Politics

Congressman Mike Simpson has a long list of accomplishments during his nine terms in Congress – including holding a seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee and engineering passage of the Boulder-White Clouds wilderness bill.

But ranking right up there in terms of accomplishments is what he has done on a personal level, away from Capitol Hill politics, and the example he is setting for others.

The 65-year-old Simpson has lost 70 pounds in the last 18 months and looks as trim and fit as ever – a far cry from his appearance as a 275-pound blob. He has lost the pounds through diet and exercise, the old-fashioned way. So now, he’s encouraging fellow Idahoans to get off the couch, put away the potato chips and get fit. He has started an Idaho STEP Challenge that, with the help of a monitoring device, will have Idahoans virtually walking from Boise to Washington, D.C., in a year. This covers almost 3,000 miles, which is a lot of walking – maybe too much for many people. But what counts is the effort, which is why I signed up for the challenge on his website. I might not make it 3,000 miles, but would feel pretty good if I could make it to Iowa.

In recent years, Idaho has gone from being among the most fit states in the nation to one that is fat, and getting fatter. Idaho, which only a few years ago had an obesity rate of about 15 percent, is now at nearly 29 percent. It’s following a national trend that projects half of the U.S. population to be obese in just 14 years.

The gloomy statistics and projections are not lost on Simpson.

“Being more active is not only good for you and your family, it is good for our country,” he said. “Health care costs are one of the largest expenses our nation faces and if we can work on increased awareness about our own health habits, we can reduce the expenses significantly while enjoying the many benefits of being healthier.”

One person who is delighted with Simpson’s story is Sue Linja of Boise, a 1988 University of Idaho graduate and longtime dietitian and nutritionist. By shedding 70 pounds, she says, Simpson has significantly reduced his risk for diabetes, congestive heart failure and strokes.

“Obesity is the underlying risk factor for almost every chronic disease you can name,” she said. “With each 5 percent loss of body weight, there is an exponential reduction in the risk for those diseases.”

Linja doesn’t know Simpson personally, but has seen him on several occasions over the years and has not always liked what she saw.

“I can normally detect hypertension. I’ve thought, this was a man with high blood pressure; I could see it in the redness of his face,” she said. She now sees Simpson as an ally in a cause that she has spent her career (often times unsuccessfully) trying to promote.

“It’s a big deal,” she said. “Many of us look up to our congressmen as celebrities. They can have more impact on people than a doctor saying we should do something. I’m proud of him for doing this, but also proud of him for allowing that the issue be discussed.”

Simpson’s STEP challenge may open doors for Linja and others in her profession to make headway with Idaho legislators.

“I’ve always wanted to ask them if they’d be willing to have us help them,” she said. “Without pointing fingers, there are many of them that could benefit from help with their nutrition.”

Sitting in one of the legislative galleries, it wouldn’t take a licensed nutritionist to point fingers at a lot of people on the floor who look old, tired -- roughly the way Simpson looked when he carried the weight of an NFL lineman.

By dropping 70 pounds, or about a half a dozen bowling balls, Simpson sends the message that if he can do it – with his hectic schedule as a congressman – then anybody can do the same.

That’s showing leadership where it counts.

Chuck Malloy is a native Idahoan, graduate of the University of Idaho and long-time political reporter and editorial writer. He is a former political editor with the Post Register of Idaho Falls and a former editorial writer with the Idaho Statesman. He may be contacted at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.