I just finished a great book, “Never Say Never” by Ricki Lake. I come from the era of the “Ricki Lake Show” and was very interested in hearing more about her life.
The central theme of “Never Say Never” is the battle she has waged with her weight. She is similar to the likes of Kirstie Alley, in that her weight problems have always been out there for the world to see.
Ricki Lake first came on the scene when she starred in the movie, “Hairspray.” She weighed 200 pounds at the time. That seemed to fuel something inside her, to realize that her weight didn’t necessarily have to stand in the way of success.
She recently made a “comeback” when she participated last fall in “Dancing with the Stars.” In her book, she says that instead of being worried about being able to learn the dance steps, her greatest concern was if she would look fat.
Although she has gone through quite a transformation in learning how to deal with her weight issues, it still reared up its ugly head when she was suddenly dancing on national TV. But her strength and the ability to accept who she is, well, it is quite inspiring.
In fact, the encouragement you find through reading her book is demonstrated through her words, “If I could help women to achieve anything when it came to their bodies, it wouldn’t be fitness or weight loss; it would be self-acceptance…Unless you love yourself for who you are right now, you’ll never become who you truly want to be.”
One of the wisest things she says in her book is this: “I’ve finally accepted that there’s no such thing as ‘finished’ when it comes to being fit. Even the most immaculate house requires regular cleaning, and you have to keep training your muscles and appetite in order not to lose ground in your fitness battle.”
If you have found weight issues to be an ongoing problem, you might see things in a new light after
reading her book. I personally felt encouraged and inspired to first and foremost, accept myself as I am and then do what I need to do to be as healthy as I can be.
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