Monica Bertini, Pressing journalist: “Here’s how I stay in shape”

“The most beautiful shape is the curved one”. Thus begins Monica Bertini, with a joke that hides a truth and with a smile that lights up the day. And also the evening because the journalist Mediaset was chosen to host the network’s flagship sports broadcast. “Pressing”, which from Sunday 19 September will return in the late evening on Italia 1: “I am very happy to also undertake this unexpected adventure, after I was entrusted with the Italian Cup. The co-management with Massimo Callegari, a colleague I respect a lot, he created what I like to call ‘the strange couple’: you complement each other beautifully “.

Do you like talking or playing sports more?

“Actually I find it more fun to practice it. But you also need to be able to achieve results worthy of the name. And here, unfortunately, I creak. I know my limits. With great humility, therefore, I think I’m better at talking about sport”.

What sports have you practiced in your life?

“Six years of artistic gymnastics when I was little. I stopped too early and I regret it. But still today I bring the benefits of that experience: posture and joint mobility are children of gymnastics. And then athletics arrived in adolescence: 4 seasons with good regional results “.

“Bad bad with tennis, basketball and volleyball. For the past three years I’ve been taking padel lessons. It’s a lot of fun but in the game it’s obvious to anyone that I’m less talented than the other three people on the court. Whoever they are (he laughs)”.

Do you have any basic rules for your physical well-being?

“I take great care of my body on an aesthetic level: I look for the best creams, I do mud baths, I love massages and often … I massage myself. The truth is that being a curious person and having tried different types, over and over again, I also learned how to perform them professionally. And therefore not only were the friends satisfied, but I myself apply what I have understood and experienced on myself “.

The motor activity instead?

“I try, sometimes forcing myself, to stay in shape. The positive aspect is that I love walking: I could do it for hours and hours. And when I don’t have time, I summarize physical activity in 60 minutes of the gym with a personal trainer. Twice. per week”.

And the results can be seen …

“I have always preferred to take the stairs rather than take the lift. Take the longer route than the shorter one. This too, perhaps, has influenced and allows me to indulge in some whim at the table”.

But he is more comfortable with a saucepan or with a microphone?

“Those who know me well know this: without a doubt with the microphone. The culinary art is not really my thing. Paraphrasing the first question I was asked, I am better at eating than at cooking”.

For an Emilian woman like her, how difficult is it to give up the most popular dishes?

“And who ever said to give up. Maybe I’ll be more careful in the following days but I don’t want to do without one of the pleasures of life. I’m a fan of carbohydrates: pasta in its most varied facets, pizza, focaccia. goodness. And then the desserts: I’m really greedy. Obviously it’s the quantity that makes the difference. I eat without excess but with taste “.

Has your diet changed from Parma to Milan?

“Obligatory. There was no longer the kitchen of mum and dad who run a restaurant in Traversetolo. And, as mentioned, I have never been a skilled cook. I specialized in creating vegetable soups. I decreased carbohydrates and increased proteins. In short, a more basic cuisine “.

AWas this also the case in the lockdown phase?How did you manage your physique?

“In that complicated period, I must admit I was particularly diligent: taking advantage of the time available and the many social services offered by many personal trainers, I committed myself to doing three workouts a day”.

Did you continue to train even during the summer?

“By my nature, I do more activities in summer than in winter: walking on the beach is very good, I like to swim, I look for parks and pine forests where I can go for a run. Because of the time available, a bit of laziness and the weather atmospheric, in my case, it is more likely to be more sedentary in the winter season “.

So how does your physical preparation change in winter?

“It changes drastically. In winter I feel like an animal that hibernates. Seeing the farthest summer, it also pushes away the swimsuit fitting. I do what it takes. fitness in March. From November to February I compensate for the lack of sport with a lot of sports spoken on TV “.