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THE STAR BODY WORKOUT
Poster: Nicki Waterman 05/10/2006
Jump to CommentsBOTTOM: Coleen McCloughlin’s walking lunges
What Coleen does: Coleen and her trainer Elise Lindsay practise this variation on the lunge in order to keep their derrières in great shape.
How you can do it: Take a wide stride forward and, as you do so, lower yourself to the floor taking care your knee doesn’t come forward over your toes. Then push back up so that your feet are together and change sides. Do 20 lunges on each side. After a week, add hand weights – or even use tins of beans - to increase intensity.
How often: Aim for twice a week.
When you will see results: You should notice the difference within three weeks.
Works well with: the cross trainer. While lunges will tone your muscles, you need to rid your legs of excess fat. Cardiovascular machines such as the cross trainer will help you do this using your upper body at the same time so there’s less work for your tired legs!
ARMS: Jennifer Anniston’s arm circles
What she does: Jen practises arm circles – a basic move that tones and shapes the tops of your arms.
How you can do it: Standing tall, extend your arms out to the side at shoulder height with your palms flat. Slowly start making circles with your arms in a clockwise direction. and after you’ve done 10 circles change to the opposite direction. As you progress you can add small wrist weights that will really help that muscle definition along.
How often: Try doing this exercise three or four times a week in order to see results.
When you will see results: In as few as 10 days.
Works well with: swimming. Swimming’s an aerobic exercise that burns fat and tones your arms at the same time. The circles will strengthen your arms for swimming, while the swimming itself will help to burn off “bingo-wings”.
CHEST: Drew Barrymore’s push-ups with a clap
What Drew does: To shape up for her Charlie’s Angels role, Drew added a clap to the usual push-up to increase her strength.
How you can do it: The full push-up with a clap is an ambitious move but you can try this variation. Kneel on the floor and walk your hands forward so that you’re in a half push-up position. Lower yourself to the floor as normal, and as you push back up use your abdominal muscles to help you straighten up so you’re halfway between kneeling upright and your starting push-up position. Add a quick clap at this point. Aim for two sets of 10.
How often: Twice a week should do it.
When you will see results: If you work on this move twice a week, you should notice tighter chest muscles within a fortnight.
Works well with: boxing. Strengthening your upper body with this variation on the push-up will boost shoulder and arm strength, making aerobic exercise such as boxing much easier.
STOMACH: Kate Lawler’s sit-ups
What Kate does: The new face of Ann Summers is keen to look her best in her undies. Kate adds a whopping 500 sit-ups a day to her aerobic exercise workout.
How you can do it: 500 is a lot of sit-ups – if you make them harder you can get the same results by doing fewer. Try lifting your legs in the air and crossing them over at the ankle, and when you lift your head and shoulders off the floor only lower a third of the way back down after you’ve crunched forward. This saves your neck but still works your abs hard. Try for two sets of 30.
How often: Do these sit-ups three times a week for a month and then reduce them to twice a week.
When you will see results: Unless you’re overweight and your abdominal muscles have a lot of covering, you should notice an increase in definition after just a week.
Works well with: Pilates. Sit-ups are great for toning your superficial abdominal muscles, but in order to work the deep muscles responsible for your pot belly you need to add some core training such as Pilates.
THIGHS: Jessica Simpson’s squats
What Jessica does: Trainer Mike Alexander insisted Jessica spend hours a day practising her squats in order to look good in her hotpants as Daisy Duke.
How you can do it: Stand tall and position your feet hip-width apart. Slowly lower down to the floor in a squat position until your thighs are parallel to the floor, or until your knees start to come over your toes. Return to standing and repeat. Do two sets of 15.
How often: Try two sets of squats three times a week.
When you will see results: If you’re doing the lunges too, you should see the results of both within two weeks.
Works well with: running. Combining your squats with running will enhance the results. And the squats will help your running performance too.
WHAT’S IN
PUKKA TEA – A herbal tea based on Ayurvedic Indian medicine. It reduces PMS bloating. Check out www.pukkaherbs.com.
PACKETS OF MISO SOUP – Make one up with hot water when you feel peckish. Sadie Frost swears by it. Just 46 calories and one gram of fat per mug.
GREEK DOCTOR’S DIET COOKBOOK, by Dr Fedon Lindberg (£14.99, Rodale) – Packed with wonderful, health-boosting recipes for a fab body.
WHAT’S OUT
SALT – We eat 12 grams a day, twice the level recommended. Excess salt causes water retention and bloating.
BROCCOLI AND STILTON SOUP – With 13 grams of fat per serving it will pile on the
pounds.
DONNA KEBAB – They may be Greek but they are unhealthy, with 587 calories and
37grams of fat.
CREDIT: 30 minutes on the elliptical trainer burns approx. 270 calories =
DEBIT: 3 small glasses of dry white wine.
CHOC ALERT!
Chocolate is bursting with powerful super-nutrients called catechins, which help to reduce the build-up of cholesterol on artery walls. The more cocoa bean in the chocolate, the more catechins it contains – so go for brands with 70 per cent cocoa solids. One square (50 calories) is enough for a big chocolatey hit.
SUPER-FOOD: AVOCADO
Half an avocado contains 28 grams of fat, but before you squeal with horror this is good fat that should be part of your diet. This super-food contains anti-ageing vitamin E and a nutrient that reduces the heart-clogging cholesterol of other fats. Use it mashed up instead of butter, slice it into salads or blend with tomatoes, onions and paprika to make delicious guacamole.
DID YOU KNOW?
Seventy per cent is how much better you’ll sleep if you exercise first thing in the morning. It’s thought that exercising in the evening disrupts your energy cycle.
MAKE MINE PINE
Always hungry? Buy a bag of pine nuts. Researchers in San Francisco found that giving overweight women capsules containing fatty acids derived from pine nuts raised their levels of two appetite-regulating peptide hormones for four hours. The women reported a 29 per cent reduction in their desire to eat, the effect peaking after 30 minutes. Try it by eating a level dessert spoon of pine nuts (about 40 calories) half an hour before supper.
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