster is charged with leading the Health and Fitness Commission in encouraging better fitness and exercise habits in Philadelphia. "The overarching goal [of the commission] is to see Philadelphia be the healthiest city in the nation," Foster said yesterday. Consequently, the Health and Fitness Commission has set up an Internet site dedicated to providing Philadelphians with health tips and information about fitness-related events. Site users are encouraged to log on and tell the service their fitness goals, and software will help those trying to shed a few pounds track their progress. Today, the campaign kicks off the month of February with a registration drive designed to get the city's sedentary to commit to get fit. But the city's intentions for out-of-shape Philadelphians do not stop with the Web site and February's membership drive. Street announced plans for a "Night Out" in mid-March, outlining an evening where commission members retreat into Philadelphia restaurants to ask owners how their business will accommodate patrons who are trying to stay healthy. The Health and Fitness Commission will also organize fitness and exercise events, such as group classes or excursions, and health education campaigns. And the new mayor even hinted that especially fit Philadelphians may be able to accompany him to Hawaii to compete in the state's annual marathon this spring. However, Street also noted that funding plans for the Health and Fitness Commission and Office are not quite certain. "We're going to try and do this program in a way that minimizes costs to taxpayers," he said. "I don't believe it could be done general fund-free." Penn Recreation Director Mike Diorka said Street's plan is ambitious and well-intentioned, but not necessarily entirely realistic. "Exercise is an individualized type of thing," Diorka explained. "They have to do it. They have to make a decision." But Diorka also said the commitment to exercising with a group can be highly motivational. "The catalyst becomes the group meeting on a regular basis, knowing there is a group of people meeting that you can do something with," said Diorka, who has helped rehabilitate leukemia patients by coaching them in running. "Just keep it simple and people are more likely to participate," he advised the mayor. Last week, Street appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show in an episode entitled "Take Charge of Your Life in 2000." While Street and the national media personality gossiped about everything from Philly's hoagies to eggplant cheesecake, he announced to viewers his plans for helping Philadelphians lose their excess weight and get in shape.

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