A Little Help from the Stars

After having a bowl of cut melon for breakfast, I headed out the door to get my hair cut and coloured.  The salon where I go serves great coffee, so I had two cups, and then after my colour was applied, I settled in to read one of my favorite magazines, Star.

Salons are where I catch up on reading the pulp magazines covering the lives and fashions of the stars. Believe it or not, I find looking at the photos very motivating in terms of watching what I eat and staying fit. Fashion magazines like Vogue or Elle don’t do it for me, but Star, US Weekly, In Touch and People hit a chord in me that makes me want to stay looking good.

Sounds incredibly shallow, I know. It’s not that I want their money or their fame or their glitzy lives. I know that stars have personal trainers that push them every day. Often they have special cooks and nutritionists that feed them; and some simply use their money to stay slim surgically. But I guess I know at some level they are no different than I am in the struggle to maintain an image of  healthy good looks.

The paparazzi catch on film and blast to the world every new pound of flesh a star gains. How many times have we watched Oprah lose and gain weight? Britney Spears? Kirstie Ally? I can gain 20 lbs and and no one cares. It must be hell to live under such scrutiny. I imagine stars must dread going to the gym every day; hate having to be so careful about how much they eat. They must be really happy when their star burns out and they’re left in peace.

I guess I recognize their struggle, and when I see how great they look in their beautiful clothes and their makeup and hair, I figure hell, if they can do it, I can do it. I know I sound superficial and shallow, but if a little of that is going to help me stay my course, then so be it.

And it did. I went home feeling like a million dollars; had a light lunch of pea soup and a tomato sandwich.

Dinner was a helping of homemade tuna casserole with a small green salad, and an apple.

Exercise consisted of a 15 minute walk outside to get the mail, 20 minutes on the exercycle, strength exercises on the G-Force machine, crunches and stretches.

I had only one set back when, having eaten 1 chocolate covered digestive,  I grabbed 4 more out of the package. I came to my senses after gobbling two down and returned the others to the package.