Just what does the reigning queen of pop eat all day? It's been 30 years since Madonna entered the public lexicon with her epononymous album. As an ode to her cult of personality, a New York Magazine writer decided to try to follow in her Madgesty's footsteps, to see if a mere mortal could survive on a superstar diet and punishing exercise regimen.
Staying on top is hard in an industry as hard-assed as the music biz, and yet the 'top-selling female artist of all time' has more than managed it for three decades. So it follows that she must be made of some tough material. Discipline being her middle name, etc...
But "being Madonna is not easy" as one writer found out when she attempted to follow the star's grueling dietary and fitness habits for a week.
What it entailed: following an uber-strict macrobiotic diet that excludes pretty much every basic food group known to man—wheat, eggs, meats, and dairy—in favour of “sea vegetables.” The meal plan, taken from a cookbook by former private chef Mayumi Nishimura, comprises the likes of “Tofu Tartar Sauce” and “Sauerkraut With Thyme.” Hungry yet?
As for workouts, Madge has her own series of DVDs called “Addicted to Sweat” that are akin to military exercises, and involve performing pushups with feet on chairs and the like. (Apparently trainer Nicole Winhoffer had to manipulate the star into “really odd positions” in order for her to feel the burn.) Don't know about you, but I'm feeling faint already.
Kudos to the intrepid Rebecca Harrington for undertaking such a challenge, and living to write about it. She deserves a medal for even attempting the tofu cheese. You are seriously a bigger person than I'll ever be. (Then again, probably not, after a few days on the sweat and seaweed regime...)
Anyone who eats like that deserves the title of revolutionary. Happy thirty, Madonna!
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