Richard Simmons

Richard Simmons: I am a compulsive eater. I love food. I love it hot. I love it cold. I love food on other people's plates. I have seen children with candy that I came this close to taking. My parents were very thin, but I was raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, the Capital of Food. I mean, usually, a child comes out with words like "Mommy" or "Daddy". My first word was "buffet"!

Richard Simmons: I know that if I can get every kid and every adult really moving in the United States, we could knock out obesity, and people would live longer if they only sweat and love themselves just a little bit more. I mean, like, vampires want blood. All I want is sweat!

Richard Simmons: I began getting letters from schools, saying "Would you come teach in my school, my elementary school or high school"? And I started teaching. Whenever I had the opportunity, in a different city, I would always stop at a school and teach classes. And over the years, I have noticed something. I have noticed that our kids are more overweight than ever, and not just one or two in a class, but a lot of children who are not eating properly. Mom and Dad both work. They're not supervised at home. They go to school, they drink the colas, they eat whatever they want to eat, and then they come home and do their homework. Where is the exercise here? We have kids now who are diabetic, too. We have kids on anti-depressants. We have kids who are lethargic. And you know what? Thomas Jefferson said, "If a kid moves, a kid learns".