Top 10 Health and Fitness Tips from the Obamas

We believe that those in the greatest positions of power and influence have the responsibility to promote a healthy lifestyle. Barack and Michelle Obama have been the most powerful couple in the United States for the past 8 years, and during that time they have led by example in terms of healthy lifestyle. From President Obama’s formidable basketball skills to the First Lady’s well-defined biceps, the Obamas know what they’re talking about when it comes to fitness. Here are the Top 10 health and fitness tips from the Obamas:

• Make a Routine of Working Out – Michelle Obama’s adherence to her workout routine was put to the test after her first child, Malia. The new Mother found it difficult to fit workouts into her new schedule after becoming a full-time mother, so her solution was to follow her husband’s example by prioritizing her morning workout sessions. She was able to care for her child without sacrificing her own health by starting her days at 4:30 AM.

• Focus On The Big Picture in Life – Improving your health is not done through diet or exercise alone–overall health is physical, internal, and dependent on diet and emotional state.   According to the Obamas, “personal happiness is connected to everything”.  This encourages use to make choices that will not only make ourselves happy, but will make our spouses and children happy as well.

• Build Your Own Fruit and Vegetable Garden – Michelle Obama has been working with White House Chef, Sam Kass, to show elementary school students from around the country how to start up their own organic gardens.  The First Lady wanted the White House garden to be “more than just a plot of land growing vegetables” (American Grown: The Story of the White House Kitchen Garden and Gardens Across America (Crown Publishing, 2012).  Her mission when starting up the garden was to make it a “learning garden”, where people would be able to gain knowledge and have a hands-on experience with fruit and vegetable gardening.

• Planning Ahead = Less Stress – There is no doubt that Barack Obama is required to stay on top of his work at all times.  He even invests part of his night to his job by reading briefing papers or doing paperwork to allow himself to get ahead and be prepared for the next day.  This is a valuable example we can all learn from in order to allow ourselves to advance within our professions and reduce stress caused by work.

• Parents and Caregivers Play an Important Role in a Child’s Health – Parents and caregivers play a massively important role in teaching healthy habits to children. Instilling these values early teaches them to make healthy decisions for themselves.  In today’s busy world, it has become increasingly challenging for the working parent to balance work and home life.  The Let’s Move! program that Michelle Obama developed, aims to help by providing parents and caregivers with the tools, support, and information they need in order to make healthy decisions for their families.

• Promote Healthy Habits Learning Early – President Obama has called on Congress to promote higher quality education for preschoolers with his Early Learning Initiative.  His belief is that if younger generations are exposed to a higher quality of education at an earlier age, it will promote and establish healthy life habits from the beginning, which sets the stage for a healthier future.

• Improvements in Nutrition Labeling – The USDA is currently deliberating on how to improve nutrition labeling to make understanding nutritional information better at point-of-purchase consumer easier access to the information they need to make healthier choices for their children.  This includes improving “front-of-pack” labeling, which is the main display panel on food products to enhance visibility of ingredients- a move which Politico has said has been the first lady’s crusade to implement. This will be the first change to nutrition labeling in twenty years.

• Improved Dietary Guidelines – The USDA’s MyPlate, which went into effect after Obama assumed office, illustrates the five food groups that are the building blocks to a healthy diet.  These food groups include proteins, dairy, grains, fruits, and vegetables in varied amounts.  In the past, we referred to the Food Pyramid for dietary guidelines, but now this dietary plan has been transformed into a more familiar and comprehensive image of a place setting for a meal.

• Spend Quality Time With Your Family – With the hectic schedule Obama faces as the President of the United States, it is easy to wonder how often Barack Obama is able to spend time with his wife and kids. The answer to this question is he makes sure to schedule time with his family every day, which is a fundamental part to well-rounded social health and happiness.

• Reduce The Use of Electronics at Night – After a busy day, it is common for many people to kick back and relax in front of the television.  What many people do not realize is that prolonged usage of electronics at night with backlit screens may cause you to stay awake longer and have difficulty falling asleep. Instead of watching tv, President Obama opts to unwind by reading a book unrelated to his day job.  It is important that the time you spend relaxing is not related to work because it will allow you to engage different parts of your brain.