'Ridiculous' Gwyneth Paltrow

May 7, 2010, 6:01 GMT

Gwyneth Paltrow thinks wearing shorts as a 37-year-old mother-of-two is "ridiculous".

The actress - who has children Apple, five and Moses, four, with Coldplay singer Chris Martin - admits she has to work hard to maintain her trim physique, but her friend Tracy Anderson's dance workout helps her get into shape.

She said: "This 26-minute long video was an amazing start for getting the butt and legs I had always hoped for.

"This regime got me into the shape of my life and I continue to return to it when I have a specific event so that I can do ridiculous things like be a 37-year-old mother-of-two and wear shorts!"

Writing in her GOOP newsletter, Gwyneth also claims she has to diet in short spurts to get good results.

"To really get in line, I follow her strict diet for five days to lose my extra winter weight. Now, I am not a good dieter and I cannot every do it for long - only when there is a goal in sight, which there was in this case."

Previously the 'Iron Man 2' star has revealed her distaste at the idea of dieting, and claims she puts on weight as soon as she thinks about cutting down on food.

She said: "I had to work hard to get it like this, but now I'm here it's so great because I don't have to think about it. I can just enjoy life. What a relief is that.

"I can eat what I want, as long as I exercise, which is just as well, because if I put the word 'diet' into my brain, I immediately gain a stone."