Obama Settling Into the White House

Jan. 29, 2009— -- Before President Barack Obama moved into the White House, outgoing President George W. Bush gave his successor a heads-up: Presidents pay their own personal grocery bills, he warned Obama, and the first family's pantry stays fully stocked at all times. You'll be surprised by that first grocery bill, Bush told Obama.

The White House pantries and refrigerators are now packed with Obama's favorite snacks -- herbal iced tea, trail mix, Dentyne peppermint gum, salsa and guacamole -- as he and the first family settle into a routine.

As tough as the challenges are that he and his administration are facing, Obama is delighted to be, for the first time since being sworn in to the U.S. Senate in January 2005, living permanently in the same house as his wife Michelle and two daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7.

"He enjoys, to use a phrase, living above the company store," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs recently told reporters.

On the campaign trail, recalls senior adviser David Axelrod, "the number one complaint I would hear from President Obama was that he was spending too much time away from his children."

So, even with the weight of two wars and a frightening economic crisis, the president "seems happier than I've seen in a long time," Axelrod said.

His arrangement certainly isn't bad. On the 18-acre estate of the White House, the president has his own gym, tennis courts, indoor bowling alley and personal chef, not to mention a short 30-second commute to work.

The Chicago native is fully enjoying all the amenities while trying to maintain some semblance of normalcy in his routine, like having dinner with his family and exercising.

The president begins his day at 6:45 a.m. with a workout at his own private gym. With Jay-Z and Li'l Wayne pumping into his ears via his iPod, the president alternates his workouts between free weights and a treadmill.

The gym-rat-in-chief is known for his grueling fitness regimens, having worked out at fitness centers from the East Coast to the West Coast during his run for the presidency. He's known to combine cardio with strength training, lat pull-downs and back exercises.