Michelle Obama: Prez and I work out daily; want to be fitness role models

First Lady Michelle Obama, who covers the Sept. 2010 issue of Ladies
Home Journal, makes fitness a top priority. (Photos/LHJ, More)

First Lady Michelle Obama works out at 4:30 every morning not only to look good, but to feel good.

"The President and I work out every day," Obama says in the Sept. 2010 issue of Ladies Home Journal. "And we encourage many of our staffers, particularly our senior staff who are here day and night, to make time for exercise."

'BARACK WORKS OUT EVERY DAY'

She adds: "I think the President serves as a good role model because as busy as he is, he exercises every day. It's a part of what keeps him going. You do get to a point where exercise becomes something that you need, like water. And we try to promote that."

Obama, who in Feb. 2010 launched the Let's Move Campaign to fight childhood obesity, says exercise is crucial for emotional health.

"It makes you feel better about yourself," she says. "I always think, 'Don't think about how you're feeling during the workout. Think about an hour and a half from now, how good you're gonna feel the rest of the day.' "

PILATES, CARDIO & WEIGHTS

The 6'1" Michelle varies her early-morning workouts with Pilates, cardio, stretching and weights. "I enjoy arm exercises because you can see what it's hitting," she has said.

When it comes diet, Obama embraces moderation. "I try to have no absolute no's," she says. "I love french fries, I like a good burger, and I like pie, and that's okay. I would be depressed if I felt I could never eat the things that I love." 

The First Lady tries to pass on her laid-back approach to food to her two daughters. "I don't want my girls to be obsessed about food," she says. "We don't have a 'no junk food' rule. I just want them to think about their choices."

'I NEVER DISCUSS WEIGHT'

She also encourage Malia, 12, and Sasha, 9, to exercise rather than make comments about whether they weight too little or too much.

"I never talk about weight with my girls," she says. "I try not to even talk about my weight. Because it is a sensitive issue. My girls are preteens and they're seeing their bodies in a whole different way."

She adds: "We have conversations around health, food, and activity. I tell them sports are something I want them to engage in because it's good for them. It's good to practice teamwork, to understand what it means to suffer a loss, to win with grace. It has nothing to do with weight, it has everything to do with being a well-rounded person."

One food Michelle can't stand are beets. "I am a believer that there is a beet gene," she says. "People who love beets love them and people who hate beets can't stand them. Neither the President nor I have the beet gene. And there are a lot of healthy things my kids don't like. But our rule is, you've got to finish your vegetables."

HEALTH & HAPPINESS ARE INTERTWINED

Obama also occasionally likes to do two-day "cleanses." She explains: "I can't live my life on a cleanse, but they help me clean out my palate. Because when you start adding things like sugars into your diet, you start craving them. And the more you eat, the more you crave. So maybe I'll do a cleanse for two days. It isn't a way of life, because I like food too much."

Michelle, who says she's fitter now at 47 than ever before, has learned that happiness is tied to health. "[Good health is] multi-faceted," she says. "It's physical, it's internal, it's my diet, and my emotional state. It's all tied together."

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