Those last 10 pounds may be only a song away
We don't know about you, but when that alarm clock buzzes at 5 a.m., we bounce out of bed, throw on our workout clothes, grab a protein bar and head straight to the gym. OK, maybe that's not the scenario every day. Perhaps some mornings we need a little extra boost.
So did Heidi Roizen, but she did more than cut out pictures of Jessica Biel and tape them to her refrigerator. She wrote upbeat pop songs about slimming down, such as "I'm a Hottie Now," "The Incredible Shrinking Woman," "Think I'll Go to Saks" and "Skinny Jeans," then put them on a CD titled "SkinnySongs." Here are sample lyrics from "Skinny Jeans":
Skinny jeans, skinny jeans, you're still hanging 'round
In the back of my closet and that's bringin' me down
this morning, I woke up, and made me a vow
skinny jeans, gotta get back, into you somehow
"I sat down and said, what would motivate me to lose weight?" she says, explaining the genesis of the album. "It was the image of me fitting into those jeans again, feeling great about myself, all these kinds of positive things. For a lot of women -- yes, we know the health benefits, but they're not as visually exciting as fitting into skinny jeans."
Roizen, a former Silicon Valley venture capitalist, hooked up with producers, musicians and singers (five are featured on the CD) and created "SkinnySongs" to help others stay inspired on their path to weight loss and health -- think of it as something to listen to on the way to the gym to get pumped up for your workout. "I know how to diet and exercise," she says. "It's getting the motivation to do it day in and day out, and not turn to chocolate chip cookies when you're having a bad moment." Roizen says it took her a little less than a year to lose 36 pounds via this byzantine regimen: "Eat less and exercise more."
She concedes that the music isn't for everyone. We thought some of the songs were a little jingle-y -- something you might hear in a commercial featuring an attractive woman drinking a slimming shake while twirling around. But whatever works -- and it might be a nice alternative to getting yelled at by your boot camp instructor.
-Jeannine Stein
