The New Year is upon us, and Oprah is already talking about yet another fitness campaign. Yes, apparently, hers truly has gained yet again another 60 lbs. despite having celebrity trainer Bob Greene run her ass through the mill every day and personal chef Dean Ornish prepare meals to her liking 24/7.
Are her efforts really that transparent? Do we need Oprah to keep us motivated?
The answer is "Yes".
While I get tired hearing about her sorry excuses for not being more open about her struggles with her weight(i.e. her hypothyroidism diagnosis was not revealed until her diagnosis in November 2008, six months after Newsweek reported she was seeking medical attention for related symptoms), America looks to celebrities like Oprah as their resounding call each year for getting up off the couch and onto the treadmill. Without Oprah, we'd be a mere shadow of what Richard Simmons meant to exercisers everywhere in the 80's. She's the trendsetter for everything that's, well, trendy. Like Martha Stewart, she has managed to become a "maven" for spreading ideas and making them "cool", as described in Malcolm Gladwell's 2000 economic bestseller, "The Tipping Point" (No pun intended there!) .
What's amazing about Oprah's roller coaster transformations year after year is that each time she hits rock bottom, she proves to be human. No matter how much money, fame or fortune one has does not guarantee one the joys or protect one from the pains of what makes us human. While we may get sick of how Oprah has sold out to big business, it's Oprah the person we connect with and continue to put our hopes in. Big business is the vehicle she drives to market her romantic values to millions of households around the nation, not unlike a televangelist preaching to his flock. And when she talks, we listen, whether it's about fashion, politics, or fitness.
Check out Oprah's "Weight Gain Confession" and hear how her own words reverberate in our own lives, and how easy it is for all of us to fall off the bandwagon and loose sight of what is truly important to us. http://www.oprah.com/media/20081030_tows_confession
Which leads me to the topic of next week's blog - What are the predictors of a successful weight loss fitness regimen? How can we apply them to our own lives to make us successful in our own fitness endeavors? Stay tuned to find out!
Don't be a fool!!
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Great first post! I don't want to have to have to wait another full week to read your next post. ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you said, it's nice every now and then to see a celebrity struggle with their weight like the rest of us humans who don't have millions of dollars to pay a personal trainer to work with us all the time, or to have a personal chef, etc.
-Jen P.
This is a test.
ReplyDeleteI found myself wondering if Oprah gained weight on purpose to generate more publicity for herself.After all she has gotten a bit dull compared to Ellen:)
ReplyDeleteYes, I actually was wondering that myself as well...nevertheless, did you see how many people still felt the need to talk about her? Oh, wait, I'm one of them! ;)
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