Two years ago Bush hosted a fitness fair on the South Lawn and her own personal makeover began. "She started working out after that," recalls former press secretary Noelia Rodriguez. Now 58, the First Lady meets with a trainer three times a week for a mix of cardio, gentle Pilates and yoga, plus abdominal work with an inflatable fitness ball. "She's strong now," says Austin, who has been to the White House's family-quarters workout room. According to another friend, Bush was thrilled by a quote in The New York Times on the subject: "They're saying I'm a size 6!" (She's closer to an 8.)
As for diet, Bush eats oatmeal with fruit and honey most mornings and relies on steely will to resist temptation like Mexican food, a onetime Bush family favorite now relegated to a once-a-week treat. "I've found the best way to indulge without regret," she told PEOPLE last year, "is to eat just a few bites." The payoff: looking great in her clothes. "She has a great figure, don't you agree?" says inaugural ball gown designer Oscar de la Renta. And four more years to show it off on the world stage.
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
