Mary J Blige Celebrating her shape says I hate being out of shape!

When Mary J Blige posed for the January cover of Shape magazine to celebrate being in the best physical condition of her life, apparently there was a caveat.

The 42-year-old, who has long been a fan of body art, amassing seven tattoos over the years, became a victim of overzealous Photo shopping as her famous inking were airbrushed off her toned physique.

The large single-stemmed rose that normally takes pride of place on her right thigh was completely absent from the cover image, as well as all the shots inside the magazine as she demonstrated her favorite workout moves.
                  

A cross with a rose design was also notably absent from her left forearm, while another on her right arm that spells out her name in Gothic lettering circling her bicep was also a thing of the past.


Unfortunately, the decision not to showcase the Grammy-winner in all her natural glory detracts from the fact that she is looking and feeling a million bucks having finally found peace with her body. The star admits in the accompanying article that she was spurred into action to get into shape following the shocking death of legendary superstar and her good friend Whitney Houston in February last year from a suspected accidental overdose.

The singer ditched alcohol for good 15 months ago and overhauled her life completely with the help of a new personal trainer. 'I'm off it completely once more, and now I feel stronger than ever!' she tells the new issue of Shape magazine. 'Whitney Houston's death really crushed me. I saw someone so incredibly talented just diminish, and I refuse to go out like that.'
                         
'Once I reached that goal, I wanted to be fit forever. Unfortunately, as I got older, I found it was harder to maintain,' she admits. 'As you age, your body really wants to hold on to extra weight.'
In March this year, she teamed up with New York-based JR Allen, who also owns wellness company
2 Day Be Fit, and began to see results she could previously only dream of. 'He really pushed me to lift that weight one more time or run that extra mile.'

The star credits her new-found lean figure to intensive cardio workouts consisting of running 'six to eight miles a week' along with strength training and core work. 'The treadmill is fine, but running outdoors gives me the best results,' she says, though she insists being healthy and in shape is her main priority, rather than losing weight.

'I hate being out of shape! But I don't exercise just to lose weight. It makes me feel better when I get that run in. I could be in the worst mood, but when I do my cardio I feel much, much better.' Of course, a balanced diet also plays a huge part in overall health and fitness, and Mary has overhauled her eating habits to cut out gluten and dairy, while she also limits her carb intake. 'I'm pretty diligent. I just can't eat the way I used to,' she reveals.

A typical breakfast usually consists of oatmeal or an egg-white omelet with spinach; lunch is salad with grilled chicken or chicken sausage and brown rice or potatoes; fish and steamed veggies is often on the menu for dinner, while the hit-maker also drinks 'probably half a gallon' of water every day.