Michelle Obama's "killer" workouts almost affected her busy job as First Lady.
"I woke up extra early, did a vicious workout," she recalls of one such instance in the May issue of Good Housekeeping. "I mean killer! Lots of cardio. So I was really tired."
Obama, 46, says she was exhausted on her way to a meeting with the Department of Labor — until she walked in the room.
"People are fired up. They're excited to see you, and the minute you step out there and begin to talk about the issues that you care about, you feed off of the energy, and the hope and the excitement of the people who are there to see you," she says. "All the fatigue goes away."
She may have added energy on the job, but the mother of two daughters — Malia, 11, and Sasha, 8 — says she also has added anxiety for her family.
"It's just that the constant worry still exists when you're a mom that the decisions you make in your life are negatively impacting your kids," she says. "I want to make sure that the girls are doing well, and that they feel like they have the love and attention they deserve from their parents, regardless of what positions we hold."
How does she cope?
With the help of her hubby, President Barack Obama, 48.
"His temperament for the stressful part of the job is amazing," she says. "When I'm getting antsy and frustrated and tense, I just say, 'Talk me through it. Tell me why this is okay.' He's incredibly even-keeled, and he's always been good at understanding the bottom line of what's important."
