The First Lady’s Fitness – How Michelle Obama Keeps Fit

First lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, is certainly not a stranger to the world of healthy living. She has always been passionate about working hard to keep her body healthy and fit. The former vice-president of external affairs for the University of Chicago Medical Center and current first lady of the United States revealed in the April 2009 issue of O, the Oprah Magazine that she is heavily involved with several exercise routines.

“I do treadmill, I do weights…I also do some jump rope, some kickboxing – and I’d like to take up Pilates,” she told Oprah. She alluded that prioritizing exercise on the top of her list brought her happiness, which was tied to how she felt about herself. Oprah called her a ‘mighty force,’ adding that Michelle Obama’s conversation was so powerful for women.

In addition to her exercise regimen, Michelle Obama pioneered the Let’s Move! Campaign, an initiative that is dedicated to “solving the problem of childhood obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams.”

How Does Michelle Obama Keep Fit?

Cornell McClellan, the long-time trainer for the first family, broke his silence in 2009 concerning Michelle Obama’s fitness routine. He started training Michelle Obama in 1997, so he has first-hand knowledge of her daily regimen and how she came about her well-admired sculpted arms. According to McClellan, these are some of the exercises Michelle Obama does to keep fit:

1. Intense Calorie-Burning Cardio Workout: As revealed in the Oprah interview, one intense cardio workout Michelle Obama does is going on the treadmill. A general treadmill workout usually involves a variety of speed and incline settings. Trainers encourage a treadmill routine that involves steadily increasing speed, returning back to the baseline, and increasing the speed again. Somewhere in-between you should also change your incline settings.
2. Arm-shaping Supersets: The Chicago tribune once commented that Michelle Obama has “nicely toned biceps and triceps.” The first lady’s exercise involves arm-shaping supersets which leads to nice tones. The supersets involve three sets of triceps’ pushdowns and three sets of hammer curls using dumbbells.
3. Jump Ropes: The first lady has been known to pack jump ropes in her suitcase when she’s on the road. Jump roping is an exercise that can easily be done no matter where you are. It is simple and does not require a technical machine.
4. Kickboxing: This is not part of the First Lady’s daily regimen, but she does some kickboxing whenever she can.

Michelle Obama’s Food Habits

Apart from her strict exercise regimen, Michelle Obama is also health conscious when it comes to the food she eats. She openly admitted that she does not count her calories or passes up an offer of her favorite French fries, but she eats in moderation. She has a detailed food plan in place for the chef in charge of the White House menu, and it involves lots of fruits and vegetables. She encourages kids through her Let’s Move! campaign that they don’t have to skip their nuggets, but that baked nuggets are better than fried.

Reference:
1. Hutchinson B. Secret behind First Lady Michelle Obama’s Arms Finally Revealed [Internet]. NYDailyNews.com. 2009 Sept 7. Available from: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/secret-behind-lady-michelle-obama-arms-finally-revealed-article-1.404401