It's early spring in Washington, D.C., and the cherry blossoms lining the Tidal Basin are bursting like kernels of popcorn, lending a fairy-tale feel to the nation's bastion of power. But to catch a glimpse of the real Washington in action, you'd better arrive early. If you hit the street before 8 a.m., you may see the fittest man in Congress, U.S. Representative Aaron Schock of Illinois, clocking in for his 5-mile run—the conclusion of a morning fitness routine that starts in the House gym at 6:30 every weekday morning.

"It's got to happen early or it's not going to happen," says Schock, who on the cusp of his 30th birthday is the youngest member of the House of Representatives—and already in his second term. Schock, who represents Illinois's 18th congressional district (Abe Lincoln's old stomping grounds), is one of a dozen or so congressmen who make regular treks to the House gym for weight training and sessions of P90X, the video series created by Tony Horton.

(Aaron Schock is challenging you to lose weight and get healthier this summer. Take the Fit for Life Summer Challenge and see the program that will help you drop 10, 20, or 30 pounds and slash your risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and many other diseases dramatically!)

"When I first saw it I kind of laughed," Schock says of Horton's training regimen. "I didn't think you could get a real workout from a DVD. But at 6:30 a.m., it helps to have somebody talking you through your workout."

For a Washington politician, Aaron Schock's approach to governing is as unconventional as his approach to fitness. That's not because of his policy positions—he's a party-line Republican with a middle-class, Rust Belt background. And it's not because of his controversial statements and stances—his biggest national showdown involved a chummy ride on Air Force One during which President Barack Obama lobbied him to vote for the stimulus bill. (Schock politely declined.) And given that he's at least half a decade too young to run for the presidency, nobody fears his entry into the race for the White House in 2012 (or 2016, for that matter). No, what makes Aaron Schock so different in the Washington world is that he's committed to helping his generation embrace health and fitness as a personal responsibility—and he's doing it not just with words, but actions.

To understand just how unusual Schock's body politic is, consider this: The average age of a member of Congress is 57. The combined age of the two U.S. senators representing Hawaii is 172. Schock—the first U.S. rep born in the 1980s—is young enough to be the son of most of his peers, and the grandson of many. When Michigan congressman John Dingell was celebrating his 25th year in office, Schock was still in utero. And Schock has already been in politics for longer than a decade; he won his first election at 19, as a write-in candidate for a position on his local school board. His candidacy was an act of protest against the board's decision to prevent him from graduating early; he trounced his opponent with 60 percent of the vote.

Schock's apple-pie looks serve only to emphasize his youth; combine that with his conservative views and it's hard to miss his resemblance to a certain Alex P. Keaton. "The biggest misconception people have about me is that when they see how young I am, they think, 'Oh, this guy must have always wanted to be in politics, his parents must have been politically connected,' " Schock says. "I'm a finance major and always intended to go into business. We would read the newspaper at home, but that was about as politically involved as my family got. I'd never even been to the state capital until I joined the school board."

But instead of shrinking from the two characteristics that Ronald Reagan famously described as liabilities—his "youth and inexperience"—Schock embraces them. And that's perhaps his most radical position. He feels a special responsibility to young people, and he's focused on major issues that will affect his own generation the most: energy and the environment, the budget deficit, spiraling health-care costs, and a growing obesity crisis. He notes that members of Congress in their 60s, 70s, and 80s won't be around to suffer the consequences of their misguided policies, while Schock and his generation will feel the negative effects of bad policy for the rest of their lives. Schock is a committed deficit hawk who favors tax incentives to spur investment in alternative energy and infrastructure; but his greatest personal investments are in two areas: obesity and health-care costs.

In fact, this month Schock is launching an initiative—the Fit for Summer, Fit for Life challenge to help Americans take control of their health. (To sign up, go to MensHealth.com/schock.)

"One of my favorite quotes is from Ben Franklin, who said, 'A good example is the best sermon,' " Schock says. "And I think if you want to start talking about healthy lifestyles and staying in shape, then you yourself should do your best to try to be a model, an example to people you're trying to convince to do the same."

And model he does. When he strolls into a New York City studio for his photo shoot, Schock isn't sporting the typical boxy clothes that Beltway insiders wear in order to hide what's stretching their belts. Instead, he's decked out in a form-fitting Zegna suit and tapered shirt that show off both his musculature and his fashion savvy. He looks more like a hit man from a European spy thriller than a boring politician.

In other words, Aaron Schock is pretty fly for a Republican from Peoria. For much of the past few decades, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have laid claim to cool for the Democrats. Aaron Schock might just steal it back.Pumping Iron in a Pressure Cooker

Schock's lead-by-example ethos is a nonpartisan position. "I think Michelle Obama is on the right track with her Let's Move campaign to bring down childhood obesity," he says. "She and I come from the same state, Illinois, which is number four in the nation for obese children. One out of five Illinois children are considered obese. Not overweight, obese. And two-thirds of Americans are either overweight or obese. When people hear that, they're shocked, and rightfully so."

But Schock isn't one of those lifelong fitness buffs who think we all have 2 hours a day to spend in the gym. He was a scrawny, sports-averse kid in high school. Fitness was never part of his original game plan. "I didn't start working out until college," Schock says. "But in college I could feel my body changing, and I knew that if I didn't make some changes, I was going to go in the wrong direction." So he understands that for an American public struggling with body issues, a health club can be an intimidating place.

"A lot of people don't think they have the time or the knowledge [to become physically fit], or they feel embarrassed to walk into a gym for the first time," he admits. "It takes courage to walk into a gym and ask for help, and say, 'Hey, I want to lose some weight and get in shape.' " Schock's strategy was to build muscle as a way of keeping fat at bay; he's bulked up from 145 pounds in college to his current weight of 165.

Maintaining a physique like Schock's isn't easy under any circumstance, but in the constantly bubbling pressure cooker of politics, it's particularly daunting. Consider, for example, an underreported phenomenon in Washington: the hors d'oeuvres horror show.

Since 2007 it's been illegal for lobbyists to treat U.S. reps to meals. Yet in the fungible world of Washington, legislators and industry reps have found a compromise: If it's on the end of a toothpick, it's not a meal. So healthconscious pols like Schock now run a gauntlet of Inigo Montoya wannabes who wield tiny wooden sabers in an effort to curry favor and influence policy.

"You can pack a lot of calories on the end of a toothpick," Schock insists. "You have a drink and a few hors d'oeuvres and you've just downed hundreds of calories." If you're health conscious, it's an issue. So Schock doubles down on exercise.

"Exercise is more important than diet for me because it's a twofer. It keeps me in good physical shape, and it relieves stress. And when you're a representative of the public, there's never a shortage of things to do."

Future Schock

Schock's approach to health care may be to turn the political issue into a personal one, but that's his stance on a lot of things. Indeed, the congressman places a tremendous amount of faith in the notion that planning, discipline, and a little elbow grease can solve just about any problem. "My advice to people in my age group is to think strategically," he says. " 'Someday I would like to...retire, have children, change careers, start a business...' All of these take planning. Think about what you'd like to do, and then think about what it's going to take to get you there."

That's exactly the way he wishes the government behaved. "It's all about long-term strategic thinking, which doesn't happen enough in Washington," he says. "What's frustrating is that there's not enough attention and engagement in politics from people in my generation, and they will benefit or suffer the most from the government decisions that are being made now. President Eisenhower had a vision for the future and made a bold decision to create our interstate highway system from scratch. Imagine if our government at that time was shortsighted and focused only on the next year. We desperately need long-term strategies on energy, health, education, and a fresh water supply 20 years from now. Too much thinking in Washington focuses on immediate crises at the expense of long-term strategic objectives. That is the biggest overriding failure of American government in the past 20 years.

"The big issue for young people is America's competitiveness," Schock says. In addition to a growing national debt and an expanding national waistline, here's a list of issues he wishes other people in their 20s would become more concerned about.

Energy independence

"There is nothing more dangerous than relying on foreign countries for energy." He points to France as an example of a nation that set a goal—to generate all its own electricity—and has nearly reached it. "I am all for doing whatever possible to get to a greater degree of energy independence as quickly as we can," Schock says, "with an understanding that it's a short game—we have to develop renewable energy in the long run."

Clean water

"Outside of this country, it's a huge problem. But already in the state of Georgia there are communities where wells are drying up," he says. "It's happening in Florida, California, and the American West, too. And we don't have a long-term strategy for how we're going to manage this."

Education

"We're not producing enough math and science majors for our companies to hire. It's not about spending more, it's about spending more wisely and being open minded about adapting to successful teaching methods. How economically competitive in the world our country will be in the future depends on the quality of education in America. It's that simple and that important."

But these problems are not insurmountable, he insists. Schock, an irrepressible optimist, believes that success in politics looks exactly like success in the gym: have a goal, a strategy, and be disciplined in making it happen.

And what does Aaron Schock see as his personal long-term goal? Might he one day be among those senior senators serving well into their 80s? "People ask me where I see myself in 10 years. Well, 10 years ago I was in high school," he laughs.

"Public service is a great honor, but it tends to be all-consuming," Schock says. "When I look at that Capitol dome and no longer feel that tingle, then I'll know it's time to go."

The Schock-Your-Body Workout

Want tricked-out traps? Dominating delts? Abs the size of a woman's fist? And all while holding down a high-stress day job? Set your alarm a little earlier, and try Rep. Aaron Schock's workout routine.

5 to 7 days a week, choose from...

*a 60-to 75-minute P90X training session

*a 60-to 75-minute weight routine, focusing on high-weight, low-rep exercises, and alternating upper-and lower-body days

*3 sets of 30 pushups and 30 situps; plus a run (5 miles) or swim (1 mile)

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