Did you know that Sheryl Crow is 50 years old? I don't know why I didn't realize that ... after all, Gerardo and I have been HUGE fans of Sheryl since way back when. It was about 25 years ago when we went to our first Sheryl Crow concert together at The Whiskey. She was just starting to explode onto the scene and her parents were in the audience cheering her on. So sweet.
Last night, Gerardo and I had a complete and total blast watching Sheryl in concert again. And what a thrill it was to be able to meet and visit with her before the show. She was so nice. A class act all the way.
So why do I bring up Sheryl's age? Well ... because for the longest time I just assumed that she was younger than me. The way she looks, her vitality, the way she dresses, her whole package ... this shot below isn't the best one because it's a bit blurry but the way she sings, the way she tells her stories ... she is mesmerizing.
She's been through a lot too. Breast cancer. Relationship challenges. Single motherhood. And now some additional health challenges which I believe she'll power through. The way she talks about all of these things ... it's so easy ... so real ... she doesn't hide or mask her stories. They are there.
I'll be daring and end by posting this final photo below ...
Sheryl Crow.
50 years old and smokin' hot.
I posted this photo earlier today on my Instagram and it caused a bit of a stir ... causing some digs about Sheryl. Mainly about how it's easy to be this fit if you've never birthed a child and if you have money to invest in personal training.
Blah, blah, blah.
Similar digs are said about Jennifer Hudson. I've heard it. "Oh if I had money and an endorsement contract, I'd lose weight too." Um ... on the count of three, let's think of celebrities who have been given endorsement deals by Jenny Craig and such and have not come close to what Jennifer Hudson has done. Ready? One, two, three.
Ok ... more ...
On the count of three, think of a woman who hasn't given birth, and who has money but still hasn't gotten fit. Ready? One, two, three.
Now, on the count of three, think of a woman with a moderate income who has given birth but who has gotten fit. Ready? One, two, three.
The thing is, there are always examples that prove the digs right, and also examples that prove the digs downright wrong.
I remember after I had my babies in my social worker days, I spent something like 200 bucks to buy a Nordic Trak machine and worked my tail off on that machine for weeks on end to lose the pregnancy weight. It was a lot of money to spend back then for me. And I remember a colleague who said to me "Well, if I had access to a machine like that, I'd be able to lose weight too."
The gall.
It made me so mad. Because it's not that I had access to a machine that she could never have access to. She could have sacrificed things she was spending money on to buy a Nordic Trak or a treadmill or a gym membership or a flippin' jump rope for Pete's sake. It was really her discounting the discipline, hard work, the grit that it took for me to coordinate putting my newborn in an automated swing, settting my toddler up with a Barney video, while I got my soft, pudgy body onto the thing that I decided to invest in for 30 minutes every day, to lose my pregnancy weight. It was so hard.
One of the first things I have people do in my Crafting Fitness class is to identify who their fitness role model is. And people come up with all sorts of people. It's one of my favorite parts of the class because fitness role models come in differnet sizes, shapes, ages, professions, and walks of life. Role models give us hope. They inspire us. They motivate us. I've had several over the years. Some celebrities, some friends, some strangers who don't realize I am in awe of them at the gym. And the thing is, who motivates me is different from who motivates you ... as it should be.
I guess this is a long way of sayinng that in this season of my life, Sheryl has become my new fitness role model. She gives me hope that I can not only succeed in successfully fighting for fitness in my 40s, but well into my 50s and beyond. And regardless of what kinds of comforts or advantages we may assume she has, I also know she has discomforts and disadvantages that only she knows about.
But I know this. She's 50 and looks better than many 20-somethings and 30-somethings. And if she can do it, I know others can do it too.
So ... what about you? Who's your fitness role model? Who gives you hope, inspires you, motivates you, and challenges you to aim for optimum fitness in your season of life?
