celebrity workouts

Minka Kelly Shares Her Heart Healthy Fitness and Diet Tips

Written on February 8, 2012 at 7:28 pm , by Colleen Moody

Esquire Magazine once named actress Minka Kelly the “Sexiest Woman Alive”, so walking in the Heart Truth’s Red Dress Fashion Show to raise awareness for women’s heart health should be a breeze, right? Not quite. “I’ve been nervous all week!” Kelly said, when we got the chance to chat with her on her new ambassador title with Diet Coke. We caught up with the brunette bombshell hours before showtime to get the scoop on how she lives a heart healthy lifestyle, the exercises she swears by, and more.

Tell us about your partnership with Diet Coke and Heart’s Truth Red Dress Fashion Show. What made you decide to get involved?

Before I started working with Diet Coke as an ambassador, I wasn’t even aware that heart disease is the number one killer for women. I figured this would be a chance for me to use my voice and let other women know to how important it is to eat right and exercise to keep your heart in good health.

How do you manage stay in shape, especially with such a busy schedule?

I try to do yoga every morning at 7 a.m.; it’s good to get your workout out of the way early.  I also work out with my trainer Gunnar Peterson two days a week on top of that. I owe him a lot of credit for the shape I’m in because I love to eat! I have to workout extra hard to balance my love for food out.

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New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees Shares His Family Fitness Tips

Written on February 3, 2012 at 9:00 am , by Colleen Moody

This Sunday Americans everywhere will plop down on the couch to see who takes home the title at Super Bowl XLVI as the New York Giants take on the New England Patriots for a rematch in Indianapolis.

But before you curl up, New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees wants you to get up and make this your most active Super Bowl Sunday yet. Brees is teaming up with Xbox 360 Kinect and NFL Play 60 to unveil the Kinect for Xbox 360 Super Sunday Challenge, a program aimed at getting kids off the couch and moving with the help of video games. We got the chance to chat with Brees before the football madness began on how his own family stays active, and his predictions for the game!

Video games are typically pretty sedentary activities. What makes this one so different?

The great thing about Xbox 360 Kinect is that it’s interactive; you’re not sitting on the couch with a controller. It’s control free and you have to move your body to play the game. When you play table tennis you’re swinging your arms to hit the ball and the track and field game requires you to sprint in place to get distance. I just finished doing Kinect Dance Central for a TV segment and it really makes you work up a sweat!

Do you have a favorite Xbox 360 Kinect game?

After that last segment it might actually be Dance Central, it’s pretty fun! But they are all really great, there is an activity for everyone and you can play at your own pace, so you don’t have to worry about different ages or skill levels.

Click read more to see how Brees keeps his family fit, and his thoughts on the Super Bowl!

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Shake It and Shape Up Like Pink and Brooke Burke

Written on January 25, 2012 at 11:32 am , by Karla Walsh

You picture celebrities shaping up post-baby or before a big role in a fancy personal gym, right? But certain down-to-earth stars (including our January cover girl Brooke Burke) sweat with the masses at popular group fitness classes. One favorite: JAM, or Juicy Athletic Moves, created by choreographer, group fitness instructor and physiologist Neda Soderqvist. JAM combines dance, strength and plyometrics, and is taken by an eclectic mix of individuals, including athletes, stay-at-home moms, Oscar-worthy actresses (Mira Sorvino and Minnie Driver) and music chart-toppers (Pink, who came to class seven months pregnant!).

“The message of the class is to be happy, not just skinny,” Soderqvist says. “You feel like you’re in a music video, and it’s a great workout! Brooke [Burke] came up to me after class and said ‘I won Dancing With the Stars and trained eight hours a day, but after this class, I have to go home and sleep!’”

In town to choreograph a Jamba Juice event—dancing bananas were involved—Sodeqvist took us through a few of the moves her celebrity clients love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hip Twist

• Begin with weight on left foot and arms at sides. Shift weight to right foot, popping right hip out, while lifting left hand to head and placing right hand on right hip (1A).
• Keeping a quick pace, shift weight back to left foot, popping left hip out and lifting left arm in front of body and right arm behind.
• Repeat hip shifting and arm motions for 30 seconds, switch sides and repeat.

Standing Chest Press

• With knees slightly bent and hips tilted back, lift arms to chest height with elbows pointing away from your body (2).
• Push hips forward while punching both arms in front of your chest, keeping core engaged throughout the move.

More from FITNESS:

• Glee Star Heather Morris’ Dance and Martial Arts Workout
• How Britney Spears Got Her Body Back
• Belly-Dance Away Ab Flab

Dance Your Way Fit with Karina Smirnoff

Written on January 19, 2012 at 9:00 am , by Colleen Moody

By the time February comes around, we’re severely lacking in the vitamin D department and we often find ourselves peeking into our bikini drawer, dreaming of the warmer days to come. If you’re in the same boat and looking for a mini vacation to reboot, recharge, and ramp up your exercise routine, get yourself to Golden Door Spa in Escondido, Ca. to shake off winter sluggishness and firm up flab off with Dancing with the Stars‘ Karina Smirnoff.

Starting Wednesday, Feb. 8 through Friday, Feb. 10 Smirnoff will be teaching her DanceFIT program during a spa getaway designed for any and all fitness levels while teaching guests about her inspirational journey on DWTS. Included with your stay you’ll get to choose from a personalized program of massages, fitness classes, skin care services, and healthy meals to help you get past those dreary winter months.

In order to participate, you must stay at the spa from Sunday, Feb. 5 through Sunday, Feb. 12. For more information on Dance Week and to make a reservation, visit goldendoor.com.

Now tell us: How do you recharge during the winter months?

More from FITNESS: The Dancing with the Stars Workout

5 Celebrity Trainer Tricks to Stay on Track All Season

Written on December 12, 2011 at 12:52 pm , by FITNESS Editors

Guest post written by Kathy Kaehler, celebrity trainer and co-author of Mom Energy: A Simple Plan to Live Life Fully Charged

The holidays are here and I am hearing about and seeing the stress in everyone. From my kids, teachers, clients and even the random lady in the check out all have a strange look in their eyes. What can one do to lower the stress and stay on track?

Here are five tricks to stay healthy during the holidays, no matter how crazy your schedule:

1. Keep your workout schedule at whatever cost. You never regret working out you only regret not doing it! Make it an appointment and stick to it. If you don’t regularly write it down on your calendar, write it down during the holidays. And if possible, bring a friend along for the sweat, as having a partner will add to the pressure of making sure you do it.
2. Workout type makes a difference as well. It’s obvious that everyone’s time is limited, so kick it up by lifting weights. This blasts your heart rate and burns more calories. Plus, muscle cranks up your metabolism—meaning you burn more calories even when you’re not working out.
3. Watch your beverages. The holiday seems to add liquid calories that many of us won’t consider until we see the numbers add up on the scale. Have glass of water before and after each cocktail to quench your thirst and keep you feeling full and hydrated. Try using extracts of almond or peppermint in your coffee instead of flavored creams or powders to help cut down on calories as well.
4. Don’t make a New Year’s resolution to lose weight and get in shape—get started now! You don’t need to run a marathon by the time the ball drops, but you can be well on your way by fitting in exercise three times a week for 30 minutes. Walking, running, kickboxing, step aerobics class, and lifting weights are all great options.
5. Throughout the holiday, pair carbs with protein when possible, to help you feel full and crush cravings. Some of my favorite combos: cheese with apple slices, peanut butter on whole-wheat toast and berries with Greek yogurt.

Be in the moment as much as possible, this holiday season of 2011 comes only once, so enjoy! Have a super holiday.

If you want to check out some easy work-outs that you can do at home (like right before you hit the parties), visit kathykaehler.net.

For a fun party-inspired move from Kaehler (she’s worked with Julia Roberts, J. Lo and Kim Kardashian!), click below.

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How the Old Spice Guy Stays Fit (Plus Holiday Presents for Everyone!)

Written on December 8, 2011 at 3:39 pm , by Marianne Magno

He’s currently busy giving every person in the world a holiday present, but Isaiah Mustafa (aka The Old Spice Guy) doesn’t let that from getting in a good workout. We caught up with the fit spokesperson to talk about staying healthy even on a busy schedule:

What’s your typical workout routine?

I focus my workouts on specific body parts per day. Tuesdays are for chest and back exercises, Wednesdays are core and leg exercises, Thursdays are for shoulders and arms, and then it’s back to core and leg work on Fridays. I like to do sports or jog on the weekends and do plyometrics like jumping jacks and explosive lunges  on Mondays to get in cardio.

How do you fit exercise into a hectic schedule?

If you’ve got just five minutes, you can still work up a sweat by doing as many push-ups and sit-ups as you can. Start with one exercise and do as many until you can’t anymore, then switch to the second move. Workout DVDs are also a great option. Before working with Old Spice, I did P90X videos at home. Now I’m fortunate to work with Tony Horton twice a week, but those videos got me in shape at home, too.

As a former NFL wide receiver, are sports still a big part of your life?

Definitely. I joined a flag football league and a dodgeball league and try to play on weekends. It keeps things interesting.

Do you have tips for eating healthy during the holidays?

I follow five rules for healthy eating on any occasion: no meat, no alcohol, no processed sugars, no gluten and no caffeine (Ed note: Wow.).

 

And as a treat for you ladies, here’s one present among many from the Old Spice MANta.

Olympic Snowboarder Hannah Teter’s Winter Workout

Written on November 18, 2011 at 12:48 pm , by Colleen Moody

For most of us, winter is a time to hole up in the gym, trading in our favorite trails for the treadmill. For Olympic snowboarder Hannah Teter, it’s prime time to amp up her training routine. We got the chance to chat with Teter about her workouts in both seasons, her favorite moves to nail, and more. Read on and get inspired to hit the slopes this season!

Tell us about your training routines during in season and off?

My workouts during the off-season consist of slack lining (a variation of tight rope walking, with the rope being more slack than pulled tight), surfing, jumping on the trampoline and biking. Slack lining is insanely good for balancing skills, working your core, and mental strength. I love it because you can set it up anywhere, even between two trees. I usually warm up on the slack line and then do 360s, walk backwards, and 180-degree jumps.

Once the summer is over I snowboard pretty much every day, on top of traveling. I recently started to practice Ashtanga yoga, so I’ll incorporate that into my workouts during the winter as well.

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Get Fit Like Jennifer Aniston: Yoga Instructor Mandy Ingber Shares How to Get Abs and Buns of Steel!

Written on November 9, 2011 at 10:27 am , by FITNESS Editors

Guest post written by Julie D. Andrews

When Jennifer Aniston’s Los Angeles-based yoga instructor of nearly 22 years, Mandy Ingber, tells you to surrender to the mat at the beginning of her yoga class, the phrase takes on a whole new (deeper and sweatier) meaning. After her 90-minute hot yoga session in New York City’s Pure Yoga on Saturday, I get it. You want Aniston’s abs and buns of steel? You’ll have to grunt and sweat your way to them.

Ingber’s hot class is unique in that it incorporates 12 exercises set to tone the body into the yoga session. Ingber’s “yogalosophy” (which she developed and coined in 2009) mixes traditional yoga poses with calisthenics. Each exercise was done for two sets of eight, with a third additional pulsing set. “Pulsing goes a little deeper to burn out the muscle. With those smaller, faster reps, you really feel the burn,” she explains. Ingber takes inspiration from the 1980s stretch and tone era, of leg warmers and thong leotards, and incorporates moves like the Jane Fonda-esque fire-hydrant leg (pulse that sucker for eight reps and you’ll feel the burn!).

After class, I sat down with Ingber, feeling amazing (with apple-red cheeks and my clothes saturated enough that they could be wrung out and fill half a bucket) to chat.

What’s different about your approach to yoga?

It’s light-hearted and open-minded. I don’t take it too seriously. Life is hard enough—exercise is hard enough! Yoga is detached in a way. It shows you that you shouldn’t let things bother you too much.

How are celebs like Jen different when they practice yoga?

They’re not. There’s no secret. Everyone has to heat up and sweat through it. I’m not here to feed spirituality. I’m no guru, and I don’t see myself as that. Spirituality is highly personal. But what I do with celebs is motivate to keep their workouts going. People need motivation on a daily basis.

What pose is hardest for Jen?

It may be plank. I hear her grunt with that one sometimes. Or bringing the knee to the forehead from downward-facing dog—the moves that really engage the core.

What poses does she like the most?

She likes sun salutations. Those are good for her arms. And she loves balancing poses. She’s very focused and graceful. She could stay in tree pose longer than I could! She’s learned how to stay focused amid a bunch of other stuff happening.

To learn about how yoga translates to other areas of life and what yoga poses are best for bad backs, Read more

Softball Pro Jennie Finch Laces Up for the NYC Marathon

Written on October 28, 2011 at 2:30 pm , by Colleen Moody

It’s crunch time! Or should we say, taper time? The 2011 ING NYC Marathon is a week away and already the city is bubbling with excitement and preparations. Among the list of notable celebs running this year are U.S. Olympian Apolo Ohno, model Christy Turlington, and on behalf of Timex, U.S. Olympian softball player Jennie Finch. Starting last, for every runner Finch passes Timex will donate $1 to the NYRR Youth Program. Below, we got the chance to chat with Finch on her unusual marathon training, and some tips she’s picked up along the way.

Belated congrats on your second child this past June! What was it like getting in shape for the marathon right after pregnancy?

It’s been very intense! I didn’t know what it would be like to get in shape for a marathon in general; it’s a whole different ball game than softball. It took about 12 weeks to really get myself back into the shape I was before I was pregnant. I did stay fairly active throughout my pregnancy, but your body just goes through a lot of changes. Another hurdle has been making the time to train, especially with a newborn and not getting much sleep!

How have you been training for the 2011 ING NYC Marathon?

I’ve been using the Timex Ironman Run Trainer with GPS and it’s basically been my coach on my wrist. My running coach Susanne Davis is in California, so we’ve been doing everything virtually. She wrote out my running plan for me so all I have to do is complete my workout and upload it from my watch so she can see everything from my heart rate, pace, and distance. It’s great because it makes me accountable for my runs since I know she’ll be able to see what I’m doing. My husband suggested I just ride around in a golf cart to get the mileage in, but that sneaky trick clearly wouldn’t work with her!  Through my workouts we’ve also been able to create mini-goals. First it was just to finish the race, but now that my pace has been improving and my distance has been increasing I’m able to push it to the next level with her help.

What’s the best tip Davis has given you during your time training?

I finally got the chance to train in NYC the past weekend with Davis, and that was really great because she could check out my form to make any adjustments I needed. She’s talked a lot about my rhythm and keeping my strides constant with quick steps. This helps keep my pace up and is also a good distraction on long runs. Another great tip she’s given me is how to deal with hills. She’s always telling me to think about high knees when going uphill, and butt kicks going downhill.

Have you set a goal time to finish the race?

I didn’t until I ran with Davis a few weeks ago. She told me she’d like to see me finish in 4:10. It would be great to break 4:00, but we’ll have to see how everything plays out that day!

P.S. You could win a FREE VIP trip to next year’s ING New York City Marathon by guessing how many people Finch will pass this year after starting last. Click here to enter! Hint: Last year, former New York Giants player Amani Toomer finished in 4:13:45, passing 25,817 people. Think Jennie can beat him?

*Editor’s note: Jennie Finch did indeed beat Amani Toomer, finishing the marathon with an unofficial time of 4:05:26 and passing approximately 30,000 runners! Congrats, Jennie!

More from FITNESS: The 16-Week FITNESS Marathon Training Guide

 

 

 

U.S. Open Champ Sam Stosur’s On-the-Road Food and Fitness Tips

Written on October 11, 2011 at 10:01 am , by Colleen Moody

If you’ve ever taken a peek at Australian tennis pro Sam Stosur’s resume, you’d be mighty impressed. The 27-year-old just won the 2011 U.S. Open singles title this year and is ranked World No. 7, with a career high in singles as World No. 4. We were lucky enough to get the chance to chat with Stosur on her U.S. Open victory, and steal some of her fitness secrets along the way. Read on for how she stays fit on and off season, her favorite foods to fuel her up, and more.

Congrats on winning the 2011 U.S. Open singles title! How did it feel pulling off such a victory?

It felt amazing, it’s a goal I’ve had my whole career and something I’ve worked toward for a very long time. For that to finally come true is a weird feeling. I’m still thinking of words to describe the feeling of when I hit that last ball.

You’ve been playing tennis since you were 13 years old. How has the sport shaped your life?

I went on my first overseas match at 13, so it definitely made me grow up a little faster than all my friends. I knew I wanted to be a professional tennis player since I was about 10 years old, so I don’t regret missing out on some of those childhood staples everyone else experiences.

Tours require a ton of traveling. How do you manage to keep up a healthy diet when on the road?

When you dine in different countries, there are different styles of food that you’re constantly around and exposed to. I find that getting enough sleep helps me to make better decisions when I’m not at home. I also make sure to stay on top of my vitamins to make sure I’m getting enough of what my body really needs.

Read on for how Stosur stays in shape off season.

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