Dana Santas, known as “Mobility Maker,” is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and mind-body coach in professional sports, and is the author of the book “Practical Solutions for Back Pain Relief.”
(CNN) — When you see your favorite actors in peak physical condition on the red carpet, you may think that their level is unattainable for most normal people, reserved only for those with opulent lifestyles and infinite resources that seem to add more hours to each day. But reality is not that.
In fact, according to their coaches, most celebrities face many of the same issues as the rest of us when trying to prioritize wellness amid the responsibilities of daily life.
To dispel myths and offer practical advice that everyone can use, I’ve asked five of my celebrity trainer friends to help me share the tips we wish everyone knew to improve their overall fitness.
Fitness is a balancing act for everyone
Like many other people, celebrities also have to deal with the demands of work and family life to stay physically fit.
As a mobility and strength coach working in professional sports, I can attest that even famous athletes, whose careers depend on their bodies, face the challenge of balancing family and fitness. When players return home at the end of the season, it is not easy to maintain a normal family life while maintaining their elite athlete’s physique. These professionals have to be strategic about the timing and effectiveness of their training so as not to interrupt the time they spend with their family.
Don Saladino, a longtime trainer to big-name Hollywood stars such as Ryan Reynolds and Anne Hathaway, says his clients often have to make time to train and recover at odd hours because of their work schedules. For example, when he was training Liev Schreiber for his crime series “Ray Donovan,” the actor would shoot three days all day and then three days at night. “It’s quite a challenge, but very common. His schedules are very volatile.”
Whether you’re famous or not, anyone can strive to create and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Read on for tips to help you get the most out of your routine.
It’s a daily effort
Money may give the rich and famous greater access to trainers and training tools, but it also allows them to indulge more. That means less consistent schedules with more vacations, parties, and dinners out—more of everything that can sabotage fitness without daily discipline.
“The most important thing for people to know is that fitness is not a conversation you have at the beginning of the year, the beginning of the month or even the beginning of the week. It’s an everyday conversation,” said Jen Widerstrom, best known as a trainer on the reality show “The Biggest Loser.” “You look at your day, you look at the changes, you look at the variables, and within that day you have an ongoing conversation about how to pursue wellness,” Widerstrom added.
He advised that you should be prepared to “move forward with your day but have the discipline to anchor those characteristics of well-being that you know you’re not going to let your day end without.”
An easy way to add non-negotiable daily wellness habits to your lifestyle is to combine them with other essential hygiene habits or tasks. For example, regardless of the circumstances of my day, I do push-ups before I shower and squats or sit-ups while I brush my teeth.
Saladino, who has run gyms for 15 years, emphasizes that discipline is important to make adjustments on a daily basis. He says he rarely travels with his clients, so they are the ones who have to do their “homework” and adapt their routine while on the go.
Fitness should be fun
Brian Nguyen, a Los Angeles trainer whose clients include Mark Wahlberg and Kate Hudson, reminds us that we must unleash the child within us to achieve our goals.
Here are three ways to add fun to your training
1. Act like a child. Do you remember what it was like to jump rope, play tag, and spin a hoop around your hips? All those things you did for fun as a child—and probably gave up as an adult—are real exercises. Try incorporating them into your workouts for variety and fun.
2. Turn up the volume. Play upbeat music that lifts your spirits and makes you want to dance. What’s more, science confirms that high-tempo music makes your workouts more effective.
3. Consider training with a partner to increase fun and motivation. Ideas for couples’ exercises abound on social media, you just have to stick to those that are safe and fit your physical condition, and always consult your doctor before starting a new exercise program.
Recovery is as important as training
Too many exercise devotees experience overtraining syndrome, wondering why they don’t improve their fitness. If you give yourself time to rest and recover, you will be promoting the muscle building and fat burning processes that change your body composition and improve your physical fitness.
Recovery is not just about getting enough sleep, it should be integrated into your entire training program. This is something I constantly remind my professional athlete clients. There are many aspects, such as off days, rest between sets, and soft tissue strategies such as massage and foam rolling.
Los Angeles-based trainer Ashley Borden, who participated as a trainer on “Revenge Body With Khloe Kardashian,” says foam rolling is the first thing she wishes everyone knew was important for overall fitness. “It’s overlooked. Foam rolling can help them take better control of their recovery and injury prevention.”
Borden said that even when people use a roller, too often they are “ignoring a lot of other parts of the body. They roll the roller over the quads and that’s it.”
Achieving sustainable fitness is not a superficial goal
Regardless of who you are, if you want to maintain a truly healthy lifestyle, your motivation should focus on boosting your overall well-being. Widerstrom says you have to focus on your “integrity as a person.”
“The most important thing for people to understand when it comes to getting in shape and staying in shape is that fitness improves your entire life,” said Rudy Reyes, actor and head trainer on the celebrity challenge series “Special Forces.” : World‘s Toughest Test”. “It goes far beyond the body. It goes far beyond the shell. It changes the way you see the world and the way the world receives you. It will enable you to have a true quality of life,” added Reyes, who is also a decorated former member of the US Marine Corps Reconnaissance Corps.
Personally, I remember when I started lifting weights. My goal wasn’t to dress well, but to be able to put my kids to bed for as long as I could, climb trees with them, and continue to be active and strong as I got older, and that’s exactly what my fitness has brought to the table. to my life.
With these tips, everyone can approach fitness like a celebrity, that is, as a human being facing the demands of a full life.