I go to the gym almost every day. With 4 kids and some novels under construction and a screenplay slowly gearing up into pre-production (contemporary romantic comedy-drama, not IMMORTAL, which is also in pre-production), I don't have a lot of time. Sometimes I get in a focused 30 minute run on the treadmill, which I can polish off in 44 minutes: 6 minutes to walk to the gym, 1 minute to show my ID, 7 minutes to walk back in sweaty spacey splendor. OK, two of my kids are at college, but still. Time is at a premium.

I also do plenty of yoga. When I don't betake myself to Crunch, I spread out my mat on the living room floor, crank up Krishna Das on my Bose iPod speakers, and downward dog my way into inner peace. If one of my kids is throwing socks at me, it takes longer to stretch into nirvana. But I can usually get there.

So why aren't my arms as buff as Michelle Obama's?

We're close in age, and though she only has 2 children, her job exacts longer hours. Yes, she has lots of people working for her--she has a cook and all, whereas I face the lamb chops and asparagus every night. But still. Being first lady is a 24/7 occupation, particularly the way she's doing it, with integrity, warmth, and style. So when exactly does she find time to fit in twenty sets of a hundred push-ups and ten sets of 20 lb curls? I'd like to know.