Do You Need to Be as Healthy as a President?

The real presidential physical more closely resembles these executive programs than the list of tests in the L.A. group's physical, says Connie Mariano, who was a physician to presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton and now heads the Center for Executive Medicine, a concierge practice in Scottsdale, Ariz. "The biggest difference between a routine physical and the one the president gets is the waiting room; with the president's, it's full of doctors waiting to see the president. It's, 'Doctor, the president will see you now,'" she says.

You, of course, will have to wait to see the doc. And while you're waiting, consider this low-tech approach—no unnecessary tests involved—to preventing problems: Put together a comprehensive family medical history. "Do a careful job of collecting family history and [considering your] personal health habits," Rhodes says. "The value of that supplants the value of most of these technological, nonguideline-based tests." Ask your family not only what relatives died from, but whether they had any other signs of disease. For example, did anyone have precancerous colorectal polyps? Did an uncle survive a heart attack at 42 and die of cancer at age 75? The heart attack is probably more significant, since it happened at a young age. Have that information with you when you visit the doc; it can inform him or her of what additional screening you need or precautions you should take.

And don't forget the basics: Avoid tobacco, get exercise most days of the week, maintain a healthy weight, and eat in moderation. Here you can follow the example of the current resident of the White House. Whatever your opinions about President Bush, his 2007 physical report said that he has a healthy 16.6 percent body fat, exercises six times a week, and is in excellent health.