M

elanie Brown or Mel B of the Spice Girls believes there is no future tense in motivating yourself to start a healthy lifestyle — start today, not tomorrow or next week.

The singer, actress, author, television personality and entrepreneur has become an inspiration for many fitness buffs after burning 15 kilograms in 20 weeks. Looking at her body, people would find it hard to believe that she is also a mom of three.

“Today, I am gonna eat healthy food. I am not gonna drink too much soda. I am gonna drink water. I will be so healthy. Stop talking about, say, next week. It’s all about to start it like, now!” she said during a live video chat in Jakarta.

The ambassador of International Fitness Week said she started her sport regime five years ago. Working out in the gym was actually not part of her schedule, but she squeezed it in after her second pregnancy.

“I had never been into a gym until five years ago. I wanted to lose my baby weight so I went to a gym. My life has been pretty hectic. I do a lot of traveling and I have kids. Working out is kind of balancing everything,” she said.

Since then, she has never looked back.

After giving birth to her third daughter in September last year, she wanted to lose the weight again, so she came back to the gym — working out at least three or four times a week and spends 45 minutes to an hour in the gym per day.

“The 45 minutes to 1 hour a day is my time. It is the only time I have for myself [to work out]. So it is really important for me,” she said.

Boredom can be inevitable and Mel B is not an exception. She tries to have variety in her workout to make the exercise interesting.

Listening to music that makes her move is her two cents to keep sweating. The music mix on her website is an example of her effort to entertain herself while working out. She said her DJ friend mixed some songs such as Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” with Spice Girls’ “Spice Up Your Life” as well as some other songs from various artists.

Tasty food is not her enemy.

Mel B said she cannot resist the temptation to have a gastronomic adventure with husband Stephen Belafonte when they go to a new place. The lover of fish, chicken, vegetables and mashed potatoes said she has a day in a week to eat practically everything.

“I dedicate one day a week to eat whatever I want, be it a burger or pizza or chocolate,” she said.

She understands that busy people in cities often complain that they have no time to work out.

Consistency, she said, should become a priority once they start the sport regime. Be it an hour in the gym twice a week, it should become a fixed schedule.

She believes that once people feel the benefit of working out, they will make it a habit.

“Working out makes you a nicer person. It makes your mood much happier and lighter, it really does.
I feel that if I have not been working out, I would become very moody, but if I have, I would be happier,” she said.

When asked why she agrees to promote working out by involving a number of fitness related programs, Mel B quickly said that she wants to inspire people to use their time and health wisely.

“I think, you know, life is too short, so use the most of it. You wanna be at your best. Be healthier and feel good.”