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Gov. Chris Christie pocket vetoed a bill that would have required a daily 20-minute recess in New Jersey elementary schools. (Photos by Jerry McCrea and Jae C. Hong)

TRENTON -- Is President Chris Christie more fun than Gov. Chris Christie?

One day after saying kids will be able to eat whatever they want for school lunch if he becomes president, Christie pocket vetoed a bill that would have made recess mandatory in New Jersey elementary schools.

The governor's office gave no specific reason for not approving the bill, which would have required a 20-minute daily recess period for grades K-5. It instead blamed the state Legislature for passing too many bills at the end of its two-year legislative session.

The bill stipulated that recess should be held outside, when feasible, and that schools could only take away a student's recess for a violation of the school's code of conduct, such as a school bullying incident. Even then, schools would not have been able to keep a student out of recess more than twice a week.

Turner cited the rise in childhood obesity and the health benefits of physical activity as evidence that recess should be mandatory.

On Monday, Christie criticized First Lady Michelle Obama's school lunch program, which is also aimed at curbing childhood obesity. He said the government shouldn't try to mandate what students eat at school.

"I don't care what you're eating for lunch every day, I really don't," Christie told a Nebraska fifth-grader. "Your mother and father should make that decision for you. And then they'll send you to school sometimes with a healthy lunch, and then you'll throw it out."

Adam Clark may be reached at adam_clark@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on twitter at @realAdamClark. Find NJ.com on Facebook.