Making the Busiest Life Fit

To most of us mere mortals, elite athletes often seem to eat right and stay in shape with an effortless grace. It's hard to imagine that they ever struggle to work out or are tempted to overeat and add unwanted pounds.

But former Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver Lynn Swann, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and chairman of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, is here to set the record straight.

At 53, Swann maintains his playing weight of 185 pounds. These days, he juggles work and family, including two sons, aged 7 and 8. In addition to performing his council duties, a voluntary, presidentially-appointed position, Swann is an on-air college football commentator for ABC, which keeps him traveling six months of the year. It's the kind of routine that often makes healthful eating and regular physical activity difficult to sustain.

Swann's schedule is likely to get even busier: He may run for governor of Pennsylvania as a Republican in 2006.

Swann said in a recent interview that he expects to resign from the President's Council in the next several months. "In mounting a campaign for governor, I would not be able to spend the same amount of time that I need to spend as chairman of the President's Council," he said.

Whether or not he enters politics, physical activity is a mainstay of his daily life. Here's what Swann suggests -- and practices himself -- to stay fit and to maintain a healthy weight:

Energize with exercise. "People who don't work out kind of wake up and just float through the day," Swann said. "They never get to the point where their body is revved up . . . and functioning at 100 percent. They don't have the same kind of energy or stamina" as those who stay active.

Something is better than nothing. When Swann finds his motivation lacking, he forces himself to get on a stationary bike. "We all have those moments where we don't feel like working out," he said. "Just going through the motions for 30 minutes a day is better than not being there."