I’ve always liked Mary J. Blige. I realize that there are stories about her diva behavior and much more, but I feel like Mary doesn’t wallow or make excuses. Mary owns her crap. Mary covers the new issue of Shape, where she’s showing off some recent weight loss and a newly toned body. Apparently, she decided to slim down and tone up after her friend Whitney Houston passed away. Some highlights from the interview:
She’s quit drinking: “I’m off it completely once more, and now I feel stronger than ever! Whitney Houston’s death really crushed me. I saw someone so incredibly talented just diminish, and I refuse to go out like that.”
Mary at the age of 42: ‘Once I reached that goal, I wanted to be fit forever. Unfortunately, as I got older, I found it was harder to maintain. As you age, your body really wants to hold on to extra weight.’
Her workouts: The star credits her new-found lean figure to intensive cardio workouts consisting of running ‘six to eight miles a week’ along with strength training and core work. ‘The treadmill is fine, but running outdoors gives me the best results… I hate being out of shape! But I don’t exercise just to lose weight. It makes me feel better when I get that run in. I could be in the worst mood, but when I do my cardio I feel much, much better.’
She limits carbs: ‘I’m pretty diligent. I just can’t eat the way I used to,’ she reveals. A typical breakfast usually consists of oatmeal or an egg-white omelet with spinach; lunch is salad with grilled chicken or chicken sausage and brown rice or potatoes; fish and steamed vegies is often on the menu for dinner, while the hitmaker also drinks ‘probably half a gallon’ of water every day.
Learning how to swim as an adult: ‘I never swam as a kid and that always bothered me. At first, it was very hard, but once I got in the water and figured out how to breathe, it was so liberating. Now it’s helping me with every aspect of my life – personally and professionally. Conquering that fear was a huge boost to my confidence. I’m as proud of this accomplishment as I would be if I had graduated from college, which I never got to do. I had an “aha!” moment recently after a swim. I was walking by a mirror and I saw my abs, and they were crazy toned, and my arms looked unbelievable – in a good way,’ she beams. ‘I was thrilled and so proud of myself.’
I respect Mary for her attitude, because she’s never been like, say, Christina Aguilera. Aguilera gained a lot of weight and wouldn’t shut up about how much she loved her curves and she never wanted to lose weight… until she got her stomach stapled or whatever and suddenly she’s 50 pounds lighter. Mary’s always been in pretty good shape, and people really underestimate how much better you’ll feel when you give up the booze. I’ve been pretty much off the booze for several years now, and it was a big change (although I might need to go back to the occasional stiff drink because my insomnia is back). Also: it’s not like Whitney Houston’s only problem was booze. I mean, I get that Whitney’s death was a wake-up call but it’s not like Mary is sitting around, doing the kinds of drugs Whitney was doing.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Fame/Flynet.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmbGtlZoF5e8yaqbKXmpSvrbXGnpaqrZmprKW%2ByKeioqaXlLmwv9OYrp6hl53BoL%2FHnqqYq5ikxKq6xpimn56PnbKzq9OopZ6cj5e8pcW%2BqKWYq5iWvaZ7