Via Faded Youth:
Barack Obama opens up in an exclusive interview in the November issue of Men’s Health magazine, on newsstands October 21, about how health and fitness has driven his success in life, love and leadership.

Barack on why he works out: “My blood pressure is pretty low, and I tend to be a healthy eater. 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. It’s a great way to stay focused.”

Barack on staying healthy on the campaign trail: “I wish I was getting a 90-minute workout. Most of my workouts have to come before my day starts. There’s always a tradeoff between sleep and working out. Usually I get in about 45 minutes, 6 days a week. I’ll lift one day do cardio the next.”

Barack on trying to quit smoking: “There have been a couple of times during the campaign when I fell off the wagon and bummed one, and I had to kick it again. But I figure, seeing as I’m running for president, I need to cut myself a little slack. There wasn’t some dramatic moment. Michelle had been putting pressure on me for a while. I was never really a heavy smoker. Probably at my peak I was smoking seven or eight a day. More typical was three. So it wasn’t a huge challenge with huge withdrawal symptoms. Eliminate certain key connections–that first cigarette in the morning, or after a meal, or with a drink. If you can eliminate those triggers, that should help.”

Barack on being a father and presidential candidate: The pledge is, they’ll get their dog, win or lose. Their main concern was, ‘When are we going to get a dog?’ They did ask about what they called ’secret people,’ which were the Secret Service folks. ‘Are we going to have to have these people with sunglasses and earpieces following us around all the time?’ And I told them, well, not right away. They’ve adjusted wonderfully. And I’ve tried to make sure that they haven’t had to participate too much in the political process. What I’ve been able to do is create a zone of normalcy for my kids. I have been able to transmit to them my absolute interest in them and my absolute love for them. I don’t miss the important things. I haven’t missed a dance recital. I haven’t missed a parent-teacher conference. But there are some things I do miss, and those are some of the tradeoffs you make. But, look, there’s no question there are sacrifices involved here. I’d like to say that quality time replaces quantity, but sometimes it doesn’t. You know, a lot of the best moments of family life happen spontaneously. If you have less time to devote to them, there are fewer of those moments.”

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