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Michelle Obama says she's given up on having "Michelle Obama arms" and just wants "to keep moving."
Former First Lady Michelle Obama wants to create more awareness and education around menopause.
While promoting her new book, "The Light We Carry", Obama noted to People, "There is not a lot of conversation about menopause. I'm going through it, and I know all of my friends are going through it. And the information is sparse."
Obama famously ran fitness "boot camps" while she was in the White House, earning a nickname from her girlfriends of "Drillmaster." Michelle says they still workout together.
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View Story"I find that when we get together and we're moving and we're laughing, then we spend a little time talking about what we're going through. 'What's a hot flash?' We have girlfriends around the table who are OBGYNs, who have real information. All of that keeps us lifted up."
But the workouts have changed. "Some of it is menopause, some of it is aging," Obama explained. "I find that I cannot push myself as hard as I used to. That doesn't work out for me. That when I tear a muscle or pull something and then I'm out. The recovery time is not the same."
"You wind up balancing between staying fit enough and being kind enough on your body to stay in the game," she added.
Elsewhere she explained, "I am still physically active, and my goal now, instead of having 'Michelle Obama arms,' I just want to keep moving."
She also said she's had hormone replacement therapy to treat hot flashes, something she said the medical community is still learning more about.
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View StoryObama also got candid about the scale.
"I never used to weigh myself. I'm not trying to stick to numbers, but when you're in menopause, you have this slow creep that you just don't realize," she said. "We're all in menopause with stretchy [waist] bands and our athleisure wear on, and you look up and you can't fit the outfits you had last year. I have to be more mindful, not obsessive, but more mindful."
But Obama is still counting her blessings, "I think my skin still feels healthy. My hair is still in my head. These are the things that I have to count my blessings for."
Michelle Obama's new book "The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times" is available November 15.
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