Gearing Up for Spring Allergies? So Are We (And We’re in Good Company with Brooke Burke-Charvet)!

Brooke Burke-Charvet copes with seasonal allergies, too.

Now that we’re slowly getting rid of the endless stream of colds and flu and awfulness that have plagued our house since January, I can feel allergies kicking into gear. I was lucky and never had any sort of seasonal allergy growing up, but then I started getting itchy eyes and awfulness one spring in my 20s. I didn’t know what to make of it until I noticed that it had a set pattern—fall runny noses and spring sniffles. Boo on adult-onset allergies.

Now, like so many others, I have to figure out how to deal without my entire face becoming a drippy mess. Claritin is the one drug for nasal ridiculousness that my doctor told me I could take while breastfeeding, so it seemed fitting that we got to ask Brooke Burke-Charvet a few questions. The Dancing with the Stars host has teamed up with Claritin to share a sneak peek into her allergy-filled life. You can learn more about Brooke’s allergy story here and take your own Claritin Challenge.

We asked Brooke a few questions about dealing with allergies and staying healthy while keeping up with the demands of kids.

Q&A With Brooke Burke-Charvet

Tell us about your allergies and how they affect your life. How has Claritin helped? I love spring, but it’s a very busy time for me; I’m hosting Dancing with the Stars again, my kids are more active and demanding, and we love spending as much time outdoors as possible. I have no time to let allergies get the best of me, and that’s why I teamed up with Claritin again to take their Claritin Clear Challenge. It’s simple—as soon as my allergies start, I take one non-drowsy Claritin. I take it every day of my allergy season—as long as the pollen keeps flying for continuous relief.

You’re a mom with a busy career, how do you take time for you? How do you find balance? I believe in me time, or maybe self care is a better term for it; making myself a priority is equally as important as my children. Many days I feel like balance is too much to strive for, but I try and live in that space between balance and total chaos, just taking it day by day.

What’s a typical week like for you in regards to eats and workouts? I like to eat fresh, colorful and healthy; I believe in eating smart, frequent meals and I try to workout three to four times a week. I’ve designed a DVD series (30 Day Slim Down Total Body Workouts and also Sexy Abs) made for busy moms like myself. I don’t get a lot of time, so I try and get an effective workout in 30 minutes or less. I also teach a class in Malibu that is a cardio sculpt and burn inspired by my DVD workouts.

What’s the best piece of advice that you can give? Take deep belly breaths, take it day by day, and my latest mommy mantra: More acceptance and less expectance.

What’s your favorite workout move? And favorite workout move you love to hate? My favorite move that I love to hate: burpees. We do these for a minute straight in my class—I hate them but they’re oh so good; I know they’re effective so I make myself do them. My favorite workout move is the booty burn series, which you can see in my DVD workout.

What’s playing on your workout playlist? I have a little bit of everything, from upbeat music to cool down mellow jams. Right now I’ve got old Prince, Michael Jackson, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, Cafe del Mar, Mary J. Blige and a lot of original mixes made by my brother.

We LOVE her mommy mantra! We may have to adopt that ourselves… —Erin