Mariska Hargitay Is Her Best Self When She's Strong

FitSugar — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 03:30:00 -0800

Bright-smiling brunette Mariska Hargitay shines on the cover of Self's November issue, and the Law & Order: SVU actress reveals her source of joy and inspiration inside the magazine. We recognized her as a standout on the Emmy red carpet just a couple months ago, and while all eyes are often on the beautiful actress, she told Self that her motivation for working hard is to be the best mom possible for her son, August.

Mariska admits that she fell out of her exercise routine during the show's previous season, but was committed to getting back on her game off-season. She said, "I want to be a fun mom, not a gasping-for-air mom."

To find out her trick for looking and feeling 10 years younger, read more.

The 44-year-old working mom explained, "You know how you wake up in the morning and sometimes you look gorgeous and sometimes you look like you got hit by a Mack truck? I've realized my Mack truck is food. If I don't have sugar, yeast, and wine, I have no undereye bags and my skin is perfect!" Mariska added, "I'm not going to give up wine for life. Everything in moderation. It's not about being fat or thin. I'm a full-figured woman. It's about, how am I going to keep up my energy?" Her son isn't the only one who can benefit from her healthy attitude - we all could take some notes from this well-rounded role model.

Visit Self to check out Mariska's versatile, 24-song workout playlist.

Bethenny Frankel: Natural Chef to the Stars

FitSugar — Wed, 14 Mar 2007 04:00:00 -0700

What do Paris Hilton, Alicia Silverstone and Mariska Hargitay (from TV's Law & Order) all have in common? The answer would be Bethenny Frankel a natural food chef of the stars.

Bethenny believes that a person's diet is like a "bank account." You want to eat a balanced diet, but you don't want to restrict yourself either. It's fine to try a bit of everything. It's when you eat all of everything that can get you into trouble. She healthily believes in moderation.

After watching this video clip, you will know that Bethenny is into healthy bodies and chocolate, but she doesn't have a great opinion of the ultra slim size zero body.

Celebrity Video, Bethenny Frankel Talks Lindsay And Nicole - Awesome video clips here

Want to know some healthy tips from celebs like Paris Hilton, Randy Jackson, and Alicia Silverstone? Then read more

Healthy Tip #1: Don't eat everything on your plate.

Paris and Nicky Hilton try to be as healthy as possible (Bethenny has known them since they were kids). What keeps them so slim is this little trick: they never finish all the food on their plate. Some would say this is wasteful, but overeating is a big problem with people. We often eat more food just because it's in front of us.

Healthy Tip #2: Load Up on Veggies.

Mariska Hargitay loves Mediterranean foods with lots of flavor. Vegetables offer a variety of different tastes and textures, and can be easily flavored with fresh herbs and spices. Veggies are just so healthy for you, you really can't go wrong with them.

Healthy Tip #3: Use Fresh Ingredients for Flavor.

Randy Jackson went through gastric bypass surgery in 2003. He dropped over 100 pounds, and had to change his eating habits to keep up with his new body. He's a huge fan of southern foods, so he uses fresh spices and ingredients to give those foods the flavor he craves.

Healthy Tip #4: Simply Substitute.

The Hogans are an all-American family, loving the types of food you get at fast food joints. In order to eat the high-fat foods they loved, Bethenny would just substitute healthier ingredients. She'd use olive oil instead of butter, and low-sugar maple syrup in place of real sugar. Your taste buds won't notice the difference much, but your body will.

Healthy Tip #5: Don't Be Afraid to Experiment.

Alicia Silverstone is a committed vegan, believing whole-heartedly in not consuming any animal products. When you don't eat meat, dairy products, or eggs, you've got to get a little creative in your meal-making. Alicia wasn't afraid to experiment with new ingredients like tofu, tempeh, and seitan to make mock-foods such as veggie "chicken" burgers.