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"Though they manage to steal the show wherever they go, Michelle Obama&amp;apos;s arms aren&amp;apos;t that special, the First Lady insists.\r\n&amp;quot;I just saw two weeks of Olympics athletes who have real arms, so I always wonder, well, what is it?&amp;quot; she tells iVillage during her first feature as that site&amp;apos;s guest editor. &amp;quot;My arms do not compete with people who have &amp;apos;real&amp;apos; arms.&amp;quot;\r\nThe secret to her fabulous, toned figure, in general? Daily early morning workouts alongside her husband, President Barack Obama. (Michelle, 48, wakes up at 4:30 every morning to exercise.)\r\n\r\n&amp;quot;I usually get to the gym before [Barack] does. But he is usually there either in the middle of my workout or right at the end,&amp;quot; she says of their side-by-side sweat sessions. &amp;quot;And we&amp;apos;re watching Sports Center and we&amp;apos;re catching up. That&amp;apos;s why I know so much about sports . . . you start having an opinion about [Tim] Tebow and Mark Sanchez.&amp;quot;\r\nThese days, Obama is often on the road, hosting campaign events and visiting schools and youth-focused programs as part of her &amp;quot;Let&amp;apos;s Move&amp;quot; initiative. Despite her jam-packed schedule, she makes it a point to squeeze in workouts whenever, and wherever, she can.\r\n&amp;quot;For me, [exercise] is a de-stresser, first and foremost,&amp;quot; she explains. When FLOTUS is away from home, &amp;quot;I bring a jump rope. I can usually do some jump-roping in the hotel room,&amp;quot; she says. &amp;quot;If I don&amp;apos;t have a rope or space, I might do a 30-minute routine that includes a minute of jumping jacks, alternating with a minute of pushups and then some sit-ups. You take a 30-second break and do it again.&amp;quot;\r\n\r\nObama tries to stick to healthy fare as much as possible, though she does confess to one major food vice: french fries. Her husband sometimes struggles to curb his snacking, too.\r\n&amp;quot;Barack, his [vice] is chips and salsa and guacamole. And peanuts -- nuts -- almonds, pecans,&amp;quot; Obama shares. &amp;quot;And there&amp;apos;s a way that he eats that we tease him about -- he kind of shakes them in one hand and creates, like, a little dispenser with his index finger where he can just pop them in his mouth. He&amp;apos;s a nut guy. That&amp;apos;s what he&amp;apos;s munching on all the time.&amp;quot;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-body/news/inside-michelle-obamas-grueling-workout-routine-2012218>