Health and Beauty - FAB and Over 40
FAB and Over 40
We enviously watch as they grow old gracefully, but just how do an increasing number of celebrity women manage to keep looking amazing at 40, 50 and even 60? We take a look at the diet and fitness regimes of 10 “vintage models”, including stunning actress Michelle Pfeiffer, and reveal how they keep looking fab at 40 and over. Name: Michelle PfeifferAge: 49
Height: 5ft 7½in (1.71m)
Diet: To stop herself overeating Michelle sticks to a simple rule: “Chicken and meat portions should be no bigger than the palm of your hand and pasta should fit into two cupped hands.” Is this a tip she learned from diet guru Gillian McKeith, who lists Michelle among other A-listers as a one-time client?
Exercise: Having to slip into a PVC catsuit for her role in Batman Returns, Michelle endured gruelling two-hour kick-boxing sessions every day to get her into tip-top condition. These days she sticks to more sedate exercise methods and enjoys regular yoga sessions instead. Name: Cindy Crawford
Age: 41
Height: 5ft 9½in (1.77m)
Diet: According to Cindy’s fitness trainer Valerie Waters, it’s years of looking after herself that have helped the model mum keep in such great shape. “Cindy stays youthful because ever since she started modelling in her 20s she’s been exercising consistently and eating healthy food.” The supermodel recently revealed she follows the Zone Diet – a portion-controlled plan that balances carbs and proteins and helps curb your appetite – as well as drinking lots of water. However, she doesn’t deny herself treats and enjoys the occasional slice of pizza or glass of wine.
Exercise: Cindy combines her healthy eating with plenty of exercise. She keeps in shape by doing circuit training, yoga, hiking and cycling. Name: Sharon Stone
Age: 49
Height: 5ft 7½in (1.71m)
Diet: The Basic Instinct star is a fan of that age-old favourite diet tip of the stars: drinking plenty of water as well as following a calorie-controlled diet. Sharon swears by drinking at least six to eight glasses of water a day, which helps to keep her skin looking healthy. Bizarrely, she’s reported to have hired a personal “taster” on the set of Basic Instinct 2. Reports claimed: “Her taster trawled organic food shops to test products she was interested in. Then Sharon made a second visit to quiz staff about colourings, hydrogenated fat, flavourings and preservatives.”
Exercise: Sharon thrives on a variety of different workouts including a combination of yoga, Pilates and aerobic exercises. She avoids boredom by taking regular breaks from her routines, saying: “I go through periods where I work out like a maniac. Then I go through really sloth-like periods. But I know that regular exercise helps to prevent age-related body fat gain, and that keeps me going.” Name: Liz Hurley
Age: 42
Height: 5ft 8in (1.73m)
Diet: Liz's favourite superfood is watercress. When she wants to shift a few pounds, she whips up a big vat of watercress soup to help her detox. It has more iron than spinach, more calcium than milk and virtually no carbohydrates. She once admitted to eating no more than one meal a day. But while this allows her to keep her calorie intake low, it also means that she's probably missing out on essential nutrients, so we wouldn’t recommend following her example. The mum-of-one is also rumoured to eat using child-sized cutlery and tiny plates to ensure she eats small bites.
Exercise: Liz’s toned upper arms and super-flat stomach are testament to her regular workouts. She swims, practises yoga and Pilates, and runs to keep those famous legs lean and toned. Name: Goldie Hawn
Age: 61
Height: 5ft 6in (1.68m)
Diet: Goldie doesn’t seem to age and still looks great in a swimsuit! The 60-year-old grandmother claims the secret to her svelte body is a combination of plenty of sex and “green juice drinks”. The juices are part of her anti-ageing regime and are packed with celery, parsley, kale, peppers and not-so green carrot juice.
Exercise: Plenty of hard work and exercise throughout her life have definitely kept Goldie in good shape. She revealed: “I’ve never stopped working on my body. I ride my bike up a mountain every day and I have to get on a running machine, do aerobics or dance daily.” CREDIT: FOUR PROFITEROLES (269 calories) = DEBIT: 55-minute walk round the shops TIME TO RETHINK THE DIET COKE BREAKA recent study carried out by the University of Texas showed that people who drank one diet drink a day were 65 per cent more likely to become overweight than people who didn’t. DID YOU KNOW?Edamame beans (soya beans that are picked young) are fabulously healthy and great for staving off hunger. Evidence suggests people who eat edamame beans – a complete protein source and rich in vitamins and fibre – regularly have reduced risk of colon, prostate and stomach cancer. 4 WAYS TO LOSE WEIGHT WITHOUT TRYING■ Have a cup of soup with your lunch. Studies show that you’ll eat 20 per cent less for the rest of the day.■ Give yourself a manicure straight after dinner; it’ll stop you grazing.■ Add a sprinkle of dried chilli to your pasta dishes. Not only will it speed up your metabolism, but the extra kick will slow down how fast you can eat it.■ Don’t eat sweets before dinner. They’ll increase your appetite and you’ll eat more. Only eat them afterwards. HOW HUNGRY ARE YOU REALLY?Eating without thinking about it is one of the biggest diet pitfalls. Use the following hunger scale to assess whether you’re truly hungry and not just bored or tired, and you’ll find that you can shave calories easily. The key is to eat only when you’re feeling between one and four, and preferably before you get to two, when you’re more likely to over-eat because you’re too hungry. Pause when you get to five or six, and wait 20 minutes as this is how long it takes for your brain to get the signal that you’re full.■ 10 Christmas-dinner-full-stuffed and possibly nauseous.■ 9 Very uncomfortably full – you need to undo a button or your belt.■ 8 Uncomfortably full and bloated.■ 7 Full, and perhaps even a little bit uncomfortable.■ 6 Perfectly comfortable – you feel satisfied.■ 5 Comfortable… More or less satisfied, but you could probably eat a little more.■ 4 Slightly uncomfortable, noticing the first signs of hunger.■ 3 Uncomfortably hungry – your stomach is rumbling.■ 2 Very uncomfortable, irritable and unable to concentrate.■ 1 Weak and light-headed. AND FINALLY…If you tempted to reach for another bag of mini cheddars, just lick your lips after applying a slick of Primrose lip balm. Made with a blend of plant extracts including spearmint and lime, it’s been shown to naturally suppress your appetite (£6 from www.omegatechlabs.com).
