At last! Trainers behind beautiful-bodied Halle, Heidi, and Jennifers A. and L. reveal how their clients got their shapes and how you can, too.
FAB FIGURE: Jennifer Aniston
CELEB TRAINER: Kathy Kaehler
SMART TIPS:
1. Eat! One big mistake women make is severely cutting calories, which slows your metabolism and makes you feel deprived. The result? You binge and gain weight.
2. But, eat slowly. After each bite, put down your fork and count to 10. This allows your brain to tell your stomach, “Enough.”
3. MUST-DO MOVE: Card shuffle
TARGETS: Inner and outer thighs
HOW TO DO IT: Place 10 playing cards on the floor. Now squat, pick up one card, and shuffle four paces to the right. Squat; put the card down. Shuffle back to the pile, pick another card, and repeat until all 10 cards have been moved to the right.
BOOK: Kathy Kaehler’s Celebrity Workouts
Related: How to Slim Down While Sitting at Your Desk and Lose Weight While Watching TV
Gregg DeGuire/Wire
FAB FIGURE: Halle Berry
CELEB TRAINER: Harley Pasternak
SMART TIPS:
4. Uphill walking is the best cardio exercise. (Do it outside or on a treadmill’s highest incline.) It’s easy on your knees while tightening your butt, thighs, and lower legs.
5. Dumbbells are better for muscle toning than weight machines, because they require no adjusting, they allow the body to move naturally, and they can be used for dozens of different exercises (while machines have a limited repertoire).
6. MUST-DO MOVE: Upper-body twist
TARGETS: Obliques (sides of stomach)
HOW TO DO IT: Sit on a mat or rug with your knees bent and your feet flexed. Lean back slightly (at a 45-degree angle). Now reach across your body with your right hand, as though you’re grabbing something on your left, then reach to the right with your left hand. Do 10 reps (five on each side), rest for 30 seconds, then do two more sets.
BOOK: 5-Factor Fitness
Related: 11 Exercises to Get Your Heart Pumping
Chris Weeks/Wire
FAB FIGURE: Heidi Klum
CELEB TRAINER: David Kirsch
SMART TIPS:
7. Stick your butt out on the elliptical machine. This shifts the focus to your butt, hamstrings, outer thighs, and quadriceps. (If you stand up too straight–a common mistake–you work only your quads.)
8. When you’re doing any kind of athletic movement–jumping, lunging, lifting weights–never lock your elbows or knees. Keep them slightly “soft” (but not floppy) to prevent joint injury.
9.MUST-DO MOVE: Platypus walk
TARGETS: Butt
HOW TO DO IT: Firmly grasp a seven- to 10-pound medicine ball–or a dumbbell that weighs between four and 10 pounds–overhead with both hands (keeping arms straight). Squat as low as you can go, toes pointing out. Remaining in the squat, walk slowly forward for eight steps, then slowly backward for another eight. Repeat the sequence.
BOOK: The Ultimate New York Body Plan
Marie Claire’s Best Tricks to Increase Your Metabolism
Related: How to Look Better Naked
Donato Sardella/Wire
FAB FIGURE: Jennifer Lopez
CELEB TRAINER: Gunnar Peterson
SMART TIPS:
10. Quit quick-stepping on the stairclimber! This works fewer muscles and burns fewer calories than long, deep steps.
11. Sit still for no more than three minutes between weight-lifting sets. Waiting longer allows your muscles to cool down, weakening the benefits of the exercise.
12. MUST-DO MOVE: Tricep extension
TARGETS: The backs of the arms
HOW TO DO IT: Hold one end of a five-to-eight-pound dumbbell in both hands above your head. Slowly lower the weight behind your head so elbows point to the ceiling, then lift. Aim for three sets of eight.
BOOK: G-Force: The Ultimate Guide to Your Best Body Ever
Also, check out Marie Claire’s Tips to Get Strong Abs: The Easy Way!
