U.S. Office of Personnel Management - Ensuring the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce

HealthierFeds Initiative

Current Leader Spotlight

Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State

Secretary Rice is recognized as a HealthierFeds Leader for her personal dedication to physical fitness, her public support of healthy lifestyles, and the encouragement she provides her employees in improving their own wellbeing.

Commitment to Self

Secretary Rice has been dedicated to physical fitness throughout her life. Inspired by her father who was very athletic, she trained for many years as a figure skater and learned that exercise must continue throughout one’s life to stay healthy.

Secretary Rice is extraordinarily disciplined about her diet and fitness regime. She rises every day at 4:30 a.m. to exercise and even while she is traveling around the world, Secretary Rice makes time to begin her day with exercising. She does a cardio fitness workout (walking and cycling) six days a week and adds weight training to the routine three days a week. She prefers walking to running and was eager to promote the Department of State Medical Unit distribution of free pedometers this year as part of its Health Promotion Program. The pedometers were handed out to employees as part of a program to monitor health behaviors including food consumption and how many steps they take in a day.

Though the Secretary spends many hours in planes and in meetings, she manages to stay on track with her diet and exercise. During long flights she walks and stretches regularly. Secretary Rice also has ensured that healthy meals are served on the Department of State airplane.

Commitment to the Federal Workforce

Secretary Rice has inspired Department of State employees to take charge of their health. Last year, a number of State Department employees joined Secretary Rice as she led a power walk to encourage participation in the Healthier Feds Presidential Challenge. She strongly supports State's Office of Medical Services in guiding employees to improve their health and fitness.

Secretary Rice encourages employees to make time every day to do some form of exercise even if for less than 30 minutes. She believes exercise has mental and physical benefits, and eating a balanced diet is key to good health.

Commitment to Others

Because the Secretary feels so strongly about the need for Americans to get into shape, she agreed to share her exercise routine in a February 25, 2006 interview with Barbara Harrison on NBC4, in Washington DC. The three-segment interview showed how sticking to an exercise routine increases endurance.

She also spoke at the 17th Annual Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation National Race for the Cure event on June 3, 2006. At that venue and in a subsequent interview with the Washington Post, she made the case for better options for women—for treatment, for prevention, and for a cure. The Secretary felt it was important to share her experience as the daughter of a breast cancer survivor and to get the word out, while there’s no cure yet, there are many things women can do through diet and exercise and to make sure that they are properly screened.

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