Rep. Schock takes top off for Men's Health

WASHINGTON, May 11 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., was declared "America's fittest congressman" by Men's Health magazine, which features his bare chest on the cover.

Men's Health said Schock, the first U.S. congressman with a birth date in the 1980s, is also the first congressman to appear shirtless in its pages, the Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday.

The congressman, whose bathing suit photos have previously appeared on Web sites including TMZ, said the June Men's Health issue is aimed at using his physique to promote fitness.

"You know, there is some risk with it, but I think it's (a) risk worth taking," he said Monday on NBC's "Today" show.

Schock and Men's Health are challenging readers to participate in the Fit For Life Summer Challenge, which calls on them to lose 10 pounds by Labor Day.