jann arden - alive & well

Alive is a free health magazine distributed through vitamin shops and heath food stores in Canada. It can have some wacky, hocus-pocus stuff in it, but as a magazine junkie, how can I resist a free magazine? (Answer: I can't.)

This month's issue has Jann Arden on the cover looking quite fabulous. And an interview with her inside. She is getting a lot of press right now both because she is on tour for her new album, Uncover Me (big thumbs up), and because she has lost over 50 pounds.

Apparently she is also taking some flack for the weight loss from those who saw her as a role model for living large and loving it. There is no denying that she has been an affirming female presence in the media- especially for those in her/my age group. I have to say, though, that begrudging someone for getting healthier so you can keep feeling affirmed in your own state of being overweight seems so wrong. And this was a health issue for Jann - as it is for most of us who are overweight.

Here is what she has to say about her weight loss in Alive:

She assures me that "it was an organic process," during which she told herself, "I'm just going to make changes," rather than "I want to lose weight."

For Arden it was all about making small changes. For 20 years she'd been eating "once a day." While she had always been active, she "jumped up the cardio a bit," and "started eating breakfast." This led to having small meals and snacks throughout the day - she laughs as she tells me she's carrying around healthy little snacks like "cheese sticks in my purse now. It's so easy." She sounds like she can't believe she's talking about herself: it still seems new, this life of snacking and eating "a lot more food." She has done all this without a trainer or diet book.

And my favourite part:

Although she says she "jogs at the speed of a turtle," she keeps at it. "Change is possible," she says. Most importantly, she is "gentle with my soul. I don't punish myself."..... She has thought about what is important to her and made those things priorities.

Yay Jann! She has always been a role model to me and is even more so now.

Comments

[Lena Laufer]

Has Jann been able to keep the weight off for the past two years?

[jp]

re: last comment. I have no idea, but I think she's wonderful at any size... and if she feels healthier all the better. Breakfast is a good thing. (-:

Just saw Jann takes Manhattan. She is so funny, and her voice still moves me after all these years. She is a genuine soul.