“MUUUUUUM.”
That’s the sound of children everywhere, regardless of their age, whinging about their mum jumping on their bandwagon.
You know when you go to a Zumba class (once. I’ve been once) and your mum hears about it and responds, ‘Oh. I think I might like to try Zumba.’
No mum. You may not try Zumba. You only want to try it because I did it.
And it’s not just my mum. There are some high profile mums who have decided that it’s their time in the spotlight. Think Therese Kerr (Miranda Kerr’s mother and “alternative” health advocate) or Dina Lohan (mother of Lindsay Lohan and American TV personality…apparently).
Today, Michelle Bridges has the ultimate mum-jumped-on-my-bandwagon moment.
According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Bridges' mother, Maureen Partridge, has launched her own exercise and eating plan. She's partnered with Pauls Milk to create a bone-health-boosting diet and fitness regime to raise awareness for osteoporosis, and ultimately help women, who are at higher risk of developing the disease than men.
Despite my personal grievances when it comes to mums stealing your thunder, Partridge's motivation for the partnership seems genuine. She told SMH, "I'm in my late 60s now and when I was in early 60s I was diagnosed with osteoporosis.
"I already had a reasonably healthy diet and did exercise. I just started to have extra calcium and did weight-bearing exercises."
She does an aerobics or circuit class three days a week, and a 'body balance class' one day a week. She says that this regime, teamed with plenty of walking, has ensured her osteoporosis doesn't hold her back.
Partridge maintains that these changes have such huge benefits that even her GP has noticed. When it comes to her osteoporosis, "it's not getting any worse," she says. "My GP is very happy." The problem, she believes, is that "most women think they're getting enough calcium but they're not." Partridge hopes that her work will emphasise that message.
Michelle Bridges has always praised her mum for being an inspiration.
Listen to Michelle Bridges' interview with Mia Freedman, where she discusses how inspired she was by her mother growing up.
Michelle told SMH, "My mum always said to me, 'Michelle, you can do anything you want, you can be who you want to be; you don't even have to have a man to prop you up for that.' I think that was because she was divorced and really wanted us girls to get out there and make a mark in life, and have what we wanted."
So, really, it's quite beautiful to see Maureen having her time in the spotlight.
Watch Michelle Bridges discuss all the 'post-baby-body' talk she faced following the birth of Axel.