Michelle Obama: Put Health and Wellness First

In a 2008 interview on Prevention, the First Lady stressed the importance of exercise in both her mental and physical state. "Exercise is vital to me it's therapeutic," she said. "So if I'm ever feeling tense or stressed or like I'm about to have a meltdown, I'll put on my iPod and head to the gym or out on a bike ride along Lake Michigan with the girls."

Health is holistic and that it must come from the inside out, "It's physical, it's internal, it's my diet and my emotional state it's all tied in together," Obama said as cited on Vogue.

She encouraged everyone especially women to take time for themselves and keep an eye on their physical and mental health "because if we're scurrying to and from appointments and errands, we don't have a lot of time to take care of ourselves."

"We need to do a better job of putting ourselves higher on our 'to-do' list," she added as cited on Let's Move.

First Lady Obama is not just a passionate advocate for improving health care and women's lives; she also practices what she is preaching.

"I am always thinking about my health and making sure that I'm eating right and getting exercise and watching the aches and pains," she emphasized.

On parents wanting to give their children proper nutrition, she advised doing the same. "We can't lie around on the couch eating French fries and candy bars and expect our kids to eat carrots and run around the block," Obama pointed out according to a report on Prevention.

As of now, her commitment to health and fitness not only goes for herself and her two daughters but the entire nation, as she continues to lead her Let's Move!campaignwhich aims to reduce childhood obesity and encourage a healthy lifestyle in children.