So you're pushing 50 in a career that values youth and beauty with a husband 15 years your junior. Okay, Demi. I actually understand why you're going right from one fad, The Master Cleanse, to the next, The Clean Program. Let's just not allow this to be the shining example of good health for the masses, who will inevitably take your advice, especially when you are dispensing it as such on your heavily trafficked Twitter feed and your every move is reported in the media.
As they say, with great power comes great responsibility. When you Tweet, you're sending a message to people (some of them too young or not healthy enough to be doing cleanses) that says, "the most important thing in life is to be skinny and look good."
With a career and husband that makes most young women want to be you, be careful not to fuel the epidemic of eating disorders and body dysmorphia that robs people of their self-esteem and, for some, their life.
Imagine for a moment that all of the things that are important to you in your life are represented by a pie chart. If any one thing (your weight, career, romance) takes up more than half of your personal pie chart, we have a problem. Since all of us are living this life in a body that is constantly aging, putting most of your value in your looks is a losing battle. As we approach the start of the school year, we need to also remember that putting the overwhelming majority of your value in your job or academic performance is equally treacherous. It's no wonder we also have an epidemic of college freshmen committing suicide who just can't take the letdown of their first "B."
It makes sense that the piece of Demi's pie that values looks is going to be a little bigger than the average person's. After all, her looks are directly related to how she makes her living.
Health should absolutely be a priority in all of our lives. What's the lesson for us all here?
Balance. Whether it's getting carried away with the diet du jour or the new romance in our lives, let's remember that slow and steady wins the race (especially when it comes to weight loss). And the more we cut a nice pie with seven or eight pieces of about the same size, the more we are building a life that is balanced, steady and full.