Early inspiration

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved working out to celebrity exercise videos.

It all began by watching my mother’s Jane Fonda video from afar, which mesmerized me with a swirl of leotards and leg warmers bopping to a dance beat. Oh, how I wanted to be as cool as those sweatband-wearing “big girls.” Fast forward to junior high, and how could I resist snatching up Cindy Crawford’s “Shape Your Body” workout video, with her famous, toned body clad in a one-piece bathing suit gracing the VHS cover. And when her subsequent video was released (aptly named, “The Next Challenge”), followed by a decade filled with lifting, stepping and stretching to Kathy Ireland, Elle MacPherson and Claudia Schiffer, it became official. I was addicted to sweating with the celebrities.

Current obsession

Of course, now celebrities wrap themselves around stripper poles in their exercise videos, but for me, the allure remains the same:  I want to work out “alongside” these beautiful women with the secret hope that maybe even one part of me will capture their beauty in the process.  (With my luck, it will be my pinky toe.)

My logical side knows that these celebrities are the product of a professional (and pricey) team at their disposal, including nutritionists, personal trainers, makeup and hair stylists — not to mention perfect lighting, camera angles and digital retouching to remove any flaws (gasp!). Nonetheless, I still enjoy the fantasy of these “perfect” workout instructors, and I will continue to sweat to the celebrities for as long as they pump out their videos. This holiday, I’m hoping Santa will bring the next video on my celebrity wish list — Kim Kardashian’s “Fit in Your Jeans by Friday: Ultimate Butt Body Sculpt.” Who knows – maybe this video will help transform me into the next one to keep up with.

Photos via Amazon.com