Michelle Obama Opens Up About Her Family’s Healthy Lifestyle

In the March 2012 issue of Prevention magazine in which she covers, Michelle Obama talks about the importance of healthy living and how she promotes the lifestyle with her children.

Michelle says it is okay to bribe children to exercise, but ultimately it is best to give children the facts, so they understand why being healthy is so important. 

“It’s whatever motivates that kid. In my household, what motivates Sasha is very different from what motivates her big sister. It can be a television show they want to watch or an activity with a friend. But I try mostly to provide information to my kids about the why, because ultimately the bribe runs cold.”

She goes on to tell of what healthy snack her family loves!

“They both love dried and fresh fruit, and Sasha likes nuts. A few years ago, I always kept a bowl of fruit not just out on the countertop, but down low where they could reach it. That way, when they were running around from room to room, they could just grab a couple of grapes along the way, rather than pick up a cookie. That said, now they’re 10 and 13, so they do want cookies and ice cream like any other kids. The trick – and what we talk about – is not having those things every day.”

Michelle Obama also works out regularly.

“I work out six or seven days a week. But I do yoga now twice a week, because I’m beginning to notice as I get older that flexibility and mobility are critical.”