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HOH’s One-Minute Recess: Guilty Pleasure

First lady Michelle Obama might be known for being fabulously fit (especially for her super-toned arms!), but she admits she has a soft spot for something that isn’t considered the healthiest of choices: french fries.

[IMGCAP(1)]President Barack Obama and the first lady appear on the covers of the October editions of Men’s Health and Women’s Health magazines, respectively, discussing the White House’s big push for health care reform. But the pair also share details of how they try to stay fit in their own lives, with Michelle Obama admitting that eating healthy does take discipline, as she calls french fries her “favorite food in the whole world.—

“If I could, I’d eat them at every meal — but I can’t,— she says. “My whole thing is moderation. If I make good, healthy choices most of the time, then having what I love every once in a while won’t hurt.—

[IMGCAP(2)]She has always considered eating fast food a treat, she says. When she was younger, her family couldn’t afford to eat out very often, so the occasional trip to McDonald’s on a Saturday was considered a big deal, she says.

“And we got pizza on report card day,— she adds. “That was a reward, pizza. Dessert was given sparingly. We would get ice cream, three little pints, and we would eat out of those for days.—

Obama has tried to incorporate some of that discipline into her family’s life now, she says.

“Here, you get a little chocolate, you get a little butter pecan, and that would be it,— she says. “Those values — even though they were the result of economic circumstances — were really good, and they created some pretty healthy boundaries about food.—

President Obama, described as “a prototypical Men’s Health guy— by the magazine, largely uses his interview to explain his push for health care reform. But he also shares a few tidbits about his life in the White House, including why he works out six days a week.

“My blood pressure is pretty low, and I tend to be a healthy eater,— Obama says. “So I probably could get away with cutting [my workouts] back a little bit. The main reason I do it is just to clear my head and relieve me of stress.—

The Obama editions of Men’s Health and Women’s Health hit newsstands on Sept. 15. Also included in Women’s Health: Michelle Obama’s personal trainer reveals the exercises she performs to get those well-toned arms.

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