My favorite news item of the week was the one about President Obama ‘redecorating’ the Oval Office. Apparently over the course of 2009 he replaced decorative china with Native American pottery, and a bust of Winston Churchill with one of Martin Luther King. There are now family photos and historic gadgets on his desk and bookshelves. My favorite part of the Presidential office makeover is the bowl of fresh apples that now sits on the coffee table.

Sit Down, Have an Apple

The Associated Press reports that the apples have been ‘hugely popular with visitors.’ Personally, chomping down on an apple is about the last thing I’d want to do upon meeting the President of the United States of America, especially this president. Still, I believe it’s in our Commander in Chief’s unofficial job description to set a good example. The public apples, in part, make up for the private smoking.

Setting the Bar High for Fitness

For our president, it’s not just about healthy snacks. The guy is fit. On Election Day in 2008, Pennsylvania Senator, Democrat Bob Casey played basketball with Obama.

"In some ways he plays like he leads politically — even though that sounds contrived," Casey told ABCNews.com. "He's quietly confident and quietly competitive."

Obama has visited local gyms while on the road, reportedly hitting the cardio machines before doing a little strength training. Gives a new meaning to the Presidential Fitness Award.

Feeling Good, Looking Good

Reporting on his the famous vacation photos from Hawaii over Christmas 2008, the UK Telegraph stated that Barack Obama ‘has altered our view of what a middle-aged man can look like.’

Once a man hits 40, the risk of heart disease, cancer and strokes, as well as conditions such as arthritis rise; a decade later a man can be losing as much as 15 percent of muscle mass per year. Men need to exercise more than ever at this stage of their lives, but many — in the middle of their careers and with families to care for — feel they do not have time.

 

Obama — while working in one of the most demanding jobs on Earth — has made the time. What’s your excuse?

Quickly, someone send a link to my husband. And pass me one of those apples.