In Winning Shape: How Brooke Burke Stays Fit

Brooke Burke on "Dancing with the Stars" and Tips for Confidence

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 Dancing with the Stars there are hundreds of people who do important jobs. I love to walk around the ballroom and say, "Hey, what's going on?"

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.

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.

You know, my first marriage failed. 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.

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.

I try not to have a lot of bad habits in my life that I need to break come January. Instead, what I like to do is set myself up for success. 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.

I'm so sleep deprived! How can I possibly choose between those two? That's really tough. Can't I sleep after the sex?

Originally published in FITNESS magazine, January 2012.