The Reach Out: Michael McFaul
The Stanford professor and NBC/MSNBC analyst is extra busy these days, but making time for regular exercise remains an important priority.
Michael McFaul is a Professor of International Studies in the Department of Political Science at Stanford University, Director and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution.
McFaul is also an analyst for NBC News and MSNBC and a contributing columnist to The Washington Post.
McFaul served in the Obama administration, first as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Russian and Eurasian Affairs at the National Security Council, and then as U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation.
His current research interests include American foreign policy, great power relations between China, Russia, and the United States, and the relationship between democracy and development.
McFaul’s most recent book is From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia. His earlier books include Advancing Democracy Abroad: Why We Should, How We Can; Transitions To Democracy: A Comparative Perspective ; Power and Purpose: American Policy toward Russia after the Cold War; and Russia’s Unfinished Revolution: Political Change from Gorbachev to Putin.
I spoke with Michael McFaul about why exercise and fitness is important to him.
How do you make regular exercise a part of your life?
I try to exercise every day. It doesn’t always happen, but that’s the goal. I run outside once or twice a week, usually about four miles. We live on campus, so during COVID, I ran on a trail where very few were running. Now that we live farther away from that trail, I run either on campus or somewhere nearby.
When the gym closed during the pandemic, my wife and I bought a Peloton. So at home, I use the Peloton and Elliptical. I also walk a lot on campus. I had a gym membership before the pandemic, but I haven’t been back yet.
When do you schedule workouts into your day?
My choice would be to exercise in the morning, but I rarely have that luxury. These days, I have a lot of phone and Zoom calls about Ukraine/Russia, and these usually start at 7am. If I have a dozen calls or meetings throughout the day, I might not exercise until right before dinner.
What do you listen to (or watch) while exercising?
When I’m on the Elliptical, I’ll watch MSNBC or sports. For example, with the Warriors playing tonight, I’ve actually rearranged my schedule so that I can watch part of the game during my workout.
When I’m running, I’ll listen to music. My Twitter followers make fun of me because I still run with an iPod.
Do you like to wear a fitness monitor?
I’ve worn a Fitbit for a few years and I aim for at least 10, 000 steps every day. I don't always achieve that goal, but other days, I’ll reach 20, 000. I appreciate that the Fitbit tracks my sleep, which is my biggest challenge. So for me, the Fitbit provides helpful reminders and information that I want.
Is there a fitness activity that you might want to try?
A colleague at Stanford has been encouraging me to try SoulCycle. Truthfully, the idea of spinning in a room with 20 people has always seemed a bit bizarre to me. However, now that I’ve been using the Peloton for two years, I can understand the appeal of a group cycling class, so I might give SoulCycle a try.
Pre-COVID, I really enjoyed playing basketball at the gym with my sons. I play basketball very badly — I want to emphasize that — but it was always a great workout and an excuse to spend time with my sons. So this summer, I aspire to get back into playing basketball like we were doing before the pandemic shut things down.
Thank you, @McFaul
For what it’s worth, I still use my iPod!😀
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