Jilian Michaels Body Revolution Calendar
Jillian Michaels keeps her message simple: Get moving
Depending on your point of view, the word “pink” can have many connotations.
It can mean delicate and princess-like. Or it can be gutsy, like the singer who takes her one-word name from that color.
Or it can be empowering, as in women standing up for their health at “PINK: A Women’s Event,” which was held Saturday at the Lancaster County Convention Center. The showcase of healthy lifestyles and breast cancer awareness was produced by Lancaster Newspapers and presented by Lancaster General Health.
And as long as we are talking gutsy, the main event was nationally famous fitness trainer Jillian Michaels, lately of the hit NBC reality weight-loss show “The Biggest Loser.”
Michaels, who has left the NBC show, said in a recent People magazine interview that she was unhappy about how the show was portraying her.
On “The Biggest Loser,” Michaels, 40, did develop a reputation for being tough on her weight-losing contestants. But she was all smiles and audience-pleasing energy Saturday, delivering a motivational-style presentation in which she wasn’t afraid to poke some fun at herself.
“I’m going to teeter up here in these shoes,” said Michaels as she took to the stage in the cavernous convention center ballroom. “Maybe I’ll sit,” she added, taking a seat on a big couch on an elevated platform that gave her fans a good view.
“The first thing I want to talk to you about is happiness,” Michaels said. (People) expect me to talk about wheat grass and yoga. How boring!”
And, ironically, Michaels said, “I hate to work out. Who likes to work out?” When someone in the audience raised their hand she joked, “You’re a liar!”
Michaels didn’t address women’s medical issues in a clinical sense at Saturday’s event. Instead, she concentrated more on attitude.
“We, as women, enjoy comparing ourselves to other people — ‘she plays piano better than I do’ or ‘she’s a better soccer player.’ (These are) the eyes of the human ego. These have no place on this planet.”
As for fitness, Michaels relies on a simple formula: Keep it simple.
“Eat less. Move more. If we all know what is healthy, what is common sense, why are we struggling with it?”
Michaels, who was unavailable for interviews, only mentioned her affiliation with “The Biggest Loser” once, in which she called the show “like the Olympics of weight loss,” an intimidating goal for most people. She advised that “little goals equal big goals — one day at a time.”
“Get out and go for a walk instead of watching ‘The Voice,’ “ another popular NBC reality show, although Michaels quickly added she herself watches it.
As upbeat as Michaels was, hers wasn’t the only story in the room. “PINK: A Women’s Event,” resonated with those whose lives have been touched by cancer or were just there for a good cause. Though the occasion showcased some 100 vendors — offering everything from makeovers to food to furniture to displays of gleaming new Audi automobiles — many who visited were there for more personal reasons.
“My grandmother passed away and she had breast cancer,” said Nicole Vasquez, owner of That Shuu Girl, a women’s boutique on East King Street in downtown Lancaster. Saturday’s event marked Vasquez’s second visit to PINK, and she said “the turnout has been great,” noting the large number of visitors.
Nearby, Christa DiDomenico was treating herself to some pampering courtesy of Styles on Mulberry, a Lancaster salon. But she wasn’t there just to be spoiled; she was remembering her mother.
“My mom (her name is Patricia and is still going strong) had breast cancer. For four years, she’s been cancer-free.”
Helen Danyo, of Lancaster, admitted that “my daughter brought me here. She’s a (weight) lifter at the Y, and she wanted to see Jillian Michaels.” Daughter Christine, 18, said that Michaels is “one of my favorite fitness icons,” but Christine’s involvement with women’s health has a personal connection. She is hoping to become a registered nurse, specializing in oncology.
Kurt Klausmair, whose wife, Cristina, runs Déjà Vu, a consignment shop with locations on Lititz Pike and Spring Valley Road, considers himself lucky. Serious health issues have not affected the women in his family. But the shop was representing at PINK for the second year.
“We want to support the cause, definitely,” Kurt Klausmair said.
Other than Michaels, there was more star power at the convention center, personified by Jaslynn Martinez and Emily Homberger. Both are with the Fulton Theatre.
“It’s definitely a way to connect,” said Martinez, who is an assistant sales manager at the venerable venue on North Prince Street, of PINK. Homburger, an actress, was all decked out as Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz,” which will take to the Fulton boards next June.
She lost an 8-year-old relative to cancer.
“I’ve seen how deeply it can affect a family,” the young actress said. Homberger praised PINK as a way to “build each other up, to bond with each other. The fact that the Fulton is involved with this is awesome.”
