Barack Obama says in an interview with Men's Health magazine that he has bummed cigarettes "a couple of times" along the campaign trail.

In an interview with Men’s Health magazine, Barack Obama says he’s bummed cigarettes “a couple times” along the campaign trail.

No doubt it's got to be difficult to exercise and eat right when you're busy traveling across the country trying to get elected. But maintaining a healthy diet and workout routine is a great way to relieve stress. Obama also says he wishes he had more time for staying fit.

"Most of my workouts have to come before my day starts," Obama told the magazine Men's Health in an interview for its November issue. "There's always a trade-off between sleep and working out. Usually I get in about 45 minutes, six days a week. I'll lift one day, do cardio the next."

If he had the time, Obama said, he would spend 90 minutes working out.

Quitting smoking didn't create "huge withdrawal symptoms," the Illinois senator said, partly because he smoked only seven or eight cigarettes a day at his peak. His wife, Michelle, pressured him to quit, he says. The story is that she insisted he quit if he wanted to run for president.

Obama's advice for those trying to kick the habit? "Eliminate certain key connections -- that first cigarette in the morning, or after a meal, or with a drink," he said. "If you can eliminate those triggers, that should help."

Obama said he's bummed a cigarette a couple of times during the campaign.

"But I figure, seeing as I'm running for president, I need to cut myself a little slack," he said.

Sorry Obama but that’s no excuse. About one out of three young smokers will eventually die from a tobacco related disease. And, every year cigarettes leave about 31,000 kids fatherless. That’s reason enough to quit but if you need more, check out our smoking section.