With four kids, three jobs and a new husband, Brooke Burke is seriously busy. In the January issue of FITNESS, on stands December 20th, Brooke dishes on “sleepcations” with her husband, how she keeps her body in rocking shape, what she learned from the end of her first marriage and why she’ll never be able to choose between sleep and sex.
What she learned from winning Dancing With the Stars in 2008: “In the semifinals, I had two dances to do, the jive and the salsa. I was so afraid I was going to screw up the jive, and I did. My partner, Derek Hough, said to me, “What defines a champion is the ability to pull it together and go back out there and just kill it.” I had to dig very deep, but we did the salsa and got three 10’s. It taught me to have faith in my body, to have faith in myself. And it also taught me that while I might crumble under pressure, I’m able to let go of it, change my point of view and move on.
On the end of her first marriage: “Leaving that marriage was uncomfortable and scary, but it was the right thing to do. Now I’m married to my soul mate. Sometimes you have to take uncomfortable steps to find your path.”
The power of sleep: “My two youngest kids always end up in our bed in the middle of the night. I try to get six to eight hours a night, and one night a week I have to get a full eight hours. David and I have done “sleepcations,” where we check into a hotel room simply to be alone and sleep.”
Chosing between sleep and sex: “I’m so sleep deprived! How can I possibly choose between those two? That’s really tough. Can’t I sleep after the sex?”
On finding balance as a working mom: “There are so many moving parts to my life, nothing ever happens perfectly. I’ve learned to just roll with that.”
On staying calm: “I wish I were always calm in the chaos. I have children with very strong personalities, and as elating as that is, it can also be deflating. There’s a lot of action in my household, and sometimes I’m a referee all day long.
The challenges of having a blended family: “Two of my children are with their father part of the week, so when they come home they want me all to themselves. Then my other two children, who have had me all to themselves, suddenly have to share me, and that can make them very needy.”
The power of Thank You: “As a mother, I hardly ever get a thank you. Nobody ever says, “Thanks for getting up early and making me that lunch, Mom. I enjoyed what was in my lunch box today.” So when I do hear that from my kids, it feels really good. Maybe that’s why I treat the people I work with well.
Why being nice goes a long way: “I never want to be intimidating to anyone. Especially when it comes to a healthy lifestyle, I genuinely feel that if I can do it, other people can, too. I’ve also learned that nice is a great quality.
On her biggest insecurities: “My biggest frustration is that I developed bad melasma when I was pregnant with my son. It’s like having a mask on your face. I did peels; I did lasers; I tried every product and saw every doctor. Nothing worked. I never used to wear makeup when I wasn’t working. Now I can’t leave the house without thick cover-up, which stinks. I do my best not to focus on it.”
Brooke’s New Year’s resolutions: “I try not to have a lot of bad habits in my life that I need to break come January. Every December, David and I go to the beach and sit there and put the past year into perspective. Then I write out a list of goals, and I jot down quick plans. For 2012, I’d like to do a cookbook of recipes that busy working moms like me can make in 15 minutes or less.”
How she stays in amazing shape: “I try to get to a Pilates Plus class, which is an intense, fast-paced workout that’s done on a special reformer machine, at least three times a week. I also go to the gym a couple of times. I do 15 minutes on the treadmill, walking at a 3.5-mile-perhour speed and a 15-grade incline, and then I do the 45-minute head-to-toe workout I designed with trainer Gregory Joujon-Roche for one of my new DVDs. I don’t think you need more than an hour to do cardio and full-body toning. I don’t have three hours a day to devote to my body, but I do have an hour five days a week.”
To find out more about Brooke, including the moves from her two new Transform Your Body With Brooke Burke DVDs, pick up the January issue of FITNESS, on newsstands December 20th.
Just like Brooke many of us are passing through such situations and trying by their own way to win over such situations.
Anyway thanks a lot for this as this would really helps lot to those who are still fighting with this and trying to keep balance between life and lifestyle.
Just told Mrs Jason I need to get a new partner and have loads of sex to keep fit!
She wasn’t keen, funnily enough! 🙂
Funny Jason! Keep at Mrs. Jason and maybe she’ll change her mind.