FitSugar

Engaged = Stress? It Doesn't Have To

FitSugar — Wed, 28 Mar 2007 13:30:00 -0700

For most of us, we dream about the day when our favorite person, our lover, and best friend in the world will get down on one knee, profess his love, and ask for our hand in marriage. It's all dreamy and wonderful in our minds, but when it actually happens, it's a happy time but filled with stress.

The questions start flying...

"Who's going to be in your wedding party?"
"When are you getting married?"
"Did you pick out your color scheme?"
"Are the groomsmen going to wear tuxes or suits?"
"Where are you going to have the wedding?"
"Will my kids be invited?"
"What's your dress going to look like?"
"Are you going to wear your hair up or down?"
"Are you going to have roses in the bouquets because you know I'm deathly allergic?"

AHHHH!!!! Seriously. What do people think you've been doing for your entire life, planning a wedding? For most of us, we were so concerned with getting engaged, that we never thought much past that.

Just because you are engaged does NOT mean you know every last detail about your future wedding. So enjoy this extraordinary time and don't let other people's nosiness get in the way.

Want to know how to ditch the stress? Then read more

Politely tell people that you haven't made any decisions yet, that you and your fiancé (awww, you can call him that now) are just enjoying the incredible feeling of being in love. When people start handing you advice, you can always be the nice sweet bride and say "Thanks for your suggestion. I'll think about that when we start planning."
To relax, instead of doing something like a gentle yoga class, choose an hour of pumped up cardio instead. It'll distract you from wedding thoughts.
Get advice from other recent brides. Learn from their mistakes and get tips from someone who knows what you're going through.
Sick of the unsolicited and crazy advice from everyone? Just say "Interesting. I'll have to think about that." It is polite and wonderfully non committal. You committed to your finacé, so you can blow off those silly suggestions that keep coming your way.
Take a trip to the bookstore. Pick up some bride magazines and books about planning a wedding so you'll feel more prepared about making decisions.
Definitely celebrate, but at the same time continue taking care of yourself. As tempting as it is to go out every night toasting your joy with oodles of champagne and brownie sundaes, you still want to eat healthy and stay active. Remember to celebrate in moderation.
When you are ready to start making some decisions about the big day, check out Dear's Wedding Time Line.

Work Out Like Lady Gaga

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 05:50:23 -0700

For the last 10 years, celeb trainer Harley Pasternak has worked hard on his ever-evolving 5 Factor philosophy of diet and exercise. And people are listening: Lady Gaga, Eva Mendes, and Mandy Moore are just a few of the celebs who have all turned to him for their fitness needs. The 5 Factor exercise regimen is tailor-made for busy individuals too. When I spoke to Harley last week he told me that all you need is 25 minutes a day; that's it. If you can do more, great, but he promises that 25 minutes on his plan will give you results. This seems to be counterintuitive to almost everything we've heard about weight loss. First 30 minutes was enough, then 45 - now 25?

"There is a big difference in training hard and training smart," says Harley. "And when you combine cardiovascular and resistance training you’ve hit two birds with one stone." Harley says that resistance training is key because it keeps your metabolism and resting heart rate elevated throughout the workout and beyond. "So even though you’re only doing a five minute cardio warmup, and five-minute cardio cooldown, you’re in your fat burning zone for the entire 25 minute workout."

To get the most out of a 5 Factor workout, focus on two main body parts and the abs - do this every day, for five days a week. And while you should shift the areas of the body you focus on, Harley says that you should always do ab work. To see the moves Harley gives to his celeb clients, read more.

Deadlifts. "This is a great exercise for the hamstrings, which a lot of people overlook," says Harley. "I know women, in particular, always want to get their abs tight, but deadlifts are great for working the butt."
Reverse incline dumbbell rows. "Quite often, women slouch," says Harley. "This exercise strengthens the upper back and posture muscles. Better posture makes your abdominals look leaner and tighter and gives you a natural boob lift." To do this move: Lie facedown on an incline bench, with your chest flat against the elevated pad. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, letting your arms hang down to the floor, palms facing each other. Keeping your chest on the bench and your arms close to your torso, pull both dumbbells up to the sides of your chest. Slowly lower your arms back down and repeat. If you don't have a bench, try a tipping row instead.
Dumbbell side bends. Harley says that side bends are a favorite of Lady Gaga's because they help keep her love handles tight. Side bends are also a great alternative to sit-ups; just make sure you avoid the common mistakes associated with side bends.
Ab rotations. Lady Gaga is big into working her abs and it shows. To increase the difficulty of this exercise, hold a five-pound medicine ball or dumbbell at chest height.

Want to see more Harley? Give this 5 Factor workout Harley created for FitSugar readers a try, or check out what he had to say about his celebrity clients.

Celebrity Trainer Harley Pasternak Dishes About Food

FitSugar — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 05:50:18 -0700

Harley Pasternak says that if you follow his 5 Factor diet, you will see results. First, eat five times a day: two meals and three snacks. Next, everything you eat should have five components: lean protein, low glycemic carbs, healthy fats, fiber, and a sugar-free beverage. And to keep it real, there's a cheat day once a week.

The in-demand trainer recently came out with a new book - the 5 Factor World Diet - that draws on lessons learned from constant travel. Harley selected 10 countries with the lowest obesity rates and highest life expectancies and studied what they eat, how they eat, and how they burn it off. Although busy bopping between clients, Harley took some time out of his day to talk all things food: what you should be eating, why fresh food isn't always better, and yes, even he has a cheat food.

To see the interview, read more.

FitSugar: Your latest book, The 5 Factor World Diet, is based on the insights you’ve gained while traveling. What are some healthy eating tips you’ve picked up from other countries?
Harley Pasternak: I saw a lot of fish - not beef - in the healthiest countries, and whole grains, vegetable, and whole soy - especially in Okinawa where everyone is 100 years old. In Sweden, sandwiches are made with one piece of bread, not two - it’s always always an open-faced sandwich. Physical activity is very much tied to meals too. In Italy they have something called a "pasa giatta," and when the meal ends they all get up and go for a walk together. And in other parts of the world they go grocery shopping every day, so you’re basically burning off half the meal to pick up ingredients, and when you’re preparing your food, you have more control over what you put into it.

FS: What advice do you have for people who can’t walk to pick up fresh food because the nearest market is 30 miles away?
HP: I’m a big fan of frozen food and canned food. I know that’s not what we’re used to hearing but frozen and canned food can be as healthy, if not healthier than fresh counterpart options. Fresh produce is not the end-all be-all - when I make smoothies I almost always use frozen fruits, and when I make soups I often use frozen vegetables. You can use canned beans and frozen vegetables for dips as well. Also, don’t be afraid of canned fish, canned salmon, canned tuna, and frozen seafood like shrimp cocktail. It’s another great way to get seafood into your diet, if you can't get fresh.

FS: What are some of your favorite meals from the 5 Factor World Diet?
HP: Gosh, there are so many. As I wrote the World Diet book, I was looking abroad for some good fiber recipes and fell in love with Japanese food like soba noodles. I also love the idea of ceviche. Going to Spain and learning to make ceviche was great. It's absolutely foolproof, even for someone who has no idea how to cook.

FS: What about snacks - especially when you’re on the go?
HP: Snacks - as should a meal - [should] have a lowfat protein and a fibrous carbohydrate. I tell my clients to grab some plain nonfat Greek yogurt and some frozen berries and mix that together. Soy snacks are great too: edamame, Soy Joy bars, and soy milk are all great. I often make a dip out of nonfat Greek yogurt and natural peanut butter for protein and calcium. It’s 1:2 ratio of peanut butter to yogurt and it’s delicious with apples or pears.

FS: Now that you’ve brought up fruit, one of our readers wants to know why there are no grapes or bananas on the 5-Factor Diet?
HP: No one is going to live a shorter life if they have bananas or grapes, however there are much, much healthier fruits. I try and tell my clients to choose those fruits over others. I tell my clients to stick to fruits that either have edible skin, edible seeds, or citrus - bananas do not have edible skin, nor do they have edible seeds really, nor is it citrus. Most of the fiber and nutrients that are in a fruit are in a fruit’s skin. A banana is just the densest piece of fruit that you can put in your body, and since it doesn’t have fiber, it won’t keep you full. It’s kind of a shame to have a fruit with no fiber.

Grapes are an exception to the rule because they have a special sugar in them called dextrose, which is the highest glycemic sugar that you can possibly put in your body. They actually make grape pills for diabetics so that they don’t become low.

FS: Are there any foods that you think people should avoid, even on their cheat days?
HP: Absolutely no, not at all. Life is short and you have to enjoy it, and you should indulge when it’s time to indulge. At some point, I think everyone should eat everything at least once.

FS: And what’s your cheat food?
HP: My cheat food? That’s easy, it’s chocolate chip cookies. I’m the biggest chocolate chip cookie freak in the world.

FS: And do you give yourself some cookies every week?
HP: At least every week.

To get a taste of Harley's diet, try his recipe for five-spice halibut. It's tasty and easy to make.

Get the Bod: Joan Jett

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:50:11 -0700

I love the idea that a new audience gets to see the awesome-ness of Joan Jett - via Kristen Stewart - in The Runaways, which opens this Friday. The woman seriously rocks, both literally and figuratively. She was off my radar for a bit, but her recent press appearances have reminded me of her amazing body: washboard abs and some smokin' guns to boot. Not too shabby for a 51-year-old rocker.

Curious at how she manages to look ageless, I did a little digging to see what I could find. From what I gather, there is no celebrity trainer or detox cleanses; Joan seems like a poster child for healthy living. As she told the New York Times a few years ago, "most days I feel like 25" - she stays active by always being on the go. Like many musicians, a demanding tour schedule leaves little time to sit around, but she does find time to exercise when home in Long Island. She's been known to go biking and knock out 50 push-ups during commercial breaks. Challenging rock star preconceptions, Joan doesn't smoke or drink, and does her best to stay out of the sun's harmful rays.

See Joan in action and find out about her vegetarian diet when you read more.

Joan also keeps her health in check with a healthy diet, and has been a vegetarian for over 20 years. She told Go Veg that she turned to a vegetarian diet while touring.

I was on the road eight months a year, and meat was too heavy to eat late at night, so I ate other things. I slowly lost my taste for meat, and at the same time, I experienced a slowly dawning awareness that it is unnecessary to eat animals in order to live in this world.

No alcohol, smoking, or red meat sounds like a surefire recipe for health! Next time you're at the gym, try working out to "Do You Wanna Touch Me" performed by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts - it's the kind of song that makes you want to be stronger.

Harley Gives Us an Inside Peek at His Celebrity Clients

FitSugar — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:00:19 -0700

Harley Pasternak is a busy guy. In about the span of a week, he left his training duties on the Lady Gaga tour in Europe, headed home to LA to see 10 clients, and then crossed the Pacific to Hawaii for two more. When I finally caught up with him in Tampa, he was already planning his departure to Toronto, his childhood home.

Harley - whose client list reads like a who’s who of Hollywood - never expected that he’d become THE go-to trainer for the stars. "I was studying to be in medicine," says Harley. "Personal training was something I did; it was a side business that grew and grew and next thing you knew I had three studios and 12 trainers and I was like, 'OK, I guess this is my career.'"

He describes his work as "the coolest thing in the world," and it’s easy to understand why. Not many people can say they shoot hoops with Kanye West and Common or hang backstage with Katy Perry, Alicia Keys, and Lady Gaga. Working with musicians seems to be his current thing right now, "They’re very creative people, they have more control over their own destiny to the extent that they tend to be a little more stable," says Harley. "I enjoy working with actors too but actors are more project-to-project where musicians have an ongoing thing."

Harley pulled back the curtain a little bit and shared with me what it was like to work with these amazing artists. To see what he had to say about each one of them, read more.

Lady Gaga. In the kitchen, Lady Gaga, or Gaga as he - and everyone else - calls her, is a bit of a chef, even helping him develop recipes for his 5 Factor World Diet book. "As I presented the recipes for the 10 healthiest countries in the world, she suggested mixing and matching the ingredients from different countries," Harley says. "She would make a salad or a stir fry and bring elements of Italy and Japan together into one recipe, which was really helpful to me."
Kanye West. Through several world tours Harley has grown pretty close to Kanye. "Everyone gives him a hard time for the things he says and does, but all the bad things you see in the public, those are all the bad things about him. Every bad thing about Kanye you know." The Kanye that Harley knows is "interesting, inspiring, passionate, and creative." Says Harley, "No one has more energy than him, training him is amazing."
Common. After four years of working together, Harley says that Common has become a close, personal friend. Not only is he one of Harley's favorite clients, he also one of the "hardest workers" he knows. "Common has a movie coming out called Just Right and he is the lead. When people see his body they are going to be talking about it for a year."
Katy Perry and Alicia Keys. Harley says one of the biggest perks from his job comes from working with clients that he's also a fan of, like Alicia and Katy. "I'm just a huge fan of them both," says Harley. "It’s just amazing to work with really creative people who are doing wonderful things that I get to enjoy their craft as well."

Stay tuned for eating and exercise tips from Harley coming to you later this week.

Sandra Bullock on Lipo and Burgers

FitSugar — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:51:37 -0800

Sandra Bullock started her 2010 off right by winning the best actress Golden Globe for her performance in The Blind Side. Last night, the humble 45-year-old comedic actress continued her winning streak. Looking stunning in gold, she took home the Oscar for best actress.

Nervous about wearing her form-fitting gown, Sandra joked about readying herself for the big night telling The Today Show, "I do believe some liposuction is in order, a very strict diet regime, and I will acquire a very light English accent." Joking aside, Sandra's hard work paid off: exercising nearly every day, doing Pilates, plyometrics, strength training with weights, and kickboxing, have helped the Academy Award-winning actress stay lean and fit. Coupled with her mostly healthy diet (except for her one cheat day a week), Sandra seems like one of the fittest celebs in Hollywood.

And to celebrate her first Oscar, Sandra told reporters in the press room after the show, "I just want a burger and I just want some food. I want to sit down, take the shoes off. I want to eat and not sweat it and not worry the dress will bust open. I just want to relax and . . . I’d like a nap, too." I bet nerves coupled with the desire to look amazing in her gown made it difficult to eat a regular diet, so now that the pressure's off, she definitely deserves to indulge a little. Tell me what's your indulgence? Is it a burger and fries?

A Healthy Bite: Ellen Pompeo

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:10:26 -0700

"Take a few hours and prepare lunch for the week. On Sundays, I premake everything for salads. I boil a dozen eggs and parboil beets. I chop lettuce, cilantro, scallions and parsley and put it all in Ziploc bags. During the week, I just grab handfuls, add dressing, dump in a can of beans, some goat cheese, and I'm ready to go."

- Ellen Pompeo shows off her post-pregnancy body on the cover of Self's April 2010 issue. The Grey's Anatomy star, now 40, says she weighs 10 pounds more today than before she was pregnant and couldn't be happier.

Jessica Simpson Gives Men What They Want

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:05:53 -0700

Jessica Simpson has been making the rounds this week to promote her new reality show, The Price of Beauty. As Us Magazine shares, the star spoke candidly on Barbara Walters's radio show this week, reaffirming her body confidence: "I know that men like their curves. I always say 'I'll give them something to grab onto.'" Here are some more highlights from the interview:

On dieting. "I don't diet. I used to count calories. I watch what I eat, but I also let myself indulge."
On her weight. "I could probably lose weight and still be healthy. But I don't obsess about it anymore."
On the public's scrutiny. "I think people are looking at what models look like. I am not a model. I am 5-foot-3; I don't look like a model. That is not my profession."
On motivation. "Women dress more for other women. I think that they want to be in shape more for other women." She later added, "I want a man to look at me and think I look good."

Would You Ever Do a Diet That You Hated?

FitSugar — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 10:00:22 -0700

In the April issue of Esquire, Amanda Seyfried takes a departure from her character on Big Love to go the boudoir route. She's also packing - lunch, that is. The actress arrives at the interview with her own plastic container of tabbouleh, a Middle Eastern salad made with parsley, bulgar, tomatoes, mint, and lemon juice.

"I'm on a raw-food diet," she declares, raising her brows to make her eyes even bigger. "It's intense. And sort of awful. Yesterday for lunch? Spinach. Just spinach. Spinach and some seeds."

Going raw seems to be popular amongst the Hollywood set; celebs like Natalie Portman, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Madonna have all followed it. Some would argue that being on a diet in a conventional sense is never fun, but a means to an end. And while the results might be great, I don't think I have the willpower to eat things I find "awful." How about you?

Not Another Celebrity Cleanse: Salma Hayek's Cooler Cleanse

FitSugar — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:37:18 -0800

You've heard about the Lunch Box Diet; well, now there is the Cooler Cleanse. And this one has some celebrity backing. A veteran of the juice ~~fast~~ cleanse, Salma Hayek has used the regimens for more than a decade to prepare for big events, from walking the red carpet to walking down the aisle. The curvaceous actress paired up with long-time friend and juice master Eric Helms to bring her juice cleanse to the masses. That is, if you live in New York and want to drop $58 a day on fresh-pressed juices.

The Cooler Cleanse offers cleanses that last from three to five days, and in FAQ section, the company tells us that "You will consume less than 1,200 calories each day during the 3-Day Cooler Cleanse and the 5-Day Cooler Cleanse." I have always heard that 1,200 is the minimum number of calories required for the body not to go into starvation mode. The five flavors of juices (a green juice, a grapefruit mint, a red juice with beets and apples, young coconut water, and nut milk sweetened with dates), are all freshly pressed overnight and delivered to clients by 6 a.m. Cooler Cleanse also offers a four-course raw food cleanse at $62 a day - you pay a little bit more to have something to sink your teeth into.

Although I am a fan of coconut water and that grapefruit mint mixture sounds tasty, I am not a fan of juice cleanses. But what about you? Would you try Salma's cleanse?