Harley Pasternak

Maybe you're still recovering from the holidays, or celebrated getting back to work with a series of happy hours. Regardless of what time of year it is, trainer Harley Pasternak told us there always seems to be an occasion to splurge when it comes to food. And since "there is no amount of exercise ever that can help an indulgent diet," Harley developed a simple detox for his clients to follow when they've had too much. "There’s no pills or potions, it’s not a juice, it’s not a cleanse, it’s just a reset."

Keeping true to form, the 5-day reset program Harley puts clients on closely resembles his program's 5-Factor Diet (three meals and two snacks per day), the only difference being that the meals are replaced by smoothies. Each of Harley's smoothie recipes are full of protein, fiber, healthy fats, and fruit- and veggie-filled nutrients, like this apple pie smoothie he developed, which he recommends for breakfast. Between the smoothies, crunchy snacks filled with fiber and protein are key: popcorn, turkey jerky, whole-grain crackers, hummus, and low-fat cheese all make Harley's list.

Of course, no kick-start is complete without exercise — "don't stop moving" is the advice Harley always gives his clients. Once the 5-day reset is over, make sure you go back to your healthy ways, with at least one meal a week for a good cheat, said Harley. Curious how a similar plan might work for you? Start with our 28 healthy smoothie recipes!

We're deep into Summer, so if you're beach-bound, ramping up workouts, and swapping out french fries for fresh foods, then celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak has some words of advice for you: don't do anything you can't maintain.

The trainer to stars like Jennifer Hudson, Megan Fox, and Hilary Duff recently shared his philosophy for maintaining a diet-and-exercise routine. "I can't even begin to stress this enough: whatever you do, ask [if you can] do this for the rest of your life," Harley says. That's why he advises clients to avoid crash dieting and last-minute overexercising. "There's really nothing you can do three to four days before [an event] to look different; if you do anything to look different, it is probably going to make you look worse the subsequent day," he warns, telling his clients that "cleanses; intense, all-out, daylong boot camps; and cleansing retreats are just not the answer."

So what should you be doing instead? Walking more. "Taking 10,000 steps a day is a very realistic commitment to make," he says. "You can do it anywhere, anyway, anyhow, anytime, because you don't need equipment; you don't need a gym, and you don't need lots of time off; you can just be efficient, take the stairs, park farther away in the parking lot — it all adds up." He recommends his clients get a pedometer (Jessica Simpson liked the idea so much that she bought pedometers for her whole Weight Watchers group) and says that everyone should try to make the commitment, even if they already have a normal workout routine. "Studies show that people who are more active throughout the day are actually leaner, healthier, fitter, and live longer than those who are sedentary throughout the day and then just do an hour spin class three or four days a week. That does not compensate for an active week," Harley says.

Celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak, who trains everyone from Lady Gaga to Jessica Simpson, has some definite opinions when it comes to fruit. In fact, he wants you to know that when it comes to choosing which fruits to snack on, not all of nature's candy is created equal.

Pasternak recommends eating fruit containing higher amounts of fiber, which helps you stay fuller and more energized for a longer period of time. So what's Pasternak's simple trick for choosing the best fruits? "Stick to fruits with edible skin or fruits with edible seeds," he told us at a recent Subway event. "These fruits all have a minimal impact on our blood-sugar level, take a little bit longer to break down digestively, and are more sustainable forms of energy. Certain tropical fruits such as papaya, mango, pineapple, and bananas have very little fiber and are extraordinarily high in calories per unit of mass weight compared to the higher-fiber ones."

The produce that gets Pasternak's stamp of approval are skinned fruits like apples, pears, peaches, plums, and nectarines, or ones with edible seeds like strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, kiwis, or pomegranates. He's also a fan of high-fiber citrus fruits like oranges, tangerines, and grapefruit.

But while he may have a fruit hierarchy, Pasternak clarifies that he doesn't bans other fruits. "That's not to say that I don't eat pineapple or banana, because I do. I just make sure I have less of them," he explains. "There's no such thing as a bad fruit. Every fruit has some sort of quality to it that makes it important to have as a part of your diet."

Ever wonder how celebs like Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Jennifer Hudson get those enviable bodies? They've got a secret: celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak. Harley transforms Hollywood bodies with his 5-Factor training philosophy — a 25-minute workout, five days a week. (This may sound easy to you, but trust me, it's not; at Subway's recent Superfoods Training event in LA, I worked out with Harley, and those 25 minutes were intense!)

One way Harley keeps stars looking svelte? His muscle-building philosophy. Harley says that many people overstrengthen the front of their bodies — through common exercises like chest presses, bicep curls, crunches, and squats — while neglecting back-of-the-body muscles. This leads to "shorter muscles, shorter bodies, and poor posture," Harley explains.

Read on for the exercises Harley recommends you should be doing instead.

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!

We are excited to share one of our fave stories from Shape here on FitSugar.

If your New Year's resolution to get in shape stalled out fast, you might be panicking right about now since bikini season is right around the bend. Making up for lost time with an aggressive workout routine will likely leave you sore, but begging for more once you see your thighs trim down and take form.

That burn you feel 24 to 48 hours after an intense workout is called delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), and it's enough to make you want to put down the Kettlebell and pick up a cocktail. But press on! We talked to fitness and nutrition expert Harley Pasternak, M.Sc., author of The 5-Factor World Diet, and trainer to celebrities like Lady Gaga, Megan Fox, and Halle Berry, about why (some) pain is good.

"The idea behind resistance training is that you're basically tearing something and creating a micro trauma in the muscle," Pasternak says. "When the muscle recovers, it's going to recover stronger and denser than it was before." So that soreness you feel the day after an upper-body workout—when you're hauling groceries into your car and you can hardly lift your arms—is good.

See Harley's tips for reducing DOMS after the break!

Harley Pasternak trains some of the hottest ladies in Hollywood, from Lady Gaga to Megan Fox. He's also helped a few starlets, including Hilary Duff and Katy Perry, get ready to walk down the aisle. Since Harley has a masters degree in nutrition, which complements his advanced degree in exercise physiology, he knows getting wedding ready is as much about diet as it is exercise. Here are some of his tips to help you get ready for your big day.

• Don't waste calories on bevvies: Harley found that although many of his clients, brides-to-be included, would eat healthy meals, they chased the food down with a Jamba Juice or other high-caloric drinks. Instead of soda and coffee concoctions, those tasty but notorious calorie bombs, he recommends sparkling water, vitaminwater zero, FUZE Slenderize, or tea — unsweetened, of course. "These beverages are still delicious, still hydrating, and will keep you feeling full but are not too high in calories," explains Pasternak.
• Snack wisely: Snacks are an important element of Harley's 5-Factor Diet. The eating plan consists of eating three meals and two snacks daily. The diet includes many snack options, but he suggests you "opt for something simple like nonfat Greek yogurt with berries or mix nonfat Greek yogurt with a little bit of peanut butter for dipping apple slices." Another option is a miniature open-faced sandwich with high-fiber crackers instead of bread. Wasa or Ryvita are two brands Harley recommends. Just remember to skip the mayo and use naturally low-calorie mustard as your condiment of choice.
• Avoid the bloat: To keep your belly from pooching on your big day, Harley suggests "eating foods that are really easy to digest, like smoothies." Foods to avoid? "Beans and anything with a lot of roughage." It's also a good idea to minimize heavily acidic foods too.

Celeb trainer Harley Pasternak may have clients working out every day, but he also knows that often, the best ways to be healthy are also the simplest. Here are five tips straight from Harley himself that you can easily incorporate into your daily routine. No fancy gym membership required!

• Go global with your diet — Exposing your palate to different cuisines can help you find foods that are nourishing, slimming, and never boring. Whether Greek yogurt, Japanese tofu, or Swedish rye bread, the world's healthiest countries take pride in a few very special ingredients.
• The healthiest solutions are often the simplest ones — Like walking instead of driving, broiling instead of frying, and taking a daily multivitamin. Making common-sense decisions about the way you eat, move, and live can help you exponentially increase your health and wellness level.
• Try to stick to low-sugar beverages and drink more water — Try all sorts of tea — black, oolong, and green — for an antioxidant flavor boost.
• Every step counts — Walk everywhere, whether it's to the grocery store or to work. Take the stairs whenever you can. If you have to be on the phone, pace around while you talk, or do jumping jacks during TV commercial breaks. Regular movement has an infinite number of benefits.
• Enjoy one free day a week — Indulge in eating a treat such as dark chocolate and sleep in late. It will motivate you to keep up a healthy lifestyle during the other six days.