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Diet Tips From Dancing With the Stars

FitSugar — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 06:00:00 -0700

If you're following this season of Dancing With the Stars, you've probably noticed the dancers' amazingly toned and strong bodies in their sexy and revealing costumes. If you're wondering how they stay fit and lean, here are some of the dieting secrets they shared in a recent issue of Us Weekly.

Melissa Rycroft says, "I eat what I like in moderation and try to have a few small meals throughout the day."

Julianne Hough says, "I eat only until I'm full." She eats five small meals throughout the day, and during the show she tries to cut out carbs and sweets. She doesn't restrict herself entirely, though, and says, "If I want to have dessert, I'll have it. I know I'll work it off."

Shawn Johnson loads up on fruit and protein, but if she has an urge for chocolate she says, "I'll satisfy my craving and move on." She stays slim and muscular by dancing eight hours a day.

Denise Richards trained with her partner Makism Chmerkovsky and got her abs back after having two kids. She went from a size 26 waist to a 24 from all that training, and was still eating pizza and ice cream.

To see how the other dancers stay trim, read more.

Kym Johnson spends a lot of time doing core work to get her rock-hard abs. She also limits her carbs because she says, "I love fries and bread, but I see a real difference in my body when I don't eat them after 5 p.m." She'll still enjoy dessert when out to dinner with her boyfriend, but just a small portion.

Lil' Kim gets her meals and snacks from Freshology, a food delivery service. She eats a total of 1,200 to 1,400 calories a day, avoids heavy foods, and drinks a lot of water.

Lacey Schwimmer shed 10 pounds by ditching fatty foods and soda, and instead enjoys grilled chicken, steamed veggies, yogurt, and fruit. She recommends eating within an hour after working out.

Cheryl Burke dropped 10 pounds as well, by rehearsing eight hours a day, five days a week. She eats egg whites, whole grains, veggies, and lots of water. She also tries to avoid salt, and keeps snacks with her to avoid temptation.

Karina Smirnoff avoids meat but eats egg whites, fish, and salad. She has a tablespoon of olive oil on an empty stomach to help with digestion.

Holly Madison avoids liquid calories and drinks water instead.

Edyta Sliwinska sticks to 1,500 calories a day, eating foods such as cottage cheese, ground oats, berries, chicken salad, and cereal. She avoids pasta, bread, rice, and candy. She gets her toned legs from dancing in heels.

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Favorite Olympian: Shawn Johnson

FitSugar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0800

Michael Phelps is truly a superlative athlete. He broke all kinds of records in Beijing and was voted Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated. While you all voted him the fan-favorite Olympian, I think he has won awards aplenty. That is why when it comes to Olympians, 16-year-old Shawn Johnson with her tireless smile is the winner of the FitSugar Favorite Olympian.

Shawn won the gold medal for balance beam, the sliver medal in the all-around competition, silver in floor exercise, and helped the US win the team silver. Unlike many elite gymnasts, Shawn only trained about 20 to 25 hours a week instead of 40, so she could attend her public high school where she is on the honor roll. Even though she is not yet old enough to vote, this civic-minded Olympian made an appearance at the Democratic National Convention. Her athletic style kept us entertained throughout the Olympics, and this girl looks so healthy.

She might not be the new face of Subway or have a video game in the works, but Shawn is my favorite Olympian of 2008. I am anxious to see if she will compete in 2012 - do you think she will?

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What's Next For Gymnasts Liukin and Johnson

FitSugar — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 12:00:00 -0700

Women's gymnastics really seems like a sport for girls. While there were some older competitors, like Alicia Sacramone of the US and China's Cheng Fei who are both 20, it seems a sport loaded with youngsters. So what happens to these women, or girls, after competing at the top? All-around gold medal winner Nastia Liukin and her teammate Shawn Johnson are definitely approaching their futures differently. These girls roomed together at the Olympics and wanted to go gold and silver in as many events as they could, but let me tell you about their next moves.

The 18-year-old Nastia Liukin will be heading home to Texas Thursday with her five medals, one gold, one bronze, and three silvers. She has many ad campaigns in the works, including one for Visa, and you can expect to see her on the Jay Leno show sometime next week. Daughter of Olympian gymnasts, Liukin plans on competing in the 2009 world championships.

To see what Shawn's future holds, read more.

For the near future, Shawn plans on shopping and visiting the Great Wall as well as walking in the closing ceremony. After training with the hopes of a gold medal in the all-around competition, this 16-year-old from Iowa will probably take off her first semester of her junior year of high school to participate in a planned gymnastics tour. She told reporters:

It's hard to think about four more years. After not winning the all-around, it hit me pretty hard, not that I got the silver, but just all my emotions came out. I was training to win gold. I'm just proud of myself that I kept my head up.

Having been riveted to my TV for the last week watching these amazing young ladies tumble, twist, and vault, I will miss them. How about you?

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Women's Gymnastics: Silver and Gold!

FitSugar — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:00:00 -0700

Last night seemed like a redemption match, gymnastics styles. The top three were all amazing, but Nastia Liukin was the best in the all-around competition. She gracefully stepped out from behind Shawn Johnson's athletic shadow and was lovely on the beam as well as the other three elements: uneven bars, floor, and vault. The Chinese gymnast Yilin Yang took the bronze.

On her winning a gold medal Nastia said: "I can't believe it still. I worked so hard for many years for this, I don't know what to say. I couldn't have been here without my parents."

Shawn was gracious about winning silver medal and explained, "It's been a long road, I feel like the baby of the group, to come out with silver is an amazing experience."

Congrats to all the gymnasts and a thank you for creating a night of exciting competition.

To see some great photos from the event, just read more.

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Five Things About Gymnast Shawn Johnson

FitSugar — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 05:30:00 -0700

In case you missed it, the Olympic games open this Friday, and I am awfully excited to watch. Gymnastics tops my list of events to see, and Shawn Johnson is the gymnast to watch. Not only did she just win a Teen Choice Award for Choice Female Athlete, she also won the women's all-around title in the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Pretty impressive resume for a 16-year-old.

Here are five things to know about Shawn:

Her strength training routine doesn't involve weights; instead, she performs classic calisthenics like push-ups, sit-ups, and pull-ups.
Shawn is four feet, nine inches tall and weighs 90 pounds ( a healthy BMI, by the way).
She attends high school in Des Moines, Iowa.

For more info and some excellent action shots, read more.

Images of Shawn currently appear on Coke and McDonald's products. A butter sculpture of Shawn will appear soon at the Iowa state fair - quite a compliment in the Midwest.
She works out four hours a day during the week and six hours on Saturdays. Her workouts generally follow this schedule: Half an hour of conditioning, stretching, and endurance training, then 50 minutes on each of the four events. Her workouts end with focused "extra tricks."

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Natalie Coughlin: From the Olympics to DWTS

FitSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 05:50:41 -0700

Last season on Dancing With the Stars, we saw gold medal gymnast Shawn Johnson win gold, and this year we're watching Olympic swimmer Natalie Coughlin compete on land.

She made it through the first week, dancing a salsa with Alec Mazo and wowed us last night with her quick step. Although busy dancing and rehearsing, Natalie took time out of her day to answer a few questions on topics ranging from Pilates to her opinion on the ban on high-tech swimsuits.

To learn what Natalie has to say, just read more.

FitSugar: I have read that you do Pilates. How does this method of exercise help your swimming? Since it is somewhat dance-based, do you think it will help you on DWTS?
Natalie Coughlin: Pilates is an awesome cross-training exercise for any sport because it focuses on functional movement. It relies on strength along with flexibility, which is perfect for both swimming and dance. My two favorite pieces of equipment are the Balanced Body Exo Chair and Pilates Arc. I personally own both, and they make a nice addition to my home gym.

FS: I loved your "I'm a runner" piece in Runner's World. Do you still run regularly? Do you ever participate in road races? Were you able to run before your wedding ceremony?
NC: My first and only road race was the H2O Audio Surf Monkey last month, which was a 5K run on a mixture of sand, cobbled rock, and pier. It was so much fun, although I had no idea how to run on sand or cobbled rock! A few days before my wedding, I got a little overzealous with my running and ended up straining my right obliques, which forced me to take a bit of a break. Oops! I still love running, but I'm currently spending five to six-plus hours dancing every day, so I'm taking a break. I don't think it would be a good idea to add any unnecessary stress to my feet or legs.

FS:Your swimming career has spanned two Olympics, and you're planning to compete in 2012 - how do you maintain focus in training over those four-year periods?
NC: My focus is constantly evolving. I took three months off immediately following the Athens Games and returned to competition with a series of two-day meets throughout the world. The short format of the meets along with the world travel kept me motivated and interested in swimming. After Beijing, I needed a much longer break both mentally and physically because I have been competing for 21 years now! Dancing With the Stars is providing me with an amazing competitive outlet in something so different than my sport.

FSWhat's your favorite core exercise?
NC: I use the TRX suspension system for strength training and I absolutely love the atomic push-up because it's a killer exercise that works your entire core and upper body.

FS: Is your running playlist different from your swimming playlist? If so, how?
NC: Nope! They're usually the same, but it changes depending on my mood. It can be anything from pop, rock, alternative, to hip-hop . . . and H2O Audio's new Interval lets me listen to multiple playlists in the water or while I'm out on a run.

FS: Swimming can be hard on the skin and hair. What are your go-to beauty products postswim?
NC: Oh dear! I love products . . . Pureology for my hair, Kinesys sunscreen for my face/body preswimming, Palmer's Cocoa Butter for my body post-swimming, and Oil of Olay SPF 15 for my face.

FS: How do you feel about the ban on high-tech swimsuits?
NC: I think it's a good idea because our sport can now get back to the swimming and eliminate the distraction of "who are you wearing?" Eliminating zippers and legs is strange because both have been a part of many of the suits for over a decade. Either way, I'm happy.

Shawn Johnson

FitSugar — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 13:03:44 -0700

Gymnast to watch in 2008 Olympics! These are photos of her competing at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials.

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Your Favorite Olympic Moment of 2008

FitSugar — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:00:00 -0800

It may not be quite as exciting as winning eight gold medals, but Michael Phelps has won again - in FitSugar's best Olympic moment of 2008 poll. Though he was bested in the favorite Olympian poll by Shawn Johnson, his record-breaking moment garnered 40 percent of your votes, and the thrill of his victory was also the favorite of CitizenSugar readers.

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Crossing the Finish Line: The Final Medal Count

FitSugar — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:00:00 -0700

To the relief of some, the Olympics games are over and the final medal count is in.
Although the US team heads home with the largest total number of medals, 123, China won the most gold. Over half the Chinese 100 medals were gold. With 51 gold medals. I would say that the Chinese program Project 119 worked well, even though the host country missed the mark of their desired final medal count of 119.

The US was even across the medal count with 36 gold, 38 silver, and 36 bronze. Congratulations to all the amazing athletes. I was truly inspired, were you? It feels like the majority of American gold medals came from swimming thanks to Michael Phelps and his amazing wins. Here are some of the other US gold medals:

Both the men's and women's US basketball teams won gold (we are redeemed). We also won gold in both men's and women's beach volleyball as well as a gold in men's volleyball and a silver in women's volleyball - the women's team was defeated by Brazil in the finals.
Bryan Clay won the decathlon, and now he owns the title as the greatest athlete on earth, a la Bruce Jenner who won gold and made the event famous in 1976. Other track and field fun: Dawn Harper won the 100m hurdles, beating Lolo Jones. Although our 4x100m relay teams both dropped the baton in the semifinals, we won both the 4x400m men's and women's relays!
The Williams sisters won gold in doubles. Let's see what they do at the US Open.
The women's soccer team won gold, defeating Brazil with a final score of the match being one to zero. Carli Lloyd scored the winning and only goal of the game.
Gymnasts Shawn Johnson and Nastia Luikin both brought home many medals, but each garnered a gold. Johnson on the beam and Luikin for the all-around competition.

To see some photos of my favorite Olympic moments and one very sad blunder, just read more.

View 11 Photos ›

If you watched the games chances are high that you have a few favorite moments, too. Share them in the comments section below.

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What Spooks You?

FitSugar — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 12:00:00 -0700

Happy Halloween! At my house we have been talking about this holiday for months! I sent a "princess" to preschool and the Olympic gymnast "Shawn Johnson" to kindergarten. My girls are not only stoked that they get to wear their costumes all day long, but they get to celebrate all things spooky: cobwebs, spiders, and monsters. In a recent survey of what Americans fear the most, things that creep, crawl, and slither almost topped the list, so my girls are not far off for measuring what spooks the nation.

The greatest fear of the folks surveyed was getting in an accident like a plane crash, car accident, or being struck by lightning. The second greatest fear was having an encounter with a dangerous animal like a snake, spider, or shark. Quite low on the list were fears about developing health problems; only five percent of surveyed Americans feared diseases, compared to the 29 percent fearing accidents and 27 percent fearing scary animals. Ironically, this survey was conducted by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), and of the small percentage of folks who fear developing a disease, only two percent worry about diabetes. In stark contrast, the ADA believes that 57 million people in the US are at risk for developing type-2 diabetes, and according to the National Lightning Safety Institute about 1,000 Americans are struck by lightning annually.

Since it is Halloween and all, I was wondering . . .

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