Maria Menounos is a journalist and correspondent for The Today Show and Access Hollywood. Her body is the envy of many women but she didn’t always look that way. In college she was much heaver – hitting a top size of 14. She blames over eating and too many food indulgences for her weight gain. So, she decided to take charge of her diet and exercise plan and has kept both in check all these years later. As for her diet plan, Menounos said she didn’t give it all up at once. She learned portion control over time. She started by limiting the amount of junk food she consumed and then she started supplementing a side salad instead of going back for seconds. The secret was she didn’t deprive herself of the tempting foods. Instead, she just limited the amount she consumed and over time she reduced it down to eating it sparingly.
As for her exercise plan, she practices the Israeli martial art, Krav Maga, which means ‘close combat’ in Hebrew. The student learns to neutralize an oncoming threat with crippling attacks to the most vulnerable of body parts. Maria said, “It’s the ultimate triple threat. It’s an amazing overall body workout, it’s fun, and empowering – and you’re learning how to protect yourself in any situation.” Besides turning her body into a weapon via martial arts training, she also likes to mix it up by doing fund and engaging exercise. Menounos said, “My goal is to feel like I’m not exercising. My trainer may come over, but we’ll go outside and run. Or I’ll have basketball games at my house with guys from Access. I’m tireless when playing sports. Have me do 20 reps of something in a gym, though, and I’m dying.”
Alicia Keys has tried several diets including the master cleanse diet plan (a diet plan where for 10 days you are only allowed to ingest a “lemonade mixture”). However, she found that too difficult to stick to this diet plan. She has since found success on the 5 Factor Diet Plan by the celeb fitness trainer, Harley Pasternak. She has said that this plan is easy to follow because you’re never hungry….On this diet plan, you eat 5 meals per day (see my review of this diet plan). Keys praises the diet plan saying it is addicting because she feels amazing and tells us that it is the best diet plan for anyone wishing to lose weight, maintain their current weight or just eat right and healthy. Keys has also decided to give up fast food (after watching a documentary, “Food Inc.”). However, she is not ready to give up her one weakness – bread. Keys said, “Delicious, warm soft bread is an indulgence of mine.” Hey, it’s all good – so long as it is in moderation!
As for her exercise plan, Keys hits the gym 4 – 5 times a week. In order to keep from getting bored, she also does a lot of running, switches up her cardio exercises, biking, rowing and hits the exercise machines. One of the exercises Harley Pasternak has Keys do to burn maximum calories is the following: Exercise with only one arm or one leg at a time when strength training with exercise equipments such as dumbbells. This way, while you’re resting one side of your body, you’ll keep the other side going strong. Your heart will also have to keep pumping hard through your entire fitness training exercise, which means that you’ll actually burn more calories overall.
The 49 year old actor, producer and director has always been a bit on the heavier side. However, within the last year or so, Whitaker quietly slimmed down, losing about 80 pounds. How did he do it? Through a serious diet and exercise program (a theme here on my website).
Whitaker knew it would take a lot of sweat and dedication to his exercise program to lose that kind of weight. He does cardio exercises such as hiking and martial arts on a regular basis. Nothing fancy but he keeps active in order to keep the weight off. His diet plan has gotten more publicity…
Whitaker knew that in order to lose the weight, he would have to drop some of the unhealthy foods he was consuming. So, in 2007, he decided to adopt a vegetarian diet, though he only cut meat out of his diet at this point. Not only is this diet a great way to drop weight but Whitaker also notes that this lifestyle will also help ward off diseases like heart disease, diabetes and cancer. He said, “The vegetarian diet plan for me has to be the best diet plan and the best healthy weight loss program I’ve ever tried.” Whitaker acknowledges that the vegetarian diet plan alone won’t get you to your ideal weight (especially since chocolate and chips can be consumed). Rather, you have to drop unhealthy snacks or at least drastically reduce your intake of those foods. Whitaker simply came to realize that in order to lose the weight, he would have to change his mindset about what is healthy, have a balanced and healthy diet plan and he would have to regularly exercise. Way to go Whitaker!
So how does this 42 year old mom of three manage to say in shape – or better yet – lose weight after making a movie like, “Eat, Pray, Love?” Mainly through a consistent but creative work out regimen and a healthy diet. Read on to learn more.
Julia’s long time Kathy Kaehler dished about Julia’s workout routines. She said, “We change her workouts depending on the role. I try to keep it very creative so she doesn’t get bored.” Roberts loves to workout in her pool so many of her exercises are created for the pool. She starts with a few laps of swimming to warm up her muscles. She then puts on a flotation belt and runs for one-minute intervals, staring with a slow pace and then working up to moderate and then fast speeds. She repeats the entire exercise five times. She also does cross-country skiing and arm exercises in the deep end. Kahler explains the benefits of water exercises, “She needs to look good on-screen, but she also needs the strength and energy to run around after her kids off screen. Swimming and water exercises are great ways to build up endurance and stay fit.” Think pool exercises are for the weak? Well, Kahler said hat a 150-pound person can expect to burn about 200 calories in 30 minutes by just doing moderate swimming; ramp it up to a vigorous swim and you can burn up to 330 calories in 30 minutes!
In addition to regular workouts, Julia Roberts uses diet designs eating program. This program allows you to eat fresh and healthy meals each week by opting to either have meals delivered to your door or by making your food using Diet Design’s famous recipes. Each plan is customized but includes a balance of 50% – 60% carbohydrates, 20% – 25% protein and 20% – 25% fat. While most of us can’t afford this option, we can follow the plan by making the foods ourselves and following the basic principals of eating healthy, fresh food and ensuring an appropriate balance of carbs, protein and fat.
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