The Obama family has a Christmas tradition of visiting the President-elect's home state of Hawaii. This year is no exception. And, while Barack Obama is ridiculously busy selecting cabinet members and preparing for his transition to the White House, I'm glad to see he's keeping a family tradition intact.

Daily Mail has a photo snapped of President-elect Obama while on vacation, and he's looking kind of ripped. Not surprising, really. We already knew how important fitness is to the Obama family. What is surprising is when you scroll down the Daily Mail article and see the photo of Barack Obama that was taken on his vacation last year.

When you compare his abs from 2007 to 2008, it appears that in the midst of his hectic and stressful campaign, Barack Obama has toned up. Whatever your opinion of our up and coming President is, you have to admit that's inspirational. If he can find the time to get more fit while campaigning to be President of the United States, than surely the rest of us can find time, too. And, as Barack Obama certainly knows, physical activity is the healthiest way to manage your stress level.

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Halloween is upon us. And I'm scared. Not because of ghosts, goblins, witches, and warlocks, though. It's the candy that does it for me -- the sheer excess of sugar that will fill my kids' treat buckets on the night of trick-or-treat. My boys, who will quickly become beggars, will know no limits and will haunt me for weeks with their sweet requests. I haven't yet decided how I'll manage to trash a good portion of the goo my guys will score on this spooky night. But I do know I'd love it if nutritious treats could somehow find a place in the Halloween tradition. Maybe I need to nix the whole door-to-door thing and host my own little healthy hang-out -- complete with these Halloween treats.

• Organic apples, pears, and other fruits could be provided for easy munching. A little caramel dipping sauce could spice things up a bit.

• A handful of salt-free pretzels, sesame seeds, whole grain cereal, dried cranberries, and other dried fruits would make a perfect crunchy mix.
  

• Seedless grapes added to flavored sugar-free Jello could be the start of one favorite fruity indulgence.

There are many horribly healthy options out there. But will they -- can they -- ever replace what what kids have come to love so much about Halloween? It's the candy that keeps them coming back for more.

It's the candy that keeps me afraid of those knocks on the door.

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