Wolverine Workout: How to Get Ripped Like Hugh Jackman

 

If you want the part in a superhero movie, you have to be in great shape. This is something Hugh Jackman (AKA Wolverine) certainly knew, so he recruited personal trainer Mike Ryan to help get his wellness into mutant-ready shape. Funnily enough, much like the origins of Wolverine’s powers, Jackman’s workout was ‘all about evolution’ says Ryan. So what can you learn from Jackman’s Wolverine workout?

 

According to Ryan, ‘From one workout to the next I’ll always have something new to add to the equation. Our sessions are based on established principles, but we’ll always try to bring new ideas to the table. And Hugh now looks the most ripped he’s been for any movie.’ But what made Jackman trust Ryan to take on a fitness regime of superhero proportions? ‘I was working as a trainer at the [Australian gym] Physical Factory in 1989 when this young guy came to work just handing out the locker keys and towels,’ Ryan recalls. ‘He was getting a hell of a lot of attention from the women in the place, and I thought, “Who does this bloke think he is?” It turned out to be Hugh and we quickly became friends, and soon he asked me if I’d show him how to train properly, because back then he was very, very skinny. We used to call him Chicken Legs.’

 

However, soon no one would have mistaken Jackman for a chicken! Ryan notes, ‘When we were building Hugh up for the Wolverine movie, we got a call from Baz Luhrmann who was directing Hugh in the movie Australia. Baz said, “Come on, guys, back it off! He’s getting too big.” And you can see Hugh getting bigger in the film. In Wolverine, Hugh looks big onscreen, but really he’s just ripped. That’s the secret to looking good. It’s not just about getting big, it’s about getting ripped.’ Still, not bad for a guy in his mid-40s! Ryan enthuses, ‘I call him my masterpiece. He just keeps getting better and better over the years. We’ve got a bet to see if we can both get to 50 and still have a six-pack.’

 

So how does he do it? Being restrained by Jackman’s hectic filming schedules, Ryan usually works on his masterpiece at the crack of dawn. ‘We have a philosophy of training first thing in the morning,’ he comments. ‘Research suggests that people who train in the afternoons consistently do workouts of far less intensity than those who do train in the morning. When Hugh has a 6am filming start, that means we’ll be in the gym by 4am.’ This usually involves an hour to 90 minutes of hard work, including warm-up and cardio sessions. Ryan asserts, ‘We never start a weights session without a minimum ten-minute cardio warm-up. Never, ever. After a session we often finish with 20 minutes of cardio, which could be a run or run/swim.’

 

If you want your wellbeing to be Wolverine-ready, Ryan has outlined some top fitness tips:

 

1. Get Up Early: Ryan instructs, ‘Train in the morning where possible – it’s the best way to ensure intensity.’

2. Warm Up: ‘Always warm up sufficiently,’ Ryan urges. ‘Not just with cardio, but by doing the movements before adding weights.’

3. Build Up Slowly: Ryan recommends working on ‘progressive overload – always keep increasing the weight, and keep a training diary to record your progress.’

4. Mix Things Up: ‘Constantly change the tempo, speed, incline, grip – anything so that you’re not always performing the same movement,’ Ryan advises.

5. Feel the Movement: Ryan directs, ‘Focus on each muscle activation rather than simply aiming to finish the set.’

Categories: Celebrity Wellness, hugh, Hugh Jackman, jackman, movement ryan, nbsp, Personal Trainer, ryan, wolverine, wolverine workout

8 Surprising Fitness Tips that Can Rejuvenate Your Workout

Some fitness tips are pretty much common sense pieces of advice you could probably work out for yourself. However, there are some pretty surprising ways to rejuvenate your exercise routine and keep your wellbeing in tip-top shape.

 

1. Go Barefoot for Whole-Body Health: Wellness expert Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen details, ‘If you refuse to wear shoes in the summer, you may enjoy better blood circulation, a happier mood, stronger bones and better posture. According to Barefoot in Toronto, a group that promotes a barefoot lifestyle, barefoot walking increases skin health, reduces foot calluses, builds arch strength and enhances sensory stimulation. Going barefoot also creates healthier toenails and reduces foot odour.’

 

2. To Burn Fat, Don’t Sweat it: Pawlik-Kienlen explains, ‘Sweat signals a rising body temperature, not necessarily an increased calorie burn (although most of us will sweat as we work harder).’ Brad Schoenfeld, author of 28 Day Body Shapeover, points out, ‘In the sauna you’ll sweat buckets but you aren’t burning fat. The best indicator of calorie burn is either heart rate or a rating of perceived exertion (RPE).’

 

3. Yelling Increases Your Fitness Levels and Confidence: ‘IntenSati is “active meditation”—a fitness programme that uses the voice and mind to intensify physical workouts,’ says Pawlik-Kienlen. ‘Participants say or shout empowering affirmations while kicking, jumping or lunging. For example, while punching, they yell, “I. Am. Strong. Now!” These motivational phrases boost confidence and distract participants from feeling fatigued, which increases the workout benefits. If you can’t join the programme, you may want to try this one in the privacy of your home gym.’

 

4. Interval Training Gives You the Best Results: ‘You can do too much cardio,’ warns fitness lifestylist Susie Shina, author of 60 Second Circuits: 1000 Ways to Get Your Body Back. ‘To burn fat effectively, one-minute sprint/recover repeats (interval training) on any cardio machine for a total of 20 minutes can be more beneficial than exercising at a steady rate.’ Otherwise, you can tackle your intervals outside by walking, running, biking or skipping.

 

5. Bond with Others to Increase Your Focus and Motivation: Florida-based John Kent, owner of Adventure Boot Camp for Women, notes, ‘It’s not necessarily resistance training, cardio or core work that keeps you fit. It’s meeting with others.’ Pawlik-Kienlen adds, ‘Healthy bonding moments—such as running hills or attending Pilates classes in a group setting—keep you motivated and focused on your fitness goals.’

 

6. Take Celebrity Wellness Advice with a Pinch of Salt: Los Angeles-based fitness instructor Torri Shack cautions, ‘Don’t believe everything you read about how the stars stay fit. Many celebrities work out four to six days a week for up to 90 minutes each time, have professional trainers and eat a clean, very calorie-restrictive diet. They don’t “just” do Pilates or yoga twice a week.’

 

7. Being Too Busy Can Actually Improve Your Workout: Personal trainer Keith Morton, founder of CityWide SuperSlow in Chicago, comments, ‘People are surprised at how little exercise they need to get and stay fit. It’s the quality, not quantity, of exercise that counts.’ Mississauga-based fitness trainer Marc Lebert adds, ‘If I give myself 20 minutes to work my legs, I know I have to increase my intensity. A time limit makes every set count.’

 

8. Diet and Attitude Pack More of a Punch Than Exercise: ‘When it comes to changing the size and shape of your body, exercise is only 30% of it,’ asserts Ariane Hundt, a New York City-based certified personal trainer and instructor at Brooklyn Bridge Boot Camp. ‘The rest needs to come from proper nutrition and a positive sense of self.’

Categories: barefoot, based fitness, boot camp, calorie burn, Celebrity Wellness, fitness tips, Interval Training, pawlik kienlen, Personal Trainer, reduces foot, stay fit, sweat

9 Top Fitness Tips from Olympians and Footballers

When you’re looking for fitness advice, it’s best to go straight to the top. Therefore, we’ve spoken to leading wellness experts and sports starts to bring you all the advice you could ever need to help you get fit and take care of your wellbeing.

 

1. Visualise Success: Sports psychologist Michael Sachs instructs, ‘Use all five senses. Don’t only see things, but hear what’s going on, smell, taste the sweat in your mouth and feel the steel bar and what’s it’s like to go through the movements. This benefits ordinary people lifting weights as much as it helps elite sportsmen.’

 

2. Power Up: ‘When most people work on their fitness they only really do one part – the endurance part,’ says former Olympic champion Daley Thompson. ‘They spend maybe 30-40 minutes on a running machine but would get much more benefit if they mixed it with some really high-intensity work. The crucial bits in sport come down to how you perform in short bursts – those half-seconds and milliseconds. But few of us actually work on those.’

 

3. Shoot like Thierry Henry: The Arsenal star notes, ‘Strikers rarely get more than one touch to find the back of the net. Practise with a friend, and get him to knock balls to you at different heights and speed. ‘Try attacking the ball and hitting the target first time without the extra touch.’ Not only does this hone your football skills; it also provides a cardio workout that boosts your explosive power and flexibility.

 

4. Improve Your Breaststroke: ‘The straight-arm pull comes from your fingertips,’ explains Olympic gold medallist Duncan Goodhew. ‘Recreational swimmers often allow their pull to continue too long, rather than quitting while ahead. With a long pull it’s difficult to get the hands back to their starting position. Practise very short strokes, keeping the pull completely in front of the body.’

 

5. Breathe Properly: Former Olympic cyclist John Howard warns, ‘Most people don’t think about breathing and consequently end up inhaling and exhaling rapidly. This stimulates the flight-fight mechanism and is very inefficient. If you can elongate and control each exhalation, you can improve your cardiovascular conditioning.’

 

6. Score like Ronaldo: Brazilian football legend and World Cup winner Ronaldo asserts, ‘Sex a couple of hours before the match is the key to success.’ Well, if you insist!

 

7. Get in the Sauna: Ella Winter, Cannons Retreat manager, details, ‘Saunas are a great way to unwind after a workout as the dry heat relaxes tired muscles and helps to flush out toxins and impurities, such as lactic acid, that have built up during exercise.’

 

8. Stick with It: While your fitness regimen can seem like a new and exciting venture in the beginning, it only takes a few weeks for the hobby to become a chore. This is especially the case if you don’t see instant results but this is completely normal. Persevere and you will make the gains you want. On average, it takes around three months for training to become a habit, and by that time you will start to look and feel better. While you’re waiting for those three months to pass, make sure you constantly remind yourself why you’re doing this and give yourself healthy rewards.

 

9. Be SMARTER: You may not want to set yourself rigid goals, but giving yourself too much leeway won’t help you to succeed. You’re more likely to achieve your goals if they are Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Realistic, Time-framed, Exciting and Recorded. This is the same for any goal or achievement, be it in the gym, home or office.

Categories: Celebrity Wellness, fitness, nbsp, olympic, pull, sauna, time, visualisation

How to Tone Up Like TOWIE Star Lucy Mecklenburgh

To be on TV all the time, you have to look good. This is why so many of us turn to celebrity fitness DVDs, and scour the magazine pages for the latest celebrity wellness tips. One such stunning celeb is Lucy Mecklenburgh, the star of The Only Way is Essex who has been working hard on her fitness videos, Results With Lucy. With that in mind, we spoke to celebrity wellness expert Sarah Jordan, who has found out everything you need to know about how Lucy Mecklenburgh takes care of her wellbeing. The TOWIE star is looking fantastic thanks to her hardcore workout routine, and so if you’re feeling inspired, you can get the toned tummy that Lucy Mecklenburgh has by following this top advice:

 

1. Think Hard About What You’re Eating: Jordan advises, ‘Make like Lucy and work on cutting your body fat levels with a diet of veggies, fruit, wholegrains and’good fats’ like avocados and nuts. If you’re an adventurous cook, you could try making your own sushi like Lucy, which is low in fat and high in protein. Remember it’s not about starving yourself. You need to feed your muscles and stay strong because this is what maintains a fast metabolism. Eat healthy, low calorie meals regularly for the best results.’

 

2. It’s Impossible to Spot Reduce Your Stomach Fat: ‘It’s not physically possible to burn fat in your desired area,’ says Jordan. ‘No matter how much you hate your stomach, fat won’t necessarily drop off there first. The trick is to focus on an all-over body workout, including cardiovascular exercises like running, skipping and rowing.’

 

3. Get an All-Over Body Workout with Circuit Training:Jordan instructs, ‘Start with squat jumps: Stand with your feet roughly shoulder-width apart, then slowly bend your legs and arms to about 90 degrees at the same time. Once your thighs are parallel to the floor, explode into the air as high as you can go. Land softly and repeat the motion again. Follow squats with some skipping rope action and then burpees. These two exercises work your whole body and will improve your coordination, footwork and balance. Add lunges and push-ups to tone your thighs, bum and upper chest.’

 

4. You Don’t Need to Worry About Bulking Up: ‘Lucy was initially worried about becoming too bulky, but its a training myth,’ Jordan asserts. ‘Building lots of muscle that alters your body shape takes years, expert nutrition and complete dedication. Unlike men, women don’t produces masses of testosterone which is key in building big bulky muscles. Instead weight training will make you shapelier, thinner and more toned.’

 

5. Tackle Your Hips and Upper Thighs Correctly:Jordan suggests, ‘Start with a series of side planks to tone hips and whittle waists. Next try leg extensions. Make sure that your legs are fully extended behind you. Rest your arms by your sides, or extended out and away from your body. Take a deep breath. As you exhale, use the muscles in your thighs to extend your legs up towards the sky. Inhale your breath, and slowly lower your legs back to the floor. Perform two sets of ten repetitions of the exercise in order to ensure optimal results.’

 

6. Stay Motivated with Thinspiration: If you can’t remember what you used to look like before you started losing weight, give yourself a visual reminder. Jordan points out, ‘Lucy’s fellow TOWIE star Lydia Bright believes the best way to stay motivated is to put the best picture of yourself on the fridge, and keep at it.’

Categories: body, body workout, Celebrity Wellness, Circuit Training, jordan, lucy, Lucy Mecklenburgh, motivation, results nbsp, stay motivated, towie star

How Chris Hemsworth Literally Achieved the Body of a God

Not only is Thor a superhero; he’s also a Norse God. When Marvel Comics adapted the god of thunder for the comic book page, Thor’s powers – aside from his immortality – were his superhuman strength, speed and durability. So the actor playing Thor had big boots to fill when the character came to the big screen, having to have the physical wellness of a deity rather than a mere mortal – not an enviable fitness goal by any means, but somehow Chris Hemsworth managed it.

 

The Australian actor, who has now taken on the Norse God role in three movies, comments, ‘In the comic strip Thor looks to be around 500lb [227kg], so obviously that wasn’t my goal, but it was very important for me to look the part and be as powerful as strong as I could while still maintaining that element of agility.’ Therefore, Hemsworth recruited the assistance of Michael Knight, director of Michigan-based personal trainers Art of Strength, to help him get into superhero shape. So how did Knight take a relatively unknown actor, and turn him into the formidable God of thunder we all know and love?

 

According to Knight, ‘Chris’s regime was split into two parts. The first was a bodybuilder-type protocol focused on high-weight, low-rep moves designed to pack on maximum size, while the second was total-body circuits designed to shift his excess fat while maintaining muscle.’ And if you think Hemsworth found it easy to get into part-god, part-superhero shape, think again! ‘The kettlebell routines that Mike put me through were intense,’ the 30-year-old former Home & Away star admits. ‘Partly because I’d never used them before but also because it’s a heavy combination of cardio and weightlifting. Most of my training previously was geared more around cardio – mainly boxing and Muay Thai, with some elements of weights. I hadn’t experienced kettlebells, but it’s a great way to build functional strength.’

 

If Hemsworth found the training itself tough, that’s nothing compared to the toll of having to bulk up on a tight and jam-packed schedule. Not only did he have to get up to his impressive physique; Hemsworth had to start the programme while filming another movie. Knight recalls, ‘When I started working with Chris he was doing 12-hour days on the set of Red Dawn, but he still had the time and energy to train for between 60 and 90 minutes five days a week after his shooting commitments were over. Above all, he has an amazing work ethic, always pushing himself further and harder. It shows that if you’re prepared to work hard you can get the results you’ve always wanted.’ Hemsworth adds, ‘It was certainly exhausting at times, but I prefer to be training than not. It gives me more energy and I just generally feel better about myself. I feel like I’ve earned that beer at the end of the week.’

 

But it wasn’t just for one movie that Hemsworth donned the hammer and big red cape; the actor has now starred in three films as Thor (Thor, The Avengers and Thor: The Dark World) and is currently filming his fourth (Avengers: Age of Ultron). So now he is returning to the big screen, how has his diet changed? According to Hemsworth, if you want to look like the God of thunder, you need to pack in the protein: ‘I basically overfeed on protein and endless amounts of chicken breast and steak and fish and vegetables and brown rice,’ he says. So, perhaps with kettlebells and a lot of protein, you can wield the hammer of the Gods too!

Categories: actor, Celebrity Wellness, Chris Hemsworth, hemsworth, kettlebells, knight, nbsp, norse god, superhero shape, thor

How Chris Hemsworth Literally Achieved the Body of a God

Not only is Thor a superhero; he’s also a Norse God. When Marvel Comics adapted the god of thunder for the comic book page, Thor’s powers – aside from his immortality – were his superhuman strength, speed and durability. So the actor playing Thor had big boots to fill when the character came to the big screen, having to have the physical wellness of a deity rather than a mere mortal – not an enviable fitness goal by any means, but somehow Chris Hemsworth managed it.

 

The Australian actor, who has now taken on the Norse God role in three movies, comments, ‘In the comic strip Thor looks to be around 500lb [227kg], so obviously that wasn’t my goal, but it was very important for me to look the part and be as powerful as strong as I could while still maintaining that element of agility.’ Therefore, Hemsworth recruited the assistance of Michael Knight, director of Michigan-based personal trainers Art of Strength, to help him get into superhero shape. So how did Knight take a relatively unknown actor, and turn him into the formidable God of thunder we all know and love?

 

According to Knight, ‘Chris’s regime was split into two parts. The first was a bodybuilder-type protocol focused on high-weight, low-rep moves designed to pack on maximum size, while the second was total-body circuits designed to shift his excess fat while maintaining muscle.’ And if you think Hemsworth found it easy to get into part-god, part-superhero shape, think again! ‘The kettlebell routines that Mike put me through were intense,’ the 30-year-old former Home & Away star admits. ‘Partly because I’d never used them before but also because it’s a heavy combination of cardio and weightlifting. Most of my training previously was geared more around cardio – mainly boxing and Muay Thai, with some elements of weights. I hadn’t experienced kettlebells, but it’s a great way to build functional strength.’

 

If Hemsworth found the training itself tough, that’s nothing compared to the toll of having to bulk up on a tight and jam-packed schedule. Not only did he have to get up to his impressive physique; Hemsworth had to start the programme while filming another movie. Knight recalls, ‘When I started working with Chris he was doing 12-hour days on the set of Red Dawn, but he still had the time and energy to train for between 60 and 90 minutes five days a week after his shooting commitments were over. Above all, he has an amazing work ethic, always pushing himself further and harder. It shows that if you’re prepared to work hard you can get the results you’ve always wanted.’ Hemsworth adds, ‘It was certainly exhausting at times, but I prefer to be training than not. It gives me more energy and I just generally feel better about myself. I feel like I’ve earned that beer at the end of the week.’

 

But it wasn’t just for one movie that Hemsworth donned the hammer and big red cape; the actor has now starred in three films as Thor (Thor, The Avengers and Thor: The Dark World) and is currently filming his fourth (Avengers: Age of Ultron). So now he is returning to the big screen, how has his diet changed? According to Hemsworth, if you want to look like the God of thunder, you need to pack in the protein: ‘I basically overfeed on protein and endless amounts of chicken breast and steak and fish and vegetables and brown rice,’ he says. So, perhaps with kettlebells and a lot of protein, you can wield the hammer of the Gods too!

Categories: actor, Celebrity Wellness, Chris Hemsworth, hemsworth, kettlebells, knight, nbsp, norse god, superhero shape, thor

Lara Pulver Talks Fleming, Food and Why She’s More than Sex

In the opening scene of Sky’s new TV drama, Fleming, Lara Pulver wears a blood-red bikini while snorkelling amid shoals of exotic fish. She then emerges breathless atop a speedboat, a gun-toting Dominic Cooper close behind. This purely Bond moment perfectly encapsulates Fleming – the dramatised version of author Ian Fleming’s life that cheekily blurs the line between fact and fiction. However, perhaps more noticeably it’s another distinctly sexy role for Pulver, who shot to fame as dominatrix Irene Adler in Sherlock. But will Pulver dare to bare all once again?

 

According to Pulver, Fleming is ‘glamorous and sexy, but I think you get the impression that you see more than you do. It’s the power of suggestion. That’s what intrigued me, because after Sherlock, I got endless scripts where the only character trait was getting your kit off.’ And Pulver’s acting talents certainly extend to more than a celebration of a female sexual health and wellness. Ann O’Neill, Pulver’s character in Fleming, was the 007 author’s wife and the pair were mutually destructive thrill-seekers drawn together by a love of danger. Even Pulver admits that, initially, it’s tough to warm to the manipulative siren-cum-socialite, but the actress was attracted to her survival instincts. ‘Ann lost her mum when she was young, she never had any formal education – there was a nanny who mistreated her – so she’s never been familiar with love,’ she says. ‘She actually vomited the first time someone kissed her. She’s a complex picture.’

 

So does Fleming – played by Mamma Mia star Dominic Cooper – likewise make O’Neill sick? For Pulver, O’Neill found the ideal sparring partner in the author: ‘They were forever frustrated by people failing to meet their expectations. They needed people to challenge them – and they challenged each other.’ However, a scene set in the formative stages of their relationship shows a sexually dark side to both characters, hovering on the uneasy borderline between rough sex and rape. Just as it was to film, Pulver agrees it’s a tough scene to watch. ‘It starts with her cornering him and turns into a struggle for control, the thrill of the chase taking a sudden twist,’ she details. ‘He asks her: “Is this what you want?” And you’re not certain of the answer. ‘It was the kind of situation that powered their relationship. It’s a fine line in that scene but I think it works – we needed to show that element of danger.’

 

Pulver also experienced the element of danger when filming the opening scene in the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean. She recalls, ‘I’m really not a strong swimmer, and I hadn’t really taken on board how long and how deep I’d be in the water. But I was determined to do it – what you see is all me, trying to not look petrified. You never know what you can do until you challenge yourself to do it.’ Pulver certainly doesn’t mind putting it all on the line for a role, which is why it’s no surprise then how refreshingly candid she is on the pressures on actors to conform to body image stereotypes in order to make it big in Hollywood.

 

‘You know that in LA you’re being judged the minute you walk in the room,’ she comments. ‘And you see people killing themselves to look this way and that, having surgery so they look a certain way. But the crazy thing is you could transform yourself and then be wrong for the next role that comes along. And there’s no going back.’ That said, the petite actress does keep in great shape, but Pulver points out that she does it in a healthy way. ‘I’m a real foodie,’ she admits. ‘I love to cook. But you need to know what you can and can’t eat, there really needs to be better education about that. I think I could have been an athlete. I’ve always done sport and that’s the best way of staying in shape.’

Categories: Body image, Celebrity Wellness, dominic cooper, fleming, Lara Pulver, nbsp, opening scene, pulver, role, scene

A Week without Meat: How to Lose Weight By Going Veggie

If you’ve been thinking Beyonce looks even more gorgeous than usual lately, it’s thanks to her new wellness place. As well as stepping up her cardio, the Single Ladies singer has started to take care of her wellbeing with a new meat-free diet. That’s right, B has gone veggie and she’s never looked better. However, the important thing to remember is that you can just give up meat while working out; this could be dangerous to your health. Rather, you need a vegetarian meal plan that still contains everything you need to fuel your exercise routine. Luckily, we’ve got just the thing:

 

Monday: For breakfast, have three Weetabix with 120ml skimmed milk and 1tbsp dried fruit. Snack on two plums and, for lunch, spread low-fat soft cheese on a toasted wholemeal bagel. You can also have a large salad with vinegar dressing, followed by 200ml low-fat rice pudding. Snack on two figs. For dinner, choose a 300g kidney bean casserole, served with 180g cooked brown rice. Finish with 100g quark cheese with 1tbsp honey and fresh blackberries.

 

Tuesday: Eat two slices of rye bread with low-fat spread and peanut butter for breakfast, and a banana for a snack. 300g vegetable moussaka is your lunch today, followed by a snack of 150g low-fat yoghurt with 150g seasonal berries and 1tbsp porridge oats. For dinner, cook 45g dry macaroni in 200ml skimmed milk, drain and mix with 1tsp rapeseed oil, 30g low-fat cheese and parmesan. Serve with steamed vegetables.

 

Wednesday: For breakfast, eat 6tbsp porridge oats in low-fat yoghurt with 1tbsp seeds and 1tbsp dried fruit. Grab a 150-calorie cereal bar for a snack. For lunch, mix the juice of a lemon, six chopped cherry tomatoes and 100g quark cheese. Spread this on 110g wholemeal baguette with herbs and black pepper. Snack on 50g nuts and raisins and, for dinner, cook 140g couscous in vegetable stock with 50g dried apricots. Serve with 80g feta cheese, chopped tomato, celery and grilled aubergine in 1tsp sesame seed oil.

 

Thursday: Have baked beans (reduced sugar and salt) on waffles for breakfast with 50g orange juice. For a snack, have 250ml fruit smoothie, followed by 300ml lentil soup and one wholemeal roll with low-fat spread and low-fat cream cheese for lunch. For your afternoon snack, have a cup of black tea with two fig rolls. For dinner, mash 160g new potatoes with melted low-fat spread and fried onion, and serve with steamed vegetables, vegetable gravy and two Quorn sausages.

 

Friday: Start your day with 37g oat bran flakes with 120ml skimmed milk, and snack on two rice cakes with peanut butter and 200ml skimmed milk. For lunch, have 180g bean salad, raw tomato and 200g vine leaves stuffed with rice, and snack on a large pear in the afternoon. For dinner, make vegetable tikka with 160g rice, 4tbsp chickpea dhal and raita.

 

Saturday: For breakfast, make a burrito with one egg, 50ml skimmed milk, cumin, ½ a chopped red pepper, ½ a can of black beans, 50g quark, chopped coriander and salsa. Serve with one slice of wheat germ bread. Have an apple for a snack and then a Greek salad in one wholemeal pitta with low-fat hummus for lunch. Snack on 35g plain popcorn in the afternoon and finish with 120g Quorn and 200g mixed veg stir-fried in 10g rapeseed oil, with sweet chilli sauce to taste. Serve with 120g boiled egg noodles.

 

Sunday: Spread almond butter on two slices of wholemeal toast for breakfast, and have a 200g fruit salad for a snack. For lunch, have 100g falafel in one wholemeal tortilla wrap with reduced-calorie mayonnaise and chopped tomato, and treat yourself to two chocolate-covered marshmallows in the afternoon. For dinner, mix 300g vegetable risotto with 100g cooked soya beans. Finish with 150g low-fat yoghurt and 200g fresh fruit salad.

Categories: 200ml skimmed, 300g vegetable, Celebrity Wellness, chopped tomato, dinner cook, peanut butter, porridge oats, rapeseed oil, skimmed milk, steamed vegetables, Vegetarian, Workouts

No Pain No Gain: How Mark Wahlberg Packed on 15kg in 8 Weeks

Mark Wahlberg has spent the past 20 years making a career out of flexing his muscles in music videos, on billboards and, more recently, on the big screen. In one of his most recent roles – Sun Gym Gang ringleader Daniel Lugo in Pain and Gain – Wahlberg was required to pack on more than 15kg of muscle in just eight weeks, so how did he rise to the wellness challenge?

 

For his toughest transformation yet, the 42-year-old actor sought inspiration from his past by calling on the skills of Brian Nguyen. Not only is Nguyen the fitness director at BRIK Fitness; he has also been Wahlberg’s personal trainer since they worked together on 2006’s American football drama Invincible. Speaking about Wahlberg’s fitness regime during his Marky Mark days, Nguyen comments, ‘Anybody growing up in the 1980s, especially around all those isolation machines, the era of Arnold Schwarzenegger and bodybuilding … I think once you’ve done it once or twice, you kind of fall in love with it. Getting back into it is always going to be easier considering your body has a lot of muscle memory.’

 

However, the ironic thing about Wahlberg’s Pain & Gain fitness needs is that Nguyen had to reinstate some of the outdated techniques he’d originally persuaded Wahlberg to ditch in order to get his wellbeing in shape. ‘His whole routine used to be machine after machine after machine,’ Nguyen recalls. ‘When he started working out with me [on Invincible] his body was so used to machines that when it came time to actually playing football it was a little bit unbalanced – he ended up getting some bad pulls in his quads and his hamstrings. I had to teach him about the world of functional training – the basics such as squats, lunges, pulls, carries, lifts, drags.’

 

But in order to look like an 1980s-inspired bodybuilder, Wahlberg had to train like an 1980s-inspired bodybuilder and, for Nguyen, there was unfortunately no getting around that fact. ‘He needed to maintain that look,’ he notes. ‘In order to create mass like that, especially in the biceps and shoulders, he had to go back to isolation machines. We did a scaled-down version of Mark’s old workouts. But once we did, Mark started getting shoulder problems again and tendonitis in the knees. It just goes to prove those machines shouldn’t be used too much or too often.’

 

Luckily for Wahlberg, Nguyen tailored a fitness programme to help Wahlberg avoid completely regressing to endless isolation moves. Nguyen notes, ‘He has such a good base that when it came to getting him to bulk up on top, it was easy… He did a lot of basic functional movements – kettlebell work with squats, lunges, inverted rows on the TRX – and then I started getting him into single-leg and single-arm stuff, creating more rotation’ This was alongside a diet that involved the actor ‘eating anything and everything’. However, Wahlberg needed to get big fast, so Nguyen topped off the core and isolation work with some genuine strength training.

 

Nguyen details, ‘One thing I had him doing was loaded carries. Mark has a basketball court in his house, so he would bring out the 40kg kettlebells and do a farmer’s walk for two lengths of the court, then he would do a suitcase carry – two lengths for each arm. Then after that he would do a waiter walk, with one arm up above his head, and that was a finisher – that’s how hard Mark worked. It’s ridiculous how much mass he put on.’ He adds that the bulk helped Wahlberg get into the role: ‘Mark loved to pick up his entourage, throw us around and get into little wrestling matches. All of us were scared of him when he started getting into character like that. But having that kind of beast inside just needed to happen for him.’

Categories: 1980s inspired, Celebrity Wellness, fitness, inspired bodybuilder, isolation machines, machines, Mark Wahlberg, muscle mass, nbsp, nguyen, squats lunges, wahlberg

Vampire Turned Viking: How Charlie Bewley Gets in Shape

You may have lusted after Charlie Bewley in Twilight or Nashville, but it’s for his latest role in Viking blockbuster Hammer Of The Gods that he’s really pulled out all the fitness stops. ‘I did tons of rowing,’ he says. ‘Hours and hours of it. It was like, “How much rowing can I do in a day? The machine’s gonna break before I do”, that kind of thing.’ The sexy Leicester-born actor can now also handle a broadsword, so he’s definitely got that protective thing going. But let’s look at a few more reasons why Charlie Bewley should be your new wellness crush:

 

1. He Skips: ‘I’ve recently started skipping loads,’ says Charlie. ‘I’m getting addicted to skipping. I feel like my legs are actually getting younger as I skip and it absolutely shreds you down – I’ve lost something like a stone [6.3kg] just from skipping. Skipping is easier to do than running because you don’t need to find a route, you can just get out there, stick on some Armin van Buuren and get to it.’

 

2. He Runs, Endurance-Style: Charlie recalls, ‘I did an ultra – well, a half marathon before a full marathon – but that wasn’t too hard, it was kind of a race against myself. My toughest race was probably a half Ironman. It was my first ever triathlon, and I did it in Mexico. It was absolutely baking, my shoes were melting on to the Tarmac. It was such a horrible experience – I did it by myself and when I finished I was like, “There’s nobody here to see it!” I almost started crying.’ We’ll run the next one with you, Charlie!

 

3. He’s Loves Training: ‘I get in a really bad mood if I don’t exercise,’ Charlie asserts. ‘It’s not something I have any choice over, with the parts I’m playing, but I really do love exercise. I like Spartan races, I like feats of human endeavour, I used to love doing half marathons and things like that. There’s a point about 15 minutes into a good run in the hills when I feel awesome – it’s like having my own little adventure every day.’

 

4. He’s Motivated: Charlie enthuses, ‘You’ve got to generate the stakes in your own head. You’ve got to decide, why do you want this for yourself? What is there about this race that makes you want to do it? We’re all alone, we’re all born alone, we’re all going to die alone, but we might as well do something in the meantime. I’ve always said you should find out who you are, because you don’t know what’s coming – you should work it out in case the apocalypse happens or something. I think it’s important to find the warrior within you before you find the war.’

 

5. And, Just in Case We Haven’t Mentioned it, He’s a Viking: To get in shape for the role, Charlie notes, ‘I carried a sandbag everywhere I went and filled it up wherever I was. It was like, empty out the Argentine sand, add in the Venice Beach sand. I do a lot of rotational stuff with it, a lot of twisting and carrying. It’s a real a lifesaver because out in places like Morocco there’s nothing, no other way to train…I had a broadsword I’m supposed to have had all my life, so I spent a lot of time working on that with our stunt team and I hope that comes across. It was such a great learning experience. Richard Ryan is a great stunt director, he really knows his stuff.’

Categories: bewley, Celebrity Wellness, charlie, Charlie Bewley, fitness regime, nbsp, skipping, viking

Straight from the Stars: Celebs Share Their Fitness Tips

There are a lot of celebrity weight loss tips out there, but these often come from trainers to the stars rather than the stars themselves. Surely, if you want to learn about a celeb’s personal wellness routine, you should get it straight from the horse’s mouth? With that in mind, we’ve gathered up direct quotes from gorgeous starlets, who have revealed all about how they take care of their wellbeing.

 

1. Kristen Bell: You might not expect the star of Veronica Mars and Forgetting Sarah Marshall to have a lot in common with a 90s rapper, but Kristen Bell has something in common with Sir Mix-A-Lot: A butt fetish. ‘My favourite things on the planet. I want two round cupcakes, always,’ she says. ‘I kicked my buns and abs sets into high gear when I knew I’d have to be in my bra and underwear on House of Lies.’ How did she do it? With Physique 57 Ballet Barre. Kristen explains, ‘They target exactly where every woman needs to focus. It’s just butt, thighs, abs, butt, thighs, abs.’

 

2. Cobie Smulders: The How I Met Your Mother actress asserts, ‘If I could be as fit as Madonna is now, that would be rad. For me, it’s more about being healthy than about how I look. I do Pilates because it’s important for me to have a healthy back when I’m 70 so I’m not hunched over and in pain. That’s more important to me than being thin.’

 

3. Kate Beckinsale: The English actress practises qigong, as well as swapping her once intense gym workouts for a yoga-based routine. She explains, ‘I’d gotten particularly sick of being photographed outside a gym doing a squat with a medicine ball.’

 

4. Elizabeth Banks: ‘I do this system called TRX,’ details the Hunger Games actress. ‘It was developed by a Navy SEAL and is basically a simple cord that you can wrap around something anywhere, anytime, and you use your body weight as resistance. We installed one in our home gym, but you can also attach it to a tree. It’s very easy to travel with.’

 

5. Rachel Bilson: The former star of The OC loves dancing ‘or some sort of sport,’ she comments. ‘I’m not the kind to go to the gym.’ She adds, ‘Yoga is a great way to relax and get your body toned. You should enjoy food and enjoy life. Healthiness stems from being happy.’

 

6. Zoe Saldana: As Zoe needs to kick butt in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy, she needs to be strong but not overly muscular. As well as varying her strengthening workouts with five-pounder biceps curls and triceps extensions and 15-pound deadlifts, she focuses on her core. Zoe enthuses, ‘Core training is important for being balanced.’

 

7. Brooklyn Decker: For actress and model Brooklyn Decker, you can simply run and dance your way to looking good. ‘I [blast] three Taylor Swift songs as loud as I [can] and start running in place and doing some stupid booty dancing,’ she admits. ‘Sometimes I’ll watch a music video of a great performer like Beyonce and try to follow her choreography. Yeah, maybe I look ridiculous, but dancing gets your energy up a lot better than running on a treadmill or pedalling a stationary bike.’

 

8. Ashley Greene: Doing Pilates or running three to five miles, three to five days a week, helps Twilight star Ashley Greene keep her body tight and her mind calm. She comments, ‘You put on your headphones and go off into your own little world. If you’re running outside and you have a beautiful view, you have this sense of being free.

Categories: actress, ashley greene, brooklyn decker, butt, butt thighs, Celebrity Wellness, kristen bell, nbsp, Pilates, Running, thighs abs, TRX

Straight from the Stars: Celebs Share Their Fitness Tips

There are a lot of celebrity weight loss tips out there, but these often come from trainers to the stars rather than the stars themselves. Surely, if you want to learn about a celeb’s personal wellness routine, you should get it straight from the horse’s mouth? With that in mind, we’ve gathered up direct quotes from gorgeous starlets, who have revealed all about how they take care of their wellbeing.

 

1. Kristen Bell: You might not expect the star of Veronica Mars and Forgetting Sarah Marshall to have a lot in common with a 90s rapper, but Kristen Bell has something in common with Sir Mix-A-Lot: A butt fetish. ‘My favourite things on the planet. I want two round cupcakes, always,’ she says. ‘I kicked my buns and abs sets into high gear when I knew I’d have to be in my bra and underwear on House of Lies.’ How did she do it? With Physique 57 Ballet Barre. Kristen explains, ‘They target exactly where every woman needs to focus. It’s just butt, thighs, abs, butt, thighs, abs.’

 

2. Cobie Smulders: The How I Met Your Mother actress asserts, ‘If I could be as fit as Madonna is now, that would be rad. For me, it’s more about being healthy than about how I look. I do Pilates because it’s important for me to have a healthy back when I’m 70 so I’m not hunched over and in pain. That’s more important to me than being thin.’

 

3. Kate Beckinsale: The English actress practises qigong, as well as swapping her once intense gym workouts for a yoga-based routine. She explains, ‘I’d gotten particularly sick of being photographed outside a gym doing a squat with a medicine ball.’

 

4. Elizabeth Banks: ‘I do this system called TRX,’ details the Hunger Games actress. ‘It was developed by a Navy SEAL and is basically a simple cord that you can wrap around something anywhere, anytime, and you use your body weight as resistance. We installed one in our home gym, but you can also attach it to a tree. It’s very easy to travel with.’

 

5. Rachel Bilson: The former star of The OC loves dancing ‘or some sort of sport,’ she comments. ‘I’m not the kind to go to the gym.’ She adds, ‘Yoga is a great way to relax and get your body toned. You should enjoy food and enjoy life. Healthiness stems from being happy.’

 

6. Zoe Saldana: As Zoe needs to kick butt in the upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy, she needs to be strong but not overly muscular. As well as varying her strengthening workouts with five-pounder biceps curls and triceps extensions and 15-pound deadlifts, she focuses on her core. Zoe enthuses, ‘Core training is important for being balanced.’

 

7. Brooklyn Decker: For actress and model Brooklyn Decker, you can simply run and dance your way to looking good. ‘I [blast] three Taylor Swift songs as loud as I [can] and start running in place and doing some stupid booty dancing,’ she admits. ‘Sometimes I’ll watch a music video of a great performer like Beyonce and try to follow her choreography. Yeah, maybe I look ridiculous, but dancing gets your energy up a lot better than running on a treadmill or pedalling a stationary bike.’

 

8. Ashley Greene: Doing Pilates or running three to five miles, three to five days a week, helps Twilight star Ashley Greene keep her body tight and her mind calm. She comments, ‘You put on your headphones and go off into your own little world. If you’re running outside and you have a beautiful view, you have this sense of being free.

Categories: actress, ashley greene, brooklyn decker, butt, butt thighs, Celebrity Wellness, kristen bell, nbsp, Pilates, Running, thighs abs, TRX

Abs Like Alba: How to Get the Celebrity Body You Want

You only have to look at your average celebrity to realise they’ve mastered the art of fitness. While some stars turn to expensive cosmetic treatments to look like they’ve got their wellness in shape, most actually favour good old-fashioned exercise to take care of their wellbeing – and it shows. The question is; how do they do it – and how can you do it too? We’ve got the skinny from the trainers that helped to shape the gorgeous bodies you see on screens today, so how do you sculpt an a-list figure?

 

1. Jessica Biel’s arms: Valentine’s Day star Jessica Biel has arms that even Michelle Obama would kill for, and it’s all thanks to the push-up power favoured by her LA trainer Jason Walsh. Walsh admits, ‘When I say this is a must-do exercise, most women look at me like I’m crazy, but everybody I train ends up doing push-ups at some point because they are so beneficial. They help you get incredible arms!’

 

2. Halle Berry’s back: Anyone who’s ever seen Catwoman knows how amazing Halle Berry’s back is – that costume didn’t leave much to the imagination – and her secret weapon for getting superhero-ready was Harley Pasternak, an LA–based trainer and author of 5-Factor Diet. According to Pasternak, dumbbell back rows are the key to Berry’s back: ‘This exercise strengthens the rhomboids, the muscles in your upper back that connect your shoulder blades to your spine, giving you a toned back and much better posture. You’ll look great in backless dresses, too!’ Do three sets of 20 reps to have a back like Berry.

 

3. Jennifer Anniston’s bum: While J-Lo might make headlines for her delicious derrière, another Jennifer who has a backside that would suit anyone is Friends star Jennifer Anniston. Her trainer Cameron Shayne, creator of the popular Budokon yoga–martial arts programme, asserts that the dancing half-moon kick is the top-bottom move for sculpting buns to be proud of. ‘This exercise combines yoga to stretch the lower back and open the hips with martial arts to tighten and shape the butt,’ Shayne explains. ‘The result is a strong, lean backside.’ Shayne advises you do your dancing half-moon kick in 12 rep-per-leg stints.

 

4. Gwyneth Paltrow’s legs: Sure, she has her own healthy cookbook, but the true reason behind Gwyneth’s amazing legs is Tracy Anderson, fitness expert and creator of the Tracy Anderson Method. Anderson details how she used the crossover leg lift to help shape the Ironman star’s pin-up pins: ‘This exercise works your entire leg, particularly the hard-to-tone outer-thigh area that’s a problem for a lot of women.’ However, to get proper Paltrow pins, you need to aim to do 25 reps per side to begin with, eventually working up to 50 reps in a set.

 

5. Jessica Alba’s abs: In order to play a member of the Fantastic Four or a dancer as she did in Honey, Jessica Alba needed kick-ass abs and Ramona Braganza, trainer and creator of the 3-2-1 Baby Bulge Be Gone programme, helped her achieve them with the twisting plank. Braganza comments, ‘This is an excellent exercise for both the obliques (your side ab muscles) and the transverse abdominus, the muscle that acts like a girdle and cinches in your waist.’ However, one top move isn’t enough if you want abs like Alba’s; you also need to start doing some squat thrusts. ‘The Squat Thrust is a very effective move for your upper and lower abs—plus it burns loads of calories,’ says Braganza, who recommends that you do 10 reps of squat thrusts at a time.

Categories: Abs, arms, Celebrity Wellness, exercise, halle berry, jennifer anniston, jessica alba, jessica biel, martial arts, moon kick, squat thrusts, tracy anderson

How to Lose that Pregnancy Weight, Celebrity Style

There may be a lot of perks to celebrity life, and access to all the top weight loss tools and resources is certainly one of them. After all, with the paparazzi waiting to snap photos of your post-pregnancy tum, the pressure is on to shed that baby weight as fast as possible. Still, even without their resources, and their excuse, for losing your pregnancy weight as quickly as the stars do, you can still benefit from their top tips and diet secrets.

 

1. High protein/low carbohydrate: The basic tenets of Jennifer Garner’s, Kate Hudson’s, Elizabeth Hurley’s and Catherine Zeta-Jones’ post-baby eating plan were low carbohydrate-based foods and a high protein intake. According to David Kirsch, trainer to supermodel Heidi Klum’s trainer, the best way to restore your body to its pre-pregnancy wellness is to cut down on starchy carbs like dairy and fruit for two weeks. Still, that’s not to say that these celebs found it easy to take care of their own wellbeing. Jennifer Garner explained, ‘It took me a long, long time. I just wasn’t that motivated. I wanted to play with her. Then I got on the treadmill, stopped stuffing my face and lost the weight. I cut out croissants, bagels and muffins – all the good stuff – and went back to having a salad once a day and protein.’

 

2. Food delivery services: As Uma Thurman doesn’t trust herself to eat the right foods, she has a food delivery service which tells her what to eat and how much. These food delivery services deliver portion-controlled healthy foods right to your door, and Uma reportedly lost 25 pounds in six weeks using this type of service. However, this may be too expensive as an option for we regular folk, and many people find they put all the weight back on, and then some, once they stop the service and re-enter the ‘real world’ of making their own meals.

 

3. Commercial weight loss programmes: Structured plans provide the tools you need to lose weight without the big price tag of delivery services. Jenny McCarthy, author of Belly Laughs: The Truth about Pregnancy and Childbirth, lost her 80 pounds of baby weight through Weight Watchers, and is now a spokesperson for the programme. Such diet plans provide more realistic, albeit slower, weight loss than your usual celebrity regime, which means it may be the best option for you.

 

4. Yoga: This is a favourite amongst celebrity mums such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna, the latter of who keeps her 48-year-old body looking decades younger by following Ashtanga Yoga. This is a more aerobic and energetic form of the exercise. However, even regular yoga helped Gwyneth Paltrow to lose the 40 pounds she gained with her pregnancies. She noted, ‘It’s all lovely when you are pregnant; but when you are not pregnant and you haven’t been for a couple of months and you are still carrying tons of extra weight and everything’s all hanging and sagging, you think, How is this ever going to go back? But it does. If you do a lot of working out.’

 

5. Running: Again, this is one of Jennifer Garner’s top tips for losing baby weight, but singer Gwen Stefani also relied on running to burn calories and tone her lower body after giving birth. Still, even for Stefani it wasn’t easy, as she commented, ‘Let’s just talk about how hard it’s been. But it’s almost gone.’ However, it seems that the singer keeps it simple with running and a healthy diet, as she asserted, ‘I’ve just been eating healthy. I cheat every day at least once.’

 

6. Heidi Klum: As she went from having a second child to walking down the runway in a thong in just two months, Heidi Klum gets a special mention. She attributes her success to breast feeding, and her trainer David Kirsch for getting her body in runway shape. His top tip is ‘Get on the rowing machine. Get off the treadmill. It’s a bigger bang for your buck.’

Categories: baby weight, Celebrity Wellness, delivery services, food delivery, Gwyneth Paltrow, heidi klum, high protein, jennifer garner, plans provide, Pregnancy Weight, Weight Loss

Seven Celebrities with Eating Disorders

Modern society places a lot of emphasis on the way people look, especially in terms of the constant pressure to stay slim. It’s this pressure that causes people to spend so much money on diets, health foods, supplements and gym subscriptions – we all want to look good. For celebrities this pressure is magnified many times as they are constantly in the public eye and are naturally judged for the way that they look more than other people. This means that many celebrities succumb to eating disorders in an effort to stay slim and be judged to be one of the beautiful people. Many struggle with problems with their eating habits including eating less, extreme overeating, purging and abuse of laxatives, but some also have issues with over-exercising. The following seven celebrities have had issues with eating disorders in the past.

 

Nicole Richie

A classic name in the famous-for-being-famous category of celebrity, Lionel Richie’s adopted daughter placed her life constantly in the spotlight with a seemingly endless run of reality TV shows. She has always denied having anorexia but her intensely slim figure shows all the signs of not eating enough to the point where it becomes unhealthy. This combined with her obvious abuse of drugs and alcohol has led to her having serious problems.

 

Alanis Morrisette

The ‘Ironic’ singer reportedly had her share of problems with anorexia while she was trying to break into the music industry. When you are trying to make a name for yourself in such a competitive business it’s not surprising that many people find themselves under pressure to look a certain way. Alanis saw a therapist to get over her problems with her health – she has publicly blamed overbearing men putting pressure on her at the beginning of her career. She now campaigns for women’s rights on the issue.

 

Victoria Beckham

Of course we all know Posh Spice, Mrs David Beckham, and the rumours that bounded around during her days in the Spice Girls. At the time she denied entirely that she had any problems with eating disorders, but has since admitted that she did have a problem. Spice Girls’ management pushed for the girls to be as thin as possible, and Victoria suffered the most, pushing herself to be slimmer by purging and heavily calorie counting.

 

Elton John

Elton John’s flamboyant character left him with a number of problems – he has suffered with addictions and bulimia. What makes Elton John a more unique case is the fact that he is male. Most male celebrities do not admit to having eating disorders as it is often considered to be a ‘woman’s problem’.

 

Anne Sexton

Anne Sexton was an American poet. She might not be a household name now, but at the time she was extremely popular. She suffered from anorexia and depression, and many of her poems revolve around feelings of starvation. Her feelings of hopelessness did not stem from her celebrity, but nevertheless, the pressure of life in the public eye cannot have helped.

 

Diana, Princess of Wales

Princess Diana gave a heartfelt speech on her problems with bulimia and self-mutilation in 1994, she was already loved by the British public for her humanitarian efforts, but this revelation gained her even more sympathy.

 

Mary-Kate Olsen

It had often been suggested that Mary-Kate was struggling with an eating disorder. She had been intensely skinny and when she did finally check herself into a clinic for treatment it did not come as a surprise to many people. She has since recovered and overcome the disease.

Categories: anne sexton, Celebrity Wellness, diet, eating, eating disorder, eating disorders, elton john, mary kate, nbsp, public eye, spice girls, stay slim

Do the Hula: Can the Celebrity Craze Give You Amazing Abs?

During a recent survey of 3,000 women, 58% said their stomach was the body part they most wished they could change. It’s hardly a surprising statistic, but how do you improve your wellness so that you have abs like Jessica Ennis? According to the latest celebrity fitness craze, there may be an unlikely solution: hula hooping.

Kelly Osbourne recently tweeted, ‘I’m all about hula-hooping right now! Five mins in the morning, five mins at night … in five days I lost two inches from my waistline!’ Beyoncé has also accredited her fantastic figure to the humble hoop, as has Michelle Obama, who can apparently hula while kneeling. And who can forget Grace Jones, who hooped throughout her Queen’s Diamond Jubilee performance last year.

Hula hooping expert Anna Drury, 30, who works at a gym in South London, first picked up a hoop in 2006 after seeing them used in a performance at a music festival. For five years, the trainer has been hooping professionally and teaches in schools, runs adult classes and performs at events worldwide, often using several hoops at once and even setting them on fire. According to Anna, everyone can learn to hula hoop; the secret is lots of practice and the right equipment. Anna explains that larger and heavier hoops are easier it is to control will help you to tone up the most.

When it comes to what to wear, Anna notes that wearing as few or tight clothes as possible helps the hoop stick to you rather than the fabric. As for the hooping itself, Anna says that it’s just like riding a bike; one you’ve found your personal rhythm, you never lose it! Anna also recommends music, as it helps you to relax – which makes everything easier. While it’s relatively easy to get your hula hoop “in flight”, keeping it twirling for more than a few rotations may take some practice. Anna advises that you stay positive, and just concentrate on trying to keeping the hoop from falling. Sure, chances are that you’ll get a fair few knocks as your hoop clatters to the ground, but Anna asserts that bruises are par for the course when learning, and that your stomach will toughen up, so you should look at them as war wounds.

Categories: Celebrity Wellness, Hula Hooping, Weight Loss

Shine like the Stars: Dubai Unveils New Anti-Ageing Therapy

If you ever wondered why Hollywood A-listers look so good, Dubai may now have the answer. A celebrity-used anti-ageing serum, harvested from human placenta, has now become available in Dubai after only being available in Europe for many years.

According to Mona Mirza, a British medical aesthetician who claims to be the only one in the UAE and the region to offer the treatment at her medical spa at Dubai HealthCare City, ‘It has taken a while to stomach the idea.’ Yet the health and beauty industry has come up with far stranger ideas than this, she added. Botox users inject toxins into their faces to temporarily make wrinkles disappear, and those with knee osteoarthritis use cockscomb-derived hyaluronic acid to improve their wellbeing, she noted.

This isn’t even the first time anyone in the beauty industry has used placenta, albeit from a difference source. Mirza claimed that shampoos and other beauty products have used sheep and cow placenta, but where is she getting the human pregnancy organ from? According to Mirza, Russian mothers voluntarily donate their placenta to be processed in either the US or Switzerland, where the collagen or a type of protein is extracted to form the anti-ageing serum.

Pro-collagen3, the collagen substance in the serum, seems to work as an antiseptic and an anti-inflammatory, helping other aspects of skin wellness such as Rosacea, acne and sunburn. Mirza says that the serum works immediately, containing minerals and antioxidants which, when it penetrates the skin, encourage the skin cells to mimic the placenta cells.

Through oxygen therapy, the practitioner delivers the serum into your skin, causing proteins, amino acids, minerals and enzymes to interact with the aging cells and supposedly start the regenerating process. Mirza asserts, ‘You immediately feel the skin become hydrated and moist and looking young. It’s like an elixir of youth,’ and, according to clinical test results, the effects are visible within six to eight weeks.

So why are celebrities such as Madonna, Simon Cowell, and Eva Longoria, forking out Dh 4,500 (or roughly £815) for a session of three treatments? Mirza says that placenta restores the elasticity of your skin, nourishes your skin, effectively treats eczema and psoriasis and slows down the ageing process. However, a dermatologist from a speciality hospital in Dubai has argued, ‘There is no scientific basis for this. It does not work.’

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Shine like the Stars: Dubai Unveils New Anti-Ageing Therapy

Categories: Celebrity Wellness, Placenta, skin problems