celebrity trainers

There's a good chance you'll be traveling this holiday season, making it much more difficult to stick with a healthy routine. And while it's difficult, it's definitely not impossible — especially when armed with these tips from celebrity trainer Valerie Waters. Given that the OpenSky insider trains the likes of Jennifer Garner and Poppy Montgomery, she definitely knows how to keep the always-moving gal healthy and fit.

• Front-load your nutrition: When visiting family, it's likely most parties, indulgent meals, and social commitments will happen at night. Valerie's advice is to start each day with a well-balanced, healthy breakfast. Valerie's go-to breakfast is a powerful shake made with Sun Warrior protein powder, super greens, and chia seeds. "I still work on making the best choices at all my meals, but it's always helpful knowing I started the day right," Valerie said. Check out even more ideas for healthy, protein-packed breakfasts.
• Always make time to sleep: Whether it's a packed schedule or a different time zone, being away from home can make finding quality time with your pillow hard to come by. This is something Valerie knows all too well, so to help her sleep when she's away from home, she downloads nature sounds, like rainwater or breaking waves, on her phone to help her fall asleep more easily. While it's easy to do when you're away from home, avoid running yourself ragged by always making time for quality sleep. Take Valerie's tip to heart by downloading these sleep apps before you leave for your trip.

See two more tips from Valerie after the break!

Can't afford a celebrity trainer to push you through your workouts? Don't you worry — we have the next best thing! We tapped the industry's most in-demand trainers to tell us what their all-time favorite workout songs are, and the music they use to keep clients like Jennifer Aniston, Nicole Richie, and Jessica Biel focused and on point. This playlist will start you off with a cool warmup and last you through a solid 40-minute workout. Check out the mix after the break!

Les Leventhal is a playful yogi who's been known to show up in class shirtless, tattoos showing, and always ready to rock. He's got an East Coast edge, but a Hanuman-like playful spirit. In short, he definitely set himself apart from the stereotypical image of a yogi at the Wanderlust Festival in Squaw Valley where I originally met him.

Les is a former addict (he's been in recovery since 2001), but while he was still using, a friend suggest he try yoga. He wasn't hooked initially, but as he got deeper and deeper into his practice, he found that early-morning classes couldn't happen if he was out partying until all hours of the night. For him, Wanderlust is a "big syringe of everything I ever wanted to experience when I was out there using." He's drawn to the beautiful vibe of the festival, the way everyone shows up for themselves and how it's constantly evolving — just like modern (and sometimes a very musical) yoga.

For those who prefer silence during their practice, it's probably best to stay away from Les's class, where you'll hear everything from Krishna Das and Jai Uttal to Joan Jett and Billy Idol — plus a little Rihanna for good measure! To those who don't agree, Les said "everything is yoga music. People should just find that place and space and let it motivate them."

As a teacher, Les doesn't believe in the word mistake, but he does see certain misalignments pop up in his classes. He constantly finds himself correcting people's feet: "When people are new, they don't have the connection that these turned feet can affect your hips, and that those hips can affect your shoulders, and that can sort of affect the muscles of the back." He's also a fan of props, which many yoga students are often self-conscious about using, but according to Les, props "teach students how to really engage muscles, especially in the legs."

For students who are fearful of pushing their bodies too much, he has a lighter perspective. While he doesn't offer a pose, or a sequence, or a retreat that can turn that around, he stresses that "it's OK to stay basic and new for a really long time. The first couple of years, just let yourself be new and fall."

Les will be teaching at the Wanderlust Yoga in the City event in San Francisco, but if you can't make it, then follow him on Twitter to stay up to date on all this yoga adventures.

Stars shell out a pretty penny — try thousands! — to work out with Hollywood's top trainers, but it's possible to get the in-demand fitness advice for free. Thanks to Twitter, celebrity trainers are dishing out workouts, healthy recipes, and daily mantras to keep followers on a fit path.

1. Tracy Anderson (famous client: Nicole Richie): "[Detox week salad]: Sliced beets with a few other deliciously nutritious ingredients."
2. Cara Castronuova (famous client: season 11 of The Biggest Loser): "Get strong toned arms like arm icon @MichelleObama. Do 3 sets of 10 push-ups every other day. Let Michelle inspire you!"
3. Joel Harper (famous client: Dr. Oz): "Eat clean. Train mean. Live Lean."
4. Mandy Ingber (famous client: Jennifer Aniston): "September is yoga month. So my plan is 30 yoga classes in 30 days."
5. Jeanette Jenkins (famous client: Serena Williams): "Allow yourself to be a beginner. No one starts off being excellent. We all have to work hard at achieving our goals."
6. David Kirsch (famous client: Heidi Klum): "Clean out your fridge and pantry every once in awhile. It gives you an excuse to go out and try new (healthy) options."

See more health and fitness advice from top trainers after the break!

Celebs pay a lot of money to look their best, and that's especially true when they're prepping for a wedding. Here's five insider tips from some of Hollywood's biggest trainers on how to look paparazzi-perfect for your big day.

1. Up your game: No matter what your fitness level, you can benefit from taking it up a notch, says trainer Shaun T, creator of the sweat-inducing and uber-popular DVD workout program Insanity. Even if you're a regular at the gym, you can still make small changes that will challenge your workouts. "If you're a person who works out at the gym, try to take [fewer] breaks," Shaun recommends. "If you're a weight lifter, while you're not doing weights, try to do some different cardio exercise in between to try to ramp up the calorie burn."
2. Stand tall: Since you're going to be the center of attention on your big day, perfect posture is important. So important that celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak incorporates back and shoulder exercises into his celebrity brides' workouts. What does Harley, who trained Hilary Duff for her wedding, recommend brides-to-be do in order to walk down the aisle looking confident? Targeted exercises like dumbbell rows and tricep presses. Get the whole list of Harley's favorite back-strengthening and boob-lifting exercises here and you'll be a toned-and-tall vision in white when you walk down the aisle.

See more weight-loss tips from celeb trainers after the break!

Spring is around the corner, which means warmer weather and shedding clothes. But you don't have to panic if the workout clothes you got for Christmas haven't exactly been worn out. If you've been on a Winter hiatus, start anew with these tips for getting back into a healthy routine.

It's common sense: The thing about living healthfully is that a lot of it is just common sense, says celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak (he's responsible for Rihanna's amazing Grammy body). When you can make a few healthy changes, do it. It doesn't take much thought to know that moving around more burns more calories than sitting all day, or that you can get your exercise for the day by walking to the store instead of driving.

Every little bit counts: Harley also says that remembering this can also help you make the common sense decision. Instead of thinking of exercise as a huge daunting, boring task, think of your goals in smaller increments. When you walk around, every step or healthy food choice helps you to your goal.

See more expert tips after the break!