"If I never wanted to exercise again, I wouldn't think, 'I've got to because I'm Sporty Spice,'"
Chisholm told Now magazine.
When Melanie Chisholm, aka Sporty Spice, visited Barbados recently, shots of her cavorting in a tiny black bikini circulated the globe. But that didn't bother the fitness fanatic. It was the ensuing furore about her slightly bulkier physique that made Chisholm fume ... for her youthful fans' sake (and she has plenty of fans: her latest solo single, "Never Be the Same Again," topped UK charts and hit No. 2 here). The media's obsession with size is "irresponsible," the 26-year-old complained. "A lot of young people end up getting wound up about whether they are too fat or too thin."
Although she is super-toned, Chisholm- who describes her size 10, 1.7m figure as "quite muscular"- doesn't aspire to a skinny ideal. She works out, usually "for two hours a day, mostly weight training," because apart from staving off osteoporosis, "it's a great stress release. When I'm in a gym, it's just me and the weights; I don't think about anything else. A lot of artists turn to drinks and drugs to get a buzz, but I put all my energy into keeping fit. It keeps me focused."
Oh, and she likes wearing trainers, too: "I'm just addicted to them. I must have about 200 pairs - I have them in every colour."
"If I never wanted to exercise again, I wouldn't think, 'I've got to because I'm Sporty Spice,'"
Chisholm told Now magazine.