It helped that as a little girl born to an Italian family in Detroit, Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone was interested in dancing. She took up ballet lessons although her father, a Chrysler engineer, would rather that she learned to play a musical instrument.
USA Today’s Edna Gundersen gave the show 4 out of 4 stars. Madonna, who has not stopped reinventing herself since 1983, flaunted her captivating powers in a strenuous two-hour song-and-dance extravaganza. Her years of dedication to weight training, yoga, Pilates, and a macrobiotic diet made possible a spectacle of strength, flexibility and stamina. The show opened with Vogue, with Madonna on a full handstand.
Gundersen reports, "The concert is a rigorous, fast-paced escapade with bold sets, brazen choreography and sexy but age-appropriate costumes, plus a bagpiper, a skateboarder, a fire handler and acrobats on swings. It’s cheeky and challenging theater from the naughty Victorian caper of Vogue and the harrowing drama of Frozen to the breezy Express Yourself, rocking Burning Up and mock combat of American Life, played out on a suspended V-shaped catwalk. And that’s only in the first of four elaborate acts."
"At 45, Madonna is in fine voice, especially on the vintage tunes, where her silky tone may come as a surprise to fans familiar with the early chirp. She dances energetically with grace and funk, plays guitar and naturally has the shape and muscle density of a Barbie doll. Madonna’s mini-me’s (listening, Britney? J-Lo?) have a long way to go before they match her in vocal prowess or multitasking abilities."
Pop star Avril Lavigne, who was in the audience, said, "I have a lot of respect for her because she has longevity … and I think she’s a really strong woman and she’s always surprising people. And I think she’s smart, a very smart businesswoman. I have a lot of respect for her."
The singer is performing in the US, Canada and Europe with a huge entourage of 100 people who travel with her plus 56 security guards working backstage. She has also arranged for a children’s play area backstage and has since traveled with her private doctor when she nearly collapsed from exhaustion after a series of shows.
Laura Williams, a fully qualified fitness instructor and Pilates teacher who writes for the Daily Express and Zest, and has been featured in Men’s Health, Glamour and Evening Standard, says. "She has the body of a much younger woman, but she works hard to be that way, probably to the point of being obsessive. She’s not the sort of woman who’s going to sit back and grow old without a fight."
"Madonna has always worked hard to achieve the body she has, which is why she looks so toned at the age of 46. Her body fat can’t be any more than 16 to 17 percent, far lower than the desired 23 to 33 percent standard for a woman. Her macrobiotic diet will help to keep her this low, as it’s naturally low in calories and fat, but her training regimen is also crucial."
"Madonna’s physique is indicative of someone who puts in a lot of hours working out. She’s a huge fan of Ashtanga yoga — she’s on the third series, which is equivalent to being an Olympic-standard athlete, and no doubt contributes to her great posture and muscle tone. But she obviously still engages in a lot of aerobic exercise to keep her body fat so low; if she had higher levels of body fat, her muscle tone wouldn’t be so pronounced. To get muscle definition like hers, you need to be strength training on a regular basis."
Williams also hinted that Madonna’s latest favorite is the Gyrotonic Expansion System, an exercise that uses resistance equipment to improve muscle strength and flexibility. Overall, Madonna seems to be genetically blessed as well to respond very well to training.
A little bit more on the Ashtanga yoga Madonna follows. Her first and favorite yoga instructor is Danny Paradise, a Canadian disciple of Ashtanga yoga. This version is attractive to the younger generation because it combines oriental holistic style with a Western physical approach. The essence of the exercise is no different from any gym’s cardinal formula for fitness — strength, stamina, and suppleness.
An 87-year-old guru, popularly called Jois. popularized Ashtanga as a spiritual aerobics. He is deemed to be the most famous international guru who teaches in a pair of Calvin Klein underpants and gold jewelry. His students pay at least $50 for a one-time session. He packs each session with as m,any as 200 participants, thus earning as much as $100,000 every week.
Jois claims that yoga practice makes you lean but strong as an elephant. It also gives you a smiling face, sexual prowess and increased immunity from diseases. Well, at least the first statement is very true in the case of Madonna.
Wilson instantly cautions though that this diet is not for the general public. It cannot be done without guidance since it can result in a lot of vitamin deficiencies, such as iron and B12, from eliminating meat. Restricting calcium-rich dairy products could also increase the risk of osteoporosis.
"But Madonna is obviously taking in the right number of calories for her needs and therefore keeps her weight constant and sticks to it with no problems. Not eating junk food, staying hydrated and avoiding processed foods and stimulants such as caffeine will also account for the energy she has to train as she does," Williams concludes.
Few mainstream nutritionists endorse a strict macrobiotic diet due to the nutritional deficiencies that may ensue, even though this oriental-style vegetarian diet has been found to help prevent heart disease, some types of cancers, chemical sensitivities and food allergies.
Madonna must be doing something right to remain popular over two decades. She must be doing something right to remain as lean and sexy as she was when she first went onstage. She has the determination and the will power. She works hard to keep her popularity as well as her shape. For that alone, I am a raving fan.