| How healthy are those celebrity bodies?
Trying to achieve celebrity-style muscle tone can do you more harm than good Bulges (in all the right places) are no longer just for men. Sculpted arms, six-pack abs and lean, toned legs are the latest must-have accessories for women too. The muscled body look is everywhere. Geri Halliwell has transformed herself from bosomy babe into hard little body. Even after two kids, you still can't miss Madonna's bulging abs and signature sinewy arms. Although not new - think back to Linda Hamilton in Terminator and Demi Moore in GI Jane - this particular body type is now ubiquitous. Even Renee Zellweger, two stone plumper for Bridget Jones, has, in a matter of months, re-morphed herself into a muscle-bound yet petite package. What you don't read in the media however is what these celebs go through to maintain their toned physiques. You don't get abs like Jennifer Aniston or legs like Destiny's Child by leading a moderately active life and watching what you eat. Regardless, women still ask the question, 'What do I have to do to look like her?' 'Aspiring to have a body like a celeb isn't just unrealistic, it's dangerous,' says Josh Salzmann, iVillage's UK fitness expert, and personal trainer to Hollywood actresses and personalities such as Angelina Jolie and the Duchess of York. Many high-profile actresses and singers follow rigorous diets (including cutting out most, if not all, carbohydrates) and strenuous workout programmes. Why shouldn't we try for abs like Geri's or arms like Madonna's? 'You can never know how grueling someone's fitness programme or diet is, regardless of what you read. Even if you follow that person's exact diet and exercise plan, there's no guarantee your body will respond in the same way,' says Salzmann. He adds that many celebs stick to strict workout schedules of up to three hours a day to maintain the look. Although they look toned and fit, a programme this intense doesn't allow their body enough time to recuperate efficiently from exercise. 'Many Hollywood actors use artificial growth hormones to stay energised and help their bodies 'recover' from workouts so they can keep hitting the gym,' he says. What they don't realise is that muscles grow and become toned while recovering and resting, not during actual training. This kind of arduous schedule leads to a state of moderate to severe under-recovery. Over-training puts you at risk of injury. Attempts to emulate a celebrity figure can be sabotaged by basic genes. If you are five foot, for example, you'll never have legs like Cindy Crawford because she's at least ten inches taller. Continual failure to reach your goal will only discourage you from exercising and eating properly, warns Salzmann. Another hard truth is that some celebs will do just about anything to look a certain way. One well-known actress reportedly took pills to over-stimulate her thyroid gland before shooting a movie where she played a super muscled heroine. Her six-pack abs were impressive, but they weren’t the result of 200 sit-ups a day, only of a chemically enhanced metabolism. Another trick some celebs use before major magazine or film shoots is called 'peaking'. Several days before shooting a cover, they cut out all carbs from their diet or they might take glycerol, a diuretic that drains water from under muscles, making them look more bulky and veined. You can rest assured many of them only keep this ultra-ripped look for a few days each month, notes Salzmann. Others in the spotlight simply follow a low-carb or all-protein diet all the time. You need a certain amount of carbohydrate to process protein properly, and an extreme eating plan puts extra strain on the kidneys and liver, says Salzmann. Also, when you deprive your body of carbohydrates for more than a few days, byproducts called ketones are produced which can make you feel fatigued and headachy. Although you may initially shed pounds and inches on a restricted diet, you'll soon find energy levels plummet and the plan will be tough to sustain. Most people who try it, end up in a cycle of yo-yo dieting where they repeatedly lose then gain weight. The good news is, although you might never be Geri-esque, you can tone and re-shape your body through putting in a few extra hours a week at the gym and following a healthy diet. If you cross train, or vary your workouts so they include cardio, strength training and flexibility components, you can transform your shape. 'Angelina Jolie prepared for her role as Lara Croft in Tomb Raider on a programme of sound nutrition and cross training that included 40-minute maximum workouts for five or six days a week,' says Salzmann. What's more, she fulfilled some of her cardio workouts during three-days-a-week strength training sessions by using resistance to elevate her heart rate. She combined all these things with kickboxing and yoga classes and was so strong by the time she started shooting the film that she was able to do some of her own stunt work. So, you can continue to admire Geri's abs and Madonna's arms, as long as emulating them isn't your aim. One act you can follow is a challenging weekly cross training routine. Here's a sample programme: Monday: Weight training Of course, to reap the benefits of exercise you'll need to follow a healthy diet as well. Dr Wynnie Chan, resident iVillage nutritionist, advocates basing 50 per cent of your daily calories on carbohydrates, 35 per cent on fat and 15 per cent on protein. |