Mel B. is Totally Fit
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Mel B. — solo artist, lingerie model and mother of two, former Spice Girl, and Dancing With the Stars alum — is now a fitness diva! Her new three-DVD set, Totally Fit, features fitness workouts and nutrition tips.
Incorporating her trademark spiciness (but none of the scariness), Totally Fit is not your typical exercise DVD. Her presentation, like her attitude, is a lot of fun and motivates you get rid of your “jubbily bits,” using the same routine she uses. She is in amazing shape and though you’ll be jealous of her six-pack abs, you’ll come to love her sassy style. The first disc contains a 60-minute fitness class split into 30-minute sessions that includes an aerobic workout and an up-tempo resistance workout, using everyday objects like soup cans and water bottles. The second disc includes four 10-minute routine that target “bums, tums, legs and arms” and a “Chill Out” stretch session. The third disco provides advice and tips on nutrition, including recipes that Mel and her husband eat.
I talked to Mel about her inspiration for creating Totally Fit, how she got her body back after giving birth to her second daughter Angel and her real-life no-trainer/do-it-yourself tips for getting into shape. She also answers reader questions about whether she’s had plastic surgery, how she finds the time to work out (she doesn’t have a nanny!), her favorite pig-out food and which Spice Girl would win in a race.
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Danielle: What was the impetus behind creating this program?
Mel: Well, I’ve always been really super active, and I’ve enjoyed working out, whether it be hiking, working out with friends, or going to classes at different gyms. What I’ve found is I’ve taken everything I know works, from all different workouts I’ve done over the last several years, and when I had Angel I compiled them into my own workout. I wasn’t comfortable going to the gym, I wasn’t really comfortable getting a trainer, because I do think sometimes trainers can be a waste of money – I ended up talking to them more than I was doing exercise! It became more of a social thing.
So I figured if I got a group of friends who were really determined to be on this mission with me, I thought I could achieve the same goals, but more, than by doing it myself. I gained between 50 and 60 pounds with my pregnancy, and decided I wanted to do this in the privacy of my own home. And I wanted to make sure it’s private, I can do it whenever I want, I can do it for 10, 20, 30 or 40 minutes, and I have the support of my friends at the same time.
I developed different segments for my arms, my abs. I’ve been doing the same ab workout for the past 10 years when I’ve been on tour. In the DVD, two-minute abs, you do 200 ab workouts in 2 ½ minutes, which goes by really quickly when you’re doing it in reps of 10. What I found was that after I had Angel, and I got myself back in shape and fit and active, a lot of people said, “What’s your secret?” And I thought, “Well there isn’t really a secret!” But if you all want to know, I’ll do something about it, release a DVD and let you all enjoy it.
So I decided to do everything by minute so you can build up your stamina, so it becomes a wide-open range for anybody with any kind of level. So I had my mom in mine – she’s been on a diet for the last 15 years and I don’t believe in diets, I believe in healthy well-rounded lifestyles with your once-a-week cheat day where you can eat what you want and not work out. So I created this by minute, so you can do as many push-ups, sit-ups, lunges as you can and then build it up. The reason why I think this DVD is different is because I’m real and I’m honest. I’m doing the workout alongside you and moaning and complaining about it hurting, but also giving you a countdown and helping you get through it.
In a nutshell, what would you say the program is? Something you need to do every day for a certain amount of time?
If you want to do it every day you can. You can do 10 minutes of legs one day, 10 minutes of arms the next. What I recommend is a good one-hour workout three times a week, and keep that consistency up. And the reason I involve friends is that it’s good to have a group of girls on the same page as you, so you have a female support backup. So when you’re feeling lazy on a Wednesday you’ve got your girlfriend going, “Oh no come on, I’m coming over, we’re going to stick the DVD in, do it, then we can have a cup of tea and a gossip afterward.” And my DVD is fun – it’s shot in a beautiful setting, and it’s something I haven’t seen before in a DVD.
Is that why you have people working out behind you, instead of the kind of exercise video where there’s the one trainer doing it?
Yes, I want to feel like I’m there with you with your group of friends. I’ve got my posse, you’ve got your posse, do it. And behind me, some are doing it with water bottles, some without, so they can show you the levels of what you can do, or want to do.
I love that you use water bottles and soup cans instead of weights! This way you don’t have an excuse about not having barbells.
It’s a workout you can do in your front room with some space to spare, a TV and you’re good to go.
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Celebrities often have different resources than normal moms – you can afford to have a babysitter when you need time for yourself. You can have a trainer, a personal chef. Most moms don’t have that.
I’m all about doing things myself because then you have yourself to blame and yourself to thank. I don’t have a nanny right now, so I workout when Angel goes down for a two-hour nap. When I was on tour I had a nanny since we were doing a show every day, but with my husband, we figure that all out, just like any normal parents do.
Besides buying your DVD and following your program, do you have tips that are good for new moms who are still figuring out how to get everything done during naptime?
Get yourself motivated. When your baby goes down for an hour nap, stick the DVD in and do it. When you’re nursing your baby, you can do lunges or squats. There are things you can constantly be doing. I did that with Angel, I’d go for a walk. Put the baby in the stroller and go for a walk to get yourself out and about. If you haven’t got good, supportive friends, then create a diary where you log yourself in three times per week, and make a program where you did this many exercises in this many minutes, and push yourself to do more the next week. Constantly challenge yourself – that’s when you get into feeling really fit. And you’ll start to feel the results, the tightening in your thighs, and the changes in your body. And you have to be sure to eat well and hydrate; you can’t do one without the other. There’s no point in working out if you’re going to eat 50 doughnuts a day, and no point in eating well if you’re not going to get your heart rate up a few times a week.
Do you have tips for eating healthily on a budget?
I have a crockpot, so what I do is I throw chicken, vegetables and broth in there and let it cook for four hours. It’s quick, it’s easy, and the only time you really need is to chop up the veggies and put them in there. It feeds about eight people and it lasts for a few days.
Are you into organic?
Not everything, but a lot of stuff in our fridge is organic, and we have a limited amount of dairy intake in our house, too.
So you said you have a day where you don’t exercise and eat what you’d like?
I call it “Sod It Sunday.” Anything goes. We put on pajamas, watch movies with the kids. I have a Sunday Roast with roasted potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, gravy, stuffing, all that kind of yummy stuff.
Is that your “pig-out food”?
For me, during the time of the month, I’ll crave chocolate, but in general I don’t crave anything bad. I crave clean healthy salads with a good dressing and chicken or turkey slices, or fish. I crave healthy, clean food because my body just sucks that up – I love it.
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When did you discover those were foods you actually enjoy?
About 10 years ago. I was part of the Spice Girls, we were on the road constantly and you had to look after yourself or you’d get ill. You wouldn’t want to do those 20 interviews a day, but would want to go to bed. I got into eating healthily, and knowing what my body liked and didn’t like, and learned to treat my body well. When you think about it, it’s easy, it’s common sense. But I understand getting into it and maintaining it takes work.I was never a big water drinker, ever; I’d drink anything but. Then finally two years ago I found this water called Aqua Hydrate, and it’s soft, easy to drink, has lots of minerals and is just brilliant.
Did you work with a nutritionist to learn about food?
No, I’ve been around a lot of trainers, I’ve been in the industry. I’ve been around health-related people, so I do know that what I eat is full of antioxidants, good protein levels and simple carbs. Just finding out about that is great, and there are lots of places on the Web to find the information. My Web site is going to be kicking off this Friday, melaniebrown.com, and I’ll be putting up information about certain foods, what’s good, what’s not good, giving a whole meal plan also.
People can’t believe that you managed to look so fabulous so quickly after having Angel. Did you have plastic surgery?
No I didn’t! You can see all the different stages my body’s gone through, from having Angel to working out to Dancing With the Stars to going on tour. I’ve been active, and through all of that, I’ve stuck to the workout on my DVD. I’ve been strict about that. And if I miss a few days, I feel like something’s wrong, and know I need to get in my front room, stick my DVD on and get going with it. Then I feel good inside – it’s like treating your body with good juice.
Did you experience external pressure to get back in shape?
Not really. I wanted to feel good, get back into the clothes I wore before I had Angel. That’s always good motivation as it is.
With you being superfit, and Sporty Spice Mel C. being pregnant, who would win in a race?
I don’t think Mel C. will be running anytime soon – she’s having her baby in the next three weeks – but after she’s had her baby, she’s very fit too, so when she gets back into shape it’ll be a draw. She’d say something different, like she would win, but I’m going to take it easy and say it’d be a draw!
– Danielle
