Disclosure: There's been a whopping setback in my 2008 commitment to less TV, more fitness and fresh air. First, the Olympics. Now, the Democratic and Republican conventions. Soon, the campaign debates. I try to multitask and monitor the news channels while pedaling my recumbent bike, but that's awkward when we have guests.

Following presidential politics is part of a healthy lifestyle, if you can stand the aggravation. I can, because I think it's crucial to have people in power who have functioning brains. Our nation's healthy lifestyle depends on it. We need conscious, compassionate leaders to figure our way out of this mess, and one of the messiest problems is health care.

Medical costs are going up. So are obesity, diabetes and the riskiness of radiating our heads with cell phones. Incomes and school performance scores are going down. The poor and uneven quality of our health care — whoever tells you we are No. 1 or even No. 10 is misinformed or lying — is a fact. There is documented pain and deep suffering all around. And still, when it comes to health care reform, it's all talk-talk-talk and little action.

That's because the real action must be taken by We the People. Study after study, expert after expert, all agree: Living a healthier lifestyle is our No. 1 defense against sickness and disease. What we eat, how much we sleep, how we deal with stress, the amount of physical exercise we do . . .we are our own deciders.

A national health insurance program can't make you eat fresh vegetables instead of cheese fries. It can't force you to wake up an hour earlier to exercise. It can't insist you meditate instead of medicate. In fact, big drug companies prefer you medicate. But all that can change — or at least shift — whenever you decide.

And while we're talking personal change vs. social change, here are three healthy lifestyle laws I'd like to see the next administration pass in their first 90 minutes:

— Free Bicycles. Build the bike racks, leave the bikes, and the riders will come. These programs already exist in Paris, in Portland and piecemeal around the country, but I'd like to see it happen in every city, town and school district town across America. And I want Warren Buffett to please pay for the bicycles, and include tandems and hybrid electric bikes, too.

— Incentives for Alternative Energy. Who wouldn't benefit from more energy? The least expensive and most health giving is human energy, and one proven way to increase that is to reward people for exercising. Call it a frequent tryer program. Everyone must be cared for, but there ought to be serious tax incentives for taking an active interest in caring for yourself: eating right, exercising more, keeping fit. This requires a creative co-venture between business and government. Am I dreaming? Sure, but so were John Glenn and Michael Phelps. We'll pay for this radical new program by increasing taxes on useless over-the-counter drugs that mask symptoms and produce nasty side effects.

— A National Thriving Test. It's the law: If you want to drive a car, you must know the rules of the road and pass an official driving test. That's a public safety issue. So is waking people up to the basics of living a healthier lifestyle. For sure we need universal health coverage. That's an enlightened government's responsibility. But to deliver on that and avoid breaking the bank, we have to reduce demand by encouraging individual responsibility. That's why I propose a National Thriving Test to be taken once every four years. You must demonstrate that you know the Rules of Wellness: simple anatomy, basic nutrition, how to exercise, when to rest, the number of calories in a giant double cheeseburger. The higher your grade, the lower your premium. To pass a driver's test, you have to learn what a red light means. To pass a Thriver's Test, you have to learn the difference between a soybean and a jellybean.

Your first responsibility is to figure out which party is most likely to deliver on all my brilliant ideas. So get involved, stop playing the victim, and start living your best and healthiest life.

ENERGY EXPRESS-O! TAKE IT FROM AL

"Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment and learn again to exercise his will — his personal responsibility." — Albert Einstein

Marilynn Preston — fitness expert, personal trainer and speaker on healthy lifestyle issues — is the creator of Energy Express, the longest-running syndicated fitness column in the country. She welcomes reader questions, which can be sent to MyEnergyExpress@aol.com. To find out more about Preston and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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