Michelle Obama On Being First Mom, Handling Stress & ‘Killer’ Workouts

Her husband may be president, but Michelle Obama says she’s the one who gets stressed at the White House.

“You know who helps me? My husband,” she revealed in the May 2010 issue of Good Housekeeping, the magazine’s special 125th anniversary issue. “His temperament for the stressful part of the job is amazing. When I’m getting antsy and frustrated and tense, I just say, ‘Talk me through it. Tell me why this is OK.’”

In addition to her responsibilities as First Lady, Michelle has to make time for another important role – mom.

“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 said. “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.”

Though her daughters may be among the world’s most famous children, Michelle said Sasha and Malia haven’t let the attention go to their heads.

“Our girls are pretty modest types, and they don’t like the attention, the hoopla,” Michelle told the mag. “They will say things like, ‘Ugh, Dad, do you have to drive around with the sirens in the car? Do you have to block up all the traffic?’”

To stay fit and get the energy to make it through the day, Michelle added that she works out first thing in the morning – and gets a boost from her staff.

“I woke up extra early, did a vicious workout. I mean, killer! Lost of cardio. So I was really tired,” she recounted. “But then you walk into the Department of Labor and people are fired up. They’re excited to see you… all the fatigue goes away.”

In honor of its anniversary, the mag also asked its readers to vote on 10 women who deserved “special recognition” in its list of “125 Women Who Changed Our World” – and Michelle was among those to make the cut. The full top 10:

1. Oprah Winfrey
2. Hillary Rodham Clinton
3. Mother Teresa
4. Rosa Parks
5. Eleanor Roosevelt
6. Michelle Obama
7. Amelia Earhart
8. Princess Diana
9. Marie Curie
10. Margaret Thatcher

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