Condoleezza Rice shows TV viewers her exercise routine

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Washington (dpa) - US viewers got a new look at Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday, as the US secretary of state showed off her daily workout routine on television.

Usually clad in stylish business clothing, Rice appeared on a Washington TV station's show in shorts and a T-shirt, performing stomach toning exercises in the State Department's fitness studio.

Two more workout segments are due to air Thursday and Friday.

Rice is known to wake up every morning at 4:30 a.m. for 45 minutes of work on a treadmill or StairMaster. She once said that those moments - exercising to classical music - allow her to do some of her deepest thinking.

Rice's pursues her daily workout regimen even when she's abroad. She typically has a treadmill set up in her hotel room.

"When I'm on the road I absolutely schedule time to get in my exercise first," she said on the programme.

Asked by a reporter Wednesday whether Rice's performance signals more muscular diplomacy, State Department spokesman Adam Ereli quipped: "Muscular and agile."