FAQ's - Exercise and Diet
A. Weight is less important than natural build and body proportion. Female commercial models come in all shapes and sizes. Fashion models tend to be thinner than average people of the same height; their dress sizes may be 4 to 6. Plus models have sizes 10 to 16, and fuller figures. Men are generally athletic, with a well-defined, but not overpowering build, and have suit sizes from 40 to 42. There is no ideal weight for any model. Learn your natural body size, and be as healthy and fit as you can.
Q. What’s the best way to lose weight?
A. The first three letters in the word “diet” remind us that dieting is not a good thing. Food is such a complex issue in modern life, since we both depend on and indulge in it. Healthy and enjoyable eating can occur together, if you eat in a planned pattern. Weight is best lost gradually, not by restricting total calories, but by avoiding empty calories. Excessive fat, sugar and corn sweeteners, high salt content, and chemicals are used to increase the effects food has on our brains. “Comfort foods” make you pay later. Instead, if we regularly select fresh, whole foods with the right amount of carbohydrate, protein, and vegetable, not animal fat, we will have menus which are pleasant and healthy for the long run. Regularly eating “right,” not skipping meals, and exercising will keep our bodies fit and trim. Of course, ask your doctor, nutritionist, and athletic trainer for guidance and a program, not for pills or short-term gimmicks!
Q. I am worried that my daughter may have an eating disorder. What shall I look for?
A. One severe eating disorder is anorexia, whose symptoms include: deliberate self-starvation with weight loss; fear of gaining weight; refusal to eat; denial of hunger; constant exercising; greater amounts of hair on the body or the face; sensitivity to cold; absent or irregular periods; loss of scalp hair; and most typically, a self-perception of being fat when the person is really too thin.
A related disorder is bulimia, which is eating a lot of food at once (called binging), and then throwing up or using laxatives (called purging). After a binge, some bulimics fast (don’t eat) or over to keep from gaining weight. People with bulimia may also use water pills, laxatives, or diet pills to “control” their weight. People with bulimia often try to hide their binging and purging.
Models should learn how to be the size they were born to be, and realize that most all of the different figure types succeed in different ways. If someone seems to show the warning signs of anorexia or bulimia, it is imperative to get them to see a physician right away. Anorexia and bulimia are conditions which are difficult to treat, and can become life-threatening.
Q. What type of exercise does a model need to do?
A. Any type of exercise is good for a model as long as it is done at least 4-5 days a week. The heart and lungs must be strengthened for aerobic fitness, and the muscles and joints must be kept toned and flexible. Men must strive for well-balanced physiques, “cut", but not bulked-up. Women must be well toned, gracefully proportioned, and have erect carriage (posture). Weight training, martial arts, dancing, aerobics, swimming, yoga, to name a few disciplines, all can be used in combination. An athletic trainer can be very valuable, and should be consulted to plan an individualized fitness program.
