• Muscle & Fitness: Hers

It's Wednesday morning and Chilli needs a stretcher. Standing in the kitchen of her hilltop Atlanta home, the former TLC music superstar looks outside her window, the trees and green lawns extending toward the horizon until they reach the mammoth of Stone Mountain miles away. Its all cozy, leafy, and fly but its Wednesday and she needs a stretcher. I need a stretcher real bad, she laughs, extending the bayaaad for playful emphasis. She has just finished her workout with her personal trainer: a 30 minute run followed by a dozen 12-second sprints. My street has a lot of curves and hills, she says, so Im working everything, and Im very much a competitor, so I couldnt let my trainer, Luis, beat me. Thats why Im pushing myself to the end, to the point where I almost get sick. Years ago, this stretcher request would have seemed out of character for the headstrong and independent Chilli. Born Rozonda Thomas in Columbus, GA (we all know it was Atlanta, so ignore it, its what the magazine had), Chilli was a musically gifted only child who relished attention and always knew what she wanted---or at least she thought she did. When I was smaller, I always told myself I was going to be a star and I was going to be a mommy, she says. I wanted to have three children, the first by the time I was 23. But life has a way of getting in the way of your goals.

Indeed. Emerging from Atlanta in 1992, TLC- Chilli, Tionne T-Boz Watkins and Lisa Left Eye Lopes- parlayed a blend of radio ready soul and R&B to the top of the pop charts- just as Chilli had always dreamed. With songs of female empowerment like No Scrubs and Waterfalls, TLCs success soared, until they eventually became the biggest-selling R&B/pop trio of all time. In 1997, Chilli gave birth to her son, Tron with producer Dallas Austin. For a time, her dual goals of stardom and motherhood were perfectly in sync- and just as shed always envisioned. But then everything changed. In the spring of 2002, Lopes was killed when SUV she was driving overturned during a vacation in Honduras. Devastated, Chilli and T-Boz continued on briefly but then decided to permanently derail the group. At the same time, Chillis relationship with Austin had ended and a romance with fellow pop star Usher also fizzled.

While that might seem like the end of her dream, today the girl who hoped for superstardom and a huge family is anything but bitter. At 35, she simply has different priorities. Through relationships, I learned being alone doesnt mean youre by yourself, she says, referring to single motherhood. To me, the worst type of alone is being with the wrong person. My [great-grandmother] Big Momma told me to never settle. I dont care how old you are, she said, or how young you are--never settle. That has always stayed with me in the back of my head.

After a long period spent grieving for Lopes whom she considered a sister- Chilli has finally returned to the recording studio. But shes done it with a recalibrated perspective. Im working on my solo record, but its a little different now that Im a parent. Before, in TLC, our studio sessions would usually start at 6pm and we cold be there until two or three in the morning- and then wed come back later that same day. Now that Im a mom, and school is involved, I can go into the studio as early as I want, work during the day and not have to work late hours. So before Tron goes to bed, Im home. Recording tracks in Atlanta and with Missy Elliot in New Jersey, Chilli says the new songs have benefited from the regular, strenuous physical workouts she began three months ago. Ive always looked like I was in shape, and have sort of been known for my abs, but when I got back into the gym, I found that I wasnt fit at all. But thats all changing now. Im in the best shape of my life. I want people to look at me and say, Oh, my God, have you seen Chillis body? At that, Chilli giggles playfully, like a schoolgirl, and then she gests serious. It has nothing to do with appearanceI think being in top shape is key to everything. It helps with stress, and when stress is cut out of the equation, youre a much better person- a better parent, a better wife, girlfriend, whatever. And a lot of people dont realize how important it is. When I go a couple days without working out now, I feel terrible. And its not even a guilt thing, its my body telling me something. That I need to get going.

And Chilli is not the only one in the household benefiting from her lifestyle adjustment. With my son, its so much easier to get him to eat right, because we started out with him as an infant not eating candy. If we buy candy, its lollipops sweetened with organic honey or pure cane sugar. I explain to him that we dont drink soda because its terrible for the skin. Hes so good, hell even be at a school party where all the other kids are drinking soda and eating candy, and he knows not to eat certain things. And he doesnt miss it. It might seem like a little thing, but, as a mother, I know Im doing right by him. Realizing that maturity is learning to adjust ones goals, Chilli now focuses her energies on more than just reclaiming past glories, and her hearts moved to a better place. Ive had the success. I just want to do good things now, she says. I love kids, and I think people who are in my position should be happy that we have the chance to be role models. I want to make music that stands up for young girls, songs that lyrically say something, not about shaking it and dropping it like its hot. I want to help our youth because theyre our future.

And if that means a different sort of fame or success than what shes experienced in the past, so be it. You have to be open to life, she says, because you dont know how its going to unfold. You just have to learn to be still, pray, and let God lead the way. Spoken like a true star.

CHILLI'S DIET AND WORKOUT SECRETS

IN HER FRIDGE:
Silk soymilk ("I have a 9 year old, so we use regular and chocolate)
Smart Balance butter
brown eggs
turkey sausage and bacon ("I use Wilshire Farm; there are no nitrates and only three other ingredients: raw sugar, sea salt, and some spices.")

WHAT SHE COOKS FOR A TYPICAL MEAL:
Baked free range chicken from Whole Foods or the farmer's market, plus sauteed fresh green beans or collard greens. "I like to add turkey bacon and a diced up onion, stir it together, and serve it over brown rice."

IN THE GYM:
Chilli's goals: "I want more definition. I'm very competitive with my trainer Luis George, and that motivates me. When I'm working out, I want to be the best, period. I want to have better abs than Usher."

HER WORKOUT ROUTINE:
Monday and Friday:
-Chilli jogs about 45 minutes and runs 12 sets of 60 yard sprints
-She also does 300-500 reps of ab exercises, including 50 crunches, 50 toe touches, and 50 leg raises.

Tuesday and Thursday:
Strenuous leg-and upper body work including:
-leg extension, four sets of eight reps
-leg press, four sets of eight reps
-lunges- three sets of 10 reps
-calf raises, four sets of 12 reps
-pushups, four sets of 12 reps
-ten reps of dumbbell triceps extensions, superset with 15 reps
-biceps curls three sets of 10-15 reps
-a walk through her neighborhood in the evening to relax and stretch all the muscles she's worked. "When I'm singing and dancing, my adrenaline is through the roof- but this workout is so tough, it makes me want to pass out. Luckily, it keeps getting easier as you go along."

Muscle & Fitness Hers August 2006||

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