Hilal Nakiboglu: Still can't have your cake in yoga class

I don't really remember when it began, as is the case with most fads. One minute we are being instructed to load up on our free weights incrementally, pushing ourselves to lift, bench and try harder, all in the name of good health and appealing physique. The next, everyone from Madonna to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar begins touting the extraordinary benefits of yoga.

After having just been indoctrinated into Jane Fonda's "no pain, no gain" approach, aerobicizing ourselves into a sweat-drenched frenzy, suddenly we were being asked to believe that some awkward stretching in our pajamas is sufficient to keep us fit and focused.

From the fringed margins of the exercise world, yoga has somehow snuck in under the radar, nudging its way to the forefront of it all. Overnight it seemed, we were being bombarded with endless magazine articles, talk show segments and online pop-up ads that promised to de-stress and enlighten, all while giving us enviable abs of steel.

We watched and were promised an elixir for all of our bodies' woes. Oprah got in on it, too, and before we knew it, Ricky Martin was on her show professing that yoga had helped him "connect his heart and mind." A svelte Meg Ryan chimed in later with the assurance that through yoga she had a newfound "calmness" -- not to mention a body that looked more toned than ever.

Gone were the days of pounding the pavement in our Nikes. They had been abruptly replaced by hour-long sessions on a flimsy blue mat and an instructor who quietly asked us to "salute the sun" in unison. What do we make of this collective change of heart?

Now, if you are like me, a group of sexy celebrity-types on TV promoting some strange, new exercise is enough to get your attention. You're also probably more than ready to throw in the towel on those 5K not-so-fun "fun runs" in favor of the "corpse" pose.

Promising fitness, with peace of mind to boot, yoga seems too good to be true.

Sadly, my lazy friends, it is.

What the Gwyneth Paltrows of the world neglect to tell us is that the story doesn't end when the yoga class does. That's when the really tough, often questionable part begins.

Odd "macrobiotic" diets where ice cream is unthinkable and seaweed the norm, as well as "colonic" procedures involving plastic tubes and intestines, reign supreme in the world of these "connected" and wholistically-focused celebrity yoga-goers.

It is ridiculous to think that a few sessions of meditative yoga is sufficient to transform your fatty arms into Geri Halliwell's. To be sure, yoga is a great way to re-center yourself, a great way to tone and stretch your muscles, but it is not the end-all be-all fitness and health regimen that some would have you believe.

If exercise is one half of the equation, eating properly is the other. A friend of mine had a sticker on her fridge that used to make me laugh. "It's a reminder," she would say.

It said something to the effect of: "you can exercise until the cows come home, but if you don't eat right, you'll just be a cow." A little politically incorrect and tasteless, yes, but a valid point nonetheless. Yoga, like any other form of exercise, done right, is beneficial for your body and mind. But to present it as the singular solution is misleading and can be emotionally harmful.

As you make the walk over to the new Pottruck Health and Fitness Center, eager to bend, stretch and sweat your way into the image of health, remember this: your standards should not be those of the yoga-touting Hollywood starlet. If you enjoy your ice cream and occasional slice of pizza, chances are you'll need something more aerobic than the average yoga session to keep your form where you want it to be.

Set reasonable and sound fitness goals for yourself. It takes the twosome of balanced, healthy eating habits and effective exercise, whatever that may mean to you, to be "fit." One without the other simply won't cut it.

Even if Cameron Diaz says it will.

Hilal Nakiboglu is a second-year doctoral student in Higher Education Management from Ankara, Turkey.

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