fter years of being glamorous gossip fodder, Gretchen Barretto has chose to simply pay attention to what's important, from boxing to staying in shape to taking care of Dominique and Tony

GRETCHEN Barretto's current sport is no longer shopping. It's boxing. She's so into it that she tries to train four times a week, starting as early as 8:00 am—she goes straight to Elorde Sports Center in Parañaque after dropping off daughter Dominique at school. “I got bored with the normal gym workout using the treadmill. I don't like slow exercises. I even tried yoga before but I found it too slow,” explains the 35-year-old personality and endorser of the Plains & Prints clothing line, which is launching its 2005 “I Complete Me” campaign this month.

The upside: She's lost weight, worked on her cuts and—you'd better believe it—made whole new set of friends in the ring. The downside: Blistered knuckles and athlete's injuries, such as broken wrists and fingers. “One time, after sparring with my trainer, my energy was still up and I wanted to fight some more. I was about to hit him when he turned around and saw me. He had no choice but to defend himself. That's how I injured my middle finger,” she recalls. She couldn't box for three weeks after that.

Life for Gretchen has been relaxed and easy since she decided to become a full-time mother—and leave showbiz—10 years ago. Then, as now, it's being with Dominique and partner Tony Boy Cojuangco that's made her a complete woman. And what's kept the sane during trying time. Her much-publicized conflicts with Tony's mother and daughter, as well as her two sisters, have been covered enough, and Gretchen refuses to dwell on them.

“My Tita Chita (Barretto) and a friend always tell me that when you're so overwhelmed with pain, that's only one side of your life. You also have to focus on the good, on what you have,” she says. “And then I see people around me who love me, who literally surround me—my cousins, Tony, Dominique. What's important is when I'm home I feel safe. That's how I survive the day.”

Does she remember the lat time she laughed and cried? “Oh I always laugh and I also cry a lot. Even just talking about my daughter and how she's doing so well in school make me cry,” she says. “I've been hurt many times. In my situation, you don't heal in a week or a month. But what's important is I don't touch it. I don't talk about it. I don't want to recall it. If I do I'll only get hurt all over again—and who wants pain? Who wants hurt?”

And so she prefers to see the happy side of life, preferring to count her blessings when she's down. “I always recover from trials. That's my goal in life. Life is so damn precious. I have to be sane for Tony when he comes home after a hard day's of work and for Dominique after a hard day at school,” she says.

So what's day in the life of Gretchen Barretto like? “I wake up early to bring my daughter to school every day. I also fetch her in the afternoon. I have my dinner around 4 pm and then, when Tony has his dinner, I eat fruits, nothing major.” She cooks and bakes for the family. Tony, she says, will eat anything, while Dominique likes fried chicken, fried fish, pasta and shrimp dumplings. She was a vegetarian for eight months, but she stopped because it was making her moody.

Before they retire for the night, she and Tony walk about what happened during the day. Then they exchange hugs. “A tight hug is so damn important, especially when you're down or depressed. “It's priceless,” she says. She may be aggressive in the boxing ring, but at home, we all know who the champions in Gretchen's life are. - -