Though it’s been widely mocked by lefty bloggers, the fact of Condoleeza Rice’s appearance in three short NBC video news segments last week about her exercise regimen is actually interesting. Of course it’s an attempt to humanize a troubled White House, but it’s also the first time I can recall a person in the upper reaches of government (or any other famous non-actor), role-modeling fitness. With obesity out of control it doesn’t seem quite so trite to see someone of her status doing crunches and describing how in the midst of near-constant travel she “does a little bit of stretching on the plane,” requests “fish or something light” from her regal international hosts, and says that working out helps her feel and think better.

In case you missed it, here are the basics of Condi’s workout. (If you want to follow along, just pretend you’re jet-lagged and have to meet with the prince of Jordan—again.)

• A former competitive figure skater, Rice gets up at 4:30 am to workout, every single day.
• Three days a week she works out with a trainer in the State Department gym—he’s an ex-Marine who says that Rice is “tough.”
• Every day, no matter where she is, she does a 40-minute cardio workout. She has a treadmill and elliptical trainer in her apartment.
• She also goes on long walks. Her trainer says this is better than running.
• She manages to find a workout in any country: “You’d be surprised how many places around the world now have gyms, or exercise machines.”
• Though she forces herself to eat vegetables, she doesn’t have a sweet tooth.
• Her biggest health challenge: not drinking enough water: “that’s my discipline problem,” she says.