Role “Model”: Famous Women Who Inspire Us [Part V]

Posted March 5, 2008 at 03:00 PM by Caroline Shannon

Section: Her Fitness, Athletics, Her Motivation, Her Story, Special Features

We all need role models - strong, self-sufficient women who endure tough times and make a meaningful mark on the world around them. While many women look to the world of celebrities for their idols, the ladies who deserve the title of “role model” are few and far between. Check out our other “Role ‘Models’” and read on for the fifth edition.

Becoming a real-life, singing diva at the age of 12 years old is typically a fairytale dream that stretches far from the actual reality of which most middle school-aged girls are faced.

But for singer LeAnn Rimes, her days of singing into a hairbrush to a crowd full of Barbie dolls were long over by the time she could barely even be called a preteen. At the age of 13, Rimes hit the road for a tour of her top-selling album, Blue.

“For me it was a really lonely experience, and I turned to food at times because I had no where else to get that love,” Rimes said in an interview featured in the March 2008 issue of Fitness magazine. “I wasn’t taking care of my health.”

This lack of attention to her well-being, led to a swirl of criticisms from critics who began to write and talk about Rimes’ “baby fat” and her need to lose weight.

“People can be mean,” Rimes said to Fitness. “Still, I knew that I was unhealthy.”

Rimes said her health kick began after meeting her husband, dancer Dean Sheremet, at the 2001 Academy of Country Music Awards.

“He gives me emotional stability,” Rimes said to Fitness of her husband. “I started working out with him, and I found it was something that really agreed with me.”

In addition to exercising, the 25-year-old also began to make changes to her eating habits, which she has said included a lot of foods that kept her close to her southern roots. But instead of completely eliminating all of her favorite foods, Rimes said in the July 2007 issue of Shape magazine, she learned how to make them with a healthy twist. For example, she makes low-calorie turkey taco salads and grilled chicken with sautéed spinach and garlic, instead of tacos and fried chicken. Rimes has also learned how to make a healthy version of a grilled cheese sandwich: “Rather than regular American cheese on white bread, I use low fat cheddar on 2 slices of Ezekiel bread cooked in canola oil spray,” she told Shape. “It tastes as good as the original!” Rimes also enjoys grilled veggies with spices, frequent healthy snacks, such as a half of an English muffin with peanut butter, and a bit of dark chocolate every now and then.

When it comes to exercise, Rimes told Shape she uses cardio and resistance training, lifestyle activities and yoga to maintain her fabulous shape. She does several 50-minute weight-lifting workouts combined with short 1-2 minute cardio bursts, including jumping rope, each week with her personal trainer, Daon Johnson. Rimes also practices yoga regularly with her instructor Tom Larkin, including a 10 minute routine that she does after every show to relieve stress and “feel balanced.”

Other activities on Rimes’ schedule include frequent walks with her husband and dogs, and crunches on a Bosu ball for her abs.

But this powerful voice is not just concerned about only her wellness. Rimes told Fitness she is also involved in fund raising and outreach for the Coalition to Salute America’s Heroes, a nonprofit group that helps reintegrate wounded soldiers into society when they return home.

Rimes is also proud to be a healthy role model for her fans.

“I think it’s a huge compliment when mothers say their daughters look up to me,” Rimes said to Fitness. “My goal is to be a classy, healthy woman. For so long I’ve tried to be sexier, or whatever, but I’ve finally found who I really am.”

In addition to writing for several publications, Caroline Shannon is a lover of all things related to health and nutrition. She has been a runner for more than ten years and is a certified Pilates instructor. Check out more from Caroline on her her blog, Eat, Pray, Run.