We all know the conventional wisdom: If you want to lose weight, you have to exercise more and eat less. Representative Mike Simpson took this advice, and says he’s lost 70 pounds in the last year-and-a-half. The nine-term Idaho congressman says he eats better and credits a Fitbit given to him by his wife, which tracks how much he walks.
Now, he’s encouraging his constituents to join his turn toward a healthier lifestyle.
“Since I got my Fitbit everybody in my office has got Fitbits and we challenge each other," says Simpson. "Somebody said ‘we need to get more people involved in this,’ and I said, ‘How do we do that?’ They said, ‘We ought to do a walk from D.C. to Boise.' ”
Beginning Wednesday, people who sign up for Simpson's Idaho STEP Challenge will track their steps for the next year or so. The goal is for each person to reach almost 3,000 miles – the distance from the nation’s capital to Idaho’s capital. According to Simpson's office, 300 people have signed up so far.
The 65-year-old Congressman says he’s not done with his weight loss goals. Besides walking in D.C. and on his home treadmill, he says he’s looking forward to hiking in Idaho’s Boulder White Clouds Wilderness this summer.
Find Frankie Barnhill on Twitter @FABarnhill
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