health&fitnessfactorfiction.com

OK, Page 88 - Body Talk with: Carmen Electra
Ah, Carmen Electra - since I own all her Fit to Strip DVD’s, there’s no point in pretending I don’t love her unique blend of trashiness and cool. While I love celebrity workout stories, it’s always tough reading about a celebrity who started out as a dancer, and is genetically gifted. So when Carmen says she can’t walk past a tray of chocolates or cupcakes, and admits she drinks between eight and nine cans of coke a day (wrong in anyone’s language), please don’t think you can do this and look like her.

She also says she hates her stomach, and looking at these photos, I think most women would kill to have one that looked like this. So Carmen, I love your DVD’s (even though I can’t remember the choreography), but I’m a little disturbed by your body talk. ***

NW, Page 68 - The Lunchbox Makeover

Article on healthier lunch options from chains like Subway, Maccas and Muffin Break. Good advice, but it would be easier (and cheaper) to make your own and be totally in control. ***

Famous, Page 64 - Dine In, Take Away?

Obviously NW and Famous are on the same wavelength this week, since this article is about making healthy choices when eating out. This one goes by nationality, and also has a fast food section. Much more complete than the previous article, this gives best and worst options, and top tips for what to avoid. Good advice with lots of dishes to choose from. ****

Woman’s Day, Page 79 - Healthy Summer Treats

Pardon me for feeling smug while reading these summer treats, but I’ve included the pizza and fruit iceblocks in previous Top Five newsletters. This article is about making healthy food with your kids, and also gives a recipe for fruit kebabs (maybe I’ll steal this one for later). Obviously I have to give this *****

Page 76, Keep Your Cool

Worth a read article about dehydration during the summer. Especially important if you’re planning on doing lots of exercise when the weather is hotter.

Page 80, Shift Those Stubborn Kilos

Great advice on how to get over a plateau in your weight loss program, all of which I’ve advised my clients to use on various occasions. I also love the mini-article on getting rid of cellulite, which doesn’t once mention using any creams - just give sensible advice which will actually work and doesn’t cost a fortune. The full shebang for this one *****

New Idea, Page 67 - Strike a Pose

Five great reasons to do more yoga. These are just a handful - the benefits are practically endless, and even modern medicine is admitting yoga can help with conditions like depression, arthritis, and people with serious stress related conditions. As this article says, it’s the perfect exercise for the unfit, inflexible, old, young - everyone! Stay tuned on Wednesday for a new yoga pose in this week’s Top Five newsletter. *****
Page 68, Running on Empty

This article is based on studies indicating people are turning to vitamins rather than getting nutrients from food. Restrictive diets and bad food choices are also blamed for making people deficient in certain vitamin groups. Advice on how much food to eat for the recommended daily intake of nutrients appears at the end of the article. ****

Page 75, Get Fit With Guy

Guy dispels some diet and exercise myths. Good stuff from Guy, but I disagree with him on the water drinking advice. He reckons thirst is our natural warning system for needing to drink, but by the time we feel thirsty, we’re usually dehydrated. It’s not a bad thing to preempt the need to drink, especially since so few of us get the hydration we actually need. I do agree fruit and veggies play a part in hydration, but again, a lot of us just don’t eat enough of them to make a difference.

Weight Related Headlines This Week:

Famous:

New Diet and New Men - Page 12 (Jessica Simpson)

Chubby Val has some real cheek - Page 84 (Val Kilmer)

Ellen stacks it on - Page 88 (Ellen Pompeo)

NW:

Surgery Obsessed Ashlee - “I want butt implants” - Page 34 (Ashlee Simpson)

(If you only have one weight related headline, that’s the one to have!)

OK - Bounce back after baby like … Angelina Jolie - Pg 86

Fairly obviously, this article’s about how Santa Angelina got her fab bod back after having Shiloh. Her diet’s mainly credited - then later it’s slipped in that she worked out with Gunnar Peterson, one of the top celeb trainers in Hollywood. It mentions she avoided gaining too much weight while pregnant - only 10kg, which is in the “only what you need to gain for the baby” range. I think this is a really conservative estimate - I’ve just checked my information about training pre and post natal women, which says that 12.5kg is an average, and recommended weight gain during pregnancy. It also says “don’t dwell on weight gain unless excessive, encourage moderate exercise and healthy nutritious diet”. I like that advice much more than the crazy Hollywood version.

The expert quoted here advises “taking off around 9kg in four to six weeks”. This is unrealistic weight loss in anyone’s terms - 500g to 1kg a week is a safe, and maintainable weight loss. Telling anyone they should lose 9kg in six weeks is bad advice - unless you want them to feel like a failure, or go on some crazy diet/exercise program.

Somehow the last paragraph seems to negate everything else that’s said here, with the sentence “don’t get too hung up on the scales”. That’s after quoting kJ intake for breastfeeding mothers. Isn’t it enough to be dealing with a small baby, sleep deprivation and everything else that goes along with having a child? Angelina may have lost weight in an insanely quick period of time, but she doesn’t live a normal life. Also, the mention of following a low-carb diet yet again is silly. Eat plenty of carbs, just choose the right ones - and don’t always believe the hype.

Training pre and post natal women is one of my areas of expertise, so it disappoints me to read something that could negatively influence people’s idea of health and what’s expected of their bodies. Make sure when you read something like this that you investigate what’s said so you know it’s both true and safe. *

Woman’s Day - Mariska’s Post Baby Body - Page 30

All I can say is hooray for Mariska Hargitay - this article is everything the previous one isn’t. She gained 25kg while she was pregnant, and has lost all the extra weight by eating a sensible diet, breastfeeding, and taking a smart approach to her life. She also has realistic expectations about her body - her mother was Jayne Mansfield, so as she says, “I’m allowed to have curves”. If you’re looking for celebrity advice on losing post baby weight, check out this article, and go for the sane approach. ****
New Idea - Get Fit With Guy - Pg 96

This is an update of Guy Leech’s “extreme overhaul” of Dicko, which by this account is going well. What’s most interesting is in the bottom left corner - a list of different alcoholic drinks and ho, their kilojoule count, and how long they take to burn off. Some of the activities are a bit dodgy - washing the car maybe isn’t the most practical way to convert kJ’s - but when a Jim Beam and cola takes 25 mins of jogging to negate, it puts it into more user friendly terms.

A lot of people trying to lose weight forget about counting alcohol and focus just on the food. You could be packing on the equivalent of another huge meal just from a few beers after work - worthwhile (but boring) thinking about it. **

NW - Set your sites on a hot bod - Page 70

A whole bunch of websites that can help you in your quest to lose weight, and get support and information about health and fitness. Some of it is interesting, but some is a little too obsessive - entering what you’ve eaten, getting a breakdown of kJ’s, and what it’s made up of is a great way to send yourself mad. Try to eat sensibly, pack in heaps of fruit and veggies, and you won’t need a computer to tell you what’s going on. Sure it’s not as much fun, but why hang out in front of the computer when you could be burning off what you’ve eaten? **

This week’s weight related headlines:

Woman’s Day:

Libbi’s Hot New Shape. (Pg 31)
Selena’s joy - I’ve got my body back (Pg 82)
Kristin’s New Curves (Pg ?)

NW:

Proof! Brit’s Lipo Belly Ripples (Pg 28)
Diana Goes Bottoms Up (Pg 45)
Jorge’s A Smoothie (Pg ?)

OK

Kate’s New World (Pg 37)
Ricki Lee Gets In Shapes (Pg 46)
When the Chips are Down (Pg 48)

OK, Megan Gale’s Body Secrets, Page 87

Megan Gale has a smokin’ bod, and she’s got a great attitude about working out. She does it to feel good, rather than being obsessed about her weight - admittedly much easier when you’re genetically gifted. She has a great range of activities encompassed in her training, jogging, boxing, Pilates, swimming and surfing.

I like the idea of exercising outside, and not relying on a gym all the time. It keeps things interesting, and as she says, “nature is a great distraction”.

Her diet’s sensible as well, except the old “no carbs in the afternoon” idea reappears. Sticking to simple, varied foods with lots of veggies is a great way to eat. She also drinks lots of water, and occasionally eats chocolate and icecream. I give this *** (I’ve just started using Firefox, and I can’t find the insert characters option, so asterisks are going to have to do for now)

NW, Survive Party Season Pg 74

Tips for getting through the myriad of work do’s and Christmas parties, while still having a good time. Fairly classic advice, like eat before you go out, choose mixers that aren’t loaded with calories, and going for the best food choices. Good ideas. ***

New Idea, Light Signals, Pg 58

Not so much a fitness article, but rundown of a new food labelling system which should theoretically make it easier to choose healthier options. Based on a traffic light system, green will mean the food is nutritious, low in fat, sugar and salt. Amber means the food has some good nutrients, but is a less nutritious choice. Red foods are high in things that should be avoided, and are more of a sometimes food.

I like this idea, which means choosing the right food isn’t an exercise in knowing scientific names for things, working out manufacturer’s tricks to make you think something’s healthier than it is, or just having to think more than you’re capable of at the time - if I’ve been at work all day and need to grab something in a hurry, I don’t want to be standing around reading labels for ages. It’s interesting to note this system will mean some manufacturers will be forced to display a label recommending consumers buy less of their foods. The for and against opinions in the article are worth reading. ****

Get Fit With Guy, Pg 90

Guy talks about Australia being the third fattest nation in the world, and his listing of common foods and their kilojoule count could have some clues as to why. ***

Woman’s Day, 10 Eating Tips for The Festive Season, Pg 76

Some really good suggestions for surviving the inevitable overindulging of the Christmas period. I like the way this article is realistic about what most people do, and gives sensible advice for how to minimise any feelings of guilt (or heaps of weight gain) and just enjoy yourself. ****

Celeb Body, Charlize Theron, Pg 77

Interesting article about Charlize Theron’s workout regime, but I’m not suggesting you follow what she does, which includes: gaining 13 kgs for “Monster”, then working out for six days a week, five hours a day to lose the 13kgs. She likes to eat realistically, and tries to balance what tastes good and what’s good for her. That part I like! **

This week I’m introducing a new topic to the weekly review, which is a listing of headlines about various stars weight issues/battles/successes, because it seems there are an awful lot of them.

OK - On the mend? Nicole Ritchie seems to be on the road to recovery at last … Pg 32

NW - Nicole’s gastric bypass scandal Pg 25

NW - David’s (Guest) shock claim “I’m an anorexic” Pg 30

Woman’s Day - “I starve myself to look like Posh” Pg 43

Famous - Secret surgery (Nicole Ritchie) Pg 21

Famous - The Skinny on Posh - Pg 88

I started this review really early today and felt quite proud of myself, but forgot to save it, and there’s been a blackout, so I’ve had to start over. That’ll teach me to be a girly swot!

New Idea, Page 91, Get Fit With Guy

I really like Guy Leech’s columns. This one is about his attitude to life, which basically amounts to go hard and be a good person. Great advice. ☆☆☆☆

Woman’s Day, Page 14, Get a Flat Tummy Fast

Addendum to Kirstie Allie’s weight loss article on the previous pages. You probably know my attitude towards anything promising fast weight loss of any kind, and this is no exception. It’s important to note it’s taken Kirstie Allie a long time to achieve her impressive new body, which is exactly what you’d expect. She’s done it sensibly, so hopefully she’ll be able to maintain her great work.

There’s definitely some good advice here, but outmoded ideas like not eating carbs after 3pm should be long forgotten. Your body can’t tell what time it is, and what matters is what you’re eating and how much of it. 3pm, 7am, 11.30am - it’s all the same.

No five day eating plan is going to give you a “toned tummy in a flash”, so again, forget what it’s promising. There are good elements to it, lots of fruit and veggies, but you should vary the types of veggies you include, and add some legumes and wholegrains like oats for breakfast, since it’s fairly light on fibre. No stars for the misleading title, but the eating plan gets ☆☆☆

On Page 74, Dr John Tickell’s headline says he “blasts fad-diet fixes”. Wonder what he’d make of the flat tummy fast idea? His principles are good, but like last time, it’s a big plug for his book(s).☆☆☆

Famous, Page 64, Laugh your way to health, wealth and happiness

Interesting. Apparently laughing is a great cardiovascular workout. I know it definitely works your abdominal muscles, but you’d have to find something truly hilarious to get you the good cardio results. There are heaps of other benefits to laughing listed in this article, and I like the idea of enjoying yourself to get fit and healthy. Don’t ditch the rest of your workout though. ☆☆ (only because I’m skeptical)

NW, Page 74, Fergie’s Workout Secrets

Not the Duchess of York, the Black Eyed Pea Fergie, who sure does have a hot body. I like her advice, which includes balancing your lifestyle, varying your routine, and keeping your iPod packed with an awesome playlist. I have to baulk at the idea of walking backwards on a treadmill though, especially if it’s “to firm up her thighs”. Do some squats or lunges or just go for a run, and your thighs will probably be way firmer - and you run less risk of falling on your ass! ☆☆☆ (I’m taking one star away for the crazy treadmill idea)

Over the page there’s a list of the top ten antioxidant containing foods. Berries rate highly (my beloved cranberries are number 10) - and coffee. I could kiss the Norwegians who did the testing!

OK, Page 86 - Celebrity Bodies - Jennifer Hawkins

Ah Jennifer Hawkins. I think this is the third article in less than three months about her body, and checking out the pictures, it’s easy to see why.

The great news is Jennifer has a really smart attitude to fitness, and sounds like a totally normal person (who’s been genetically blessed!). She exercises, eats the occasional naughty thing, but for the most part tries to live a healthy life. There’s some dietary advice here as well.☆☆☆

Finally, the mags are here!

Woman’s Day, Pg 76 - The Great Bikini Diet

Ah bikinis and their associated diets … what’s not to love? Happily, this one is something you can follow and expect to see results. Teresa Cutter is a name you might have seen in various magazines and newspapers, and she’s designed this eating plan. I’ve always liked her food, it’s easy to prepare, and would taste great - I’ve even cooked a few things from a couple of her articles.

The nutritional advice here is good - ideas on what to buy, how to be a healthy shopper and what to get rid of from your shelves. Also ideas for helping your body burn fuel more efficiently - including the ever popular “add green tea” to your day. My only complaint about the article is in the workout section, it hasn’t included any pictures or photos of the abdominal exercises. It’s really hard to get technique right without visual guidance. Remember, although the headline suggests otherwise, no amount of abdominal exercise will change the way your stomach looks unless you are also eating right, and doing a heap of fat burning cardio. I do like the suggestions for incidental exercise though, so it’s not all bad news. ☆☆☆

Famous, Pg 64 - Body Blitz

More bikini ready tips, with the idea that if you start now, you can make a difference to your body by the time summer comes. Sadly, if you’re starting out now, you’ve left it just a smidge too late, since summer’s less than four weeks away.

This article is a bizarre mix of accurate and fabrication. Great advice about burning fat before you can see your ab muscles, but later it suggests by adding a twist at the top of a crunch you can trim “muffin dough” from your sides. Nuh-uh.

Good advice for working out your butt muscles, and it’s also worth mentioning that a strong butt (or more accurately, glute muscles) can help keep your lower back strong, so don’t just work it for cosmetic value. Again, if you’re looking to lose fat, you need to get your heart rate up - you can’t target an area and just lose fat from that particular place.

Parts of this article need pictures to help explain technique, since the words are slightly misleading. I would also argue it’s nearly impossible to “blitz saggy boobs” by doing any kind of chest exercise. Sure you can tone muscles, but once gravity’s got you, it’s hard to undo. A weird blend of info. ☆☆

Over on page 66, there’s a diet plan for a fab beach body. Good simple advice, but it’s mainly to publicise two diet books. Nothing particularly groundbreaking, but useful nonetheless. Interestingly, there’s an ad for Bailey’s Mint Chocolate and Creme Caramel varieties on the same page, which comes after suggestions for healthy snacking. I’d love to know how it fits into the organic, healthy eating plan they’re pitching! ☆☆ Taking off one star because it’s all about the books.

NW, page 66, The Weight Debate

Great article on the benefits of adding weight training to your fitness regime. Heaps of women still think doing weights will make them bulk up, but having actively tried to add a heap of muscle to my body, I can tell you it’s not true. This article includes five great reasons to add resistance work to your life. If you’re worried about getting big, stick with weights you can lift 15-20 times which will add endurance and make you look great. ☆☆☆☆

OK, Pg 84, 3 Steps to Fab Abs

Celebrity trainer Donna Aston reprises her article from last months In Style magazine. Still good advice, she advocates quality over quantity, doing cardio and changing your diet. ☆☆☆☆

On the same page, Elle McPherson claims Bikram yoga is responsible for toning her body. Mmm, she also runs on the beach - maybe that has a little more to do with it than Bikram … Any weight you lose during a Bikram class will be a heap of sweat (lots and lots of it), and as soon as you drink water again, it all comes back. ☆☆

New Idea, Page 77, The New Water Diet

Slightly mistitled article, which doesn’t suggest only drinking water as a way to lose weight. It suggests that drinking more water can have health benefits and increase your metabolic rate. It also mentions that drinking too much water can be really bad for you. Interesting info. ☆☆☆

Since two of my newsletter tips (drinking more green tea and water) have been reprinted here, I feel quite proud. However I will say I’ve failed miserably at my coffee replacement 8 weeks, but I now have a guinea pig who will be far more dedicated than me, so I’ll let you know how the five kilo weight loss goes!

Today I accidentally bought The English Women’s Weekly, dated 7th November, 2006. It must have got stuck in with my other weeklies, and I didn’t realise until I got home. I was ready to scoff at it for being useless, but on page 6, there is the most fantastic two page exercise article, titled Exercise For Busy People. It has pictures, great advice, and three separate workouts that only take 10 minutes each. Except for two of the pictures (press ups and double crunches), the technique is perfect, great instructions and exercises. I’m forced to eat my mocking words! ☆☆☆☆

A great spread of fitness articles in the weeklies:

Famous, Page 66: High Tech Workouts

Basically an article about ditching the traditional gym workout for some new, allegedly groovy ideas. iPod personal training, virtual bike riding, Nike shoes which combine with an iPod training program, and fat busting video games are all on the agenda. Hmm, interesting ideas, but I think what this article is forgetting is it isn’t enough to download training programs onto your iPod, it’s still up to you to break a sweat. Hi-tech, low-tech, nothing’s going to get you fit unless it involves hard work. If you’re not motivated to work out, I honestly don’t think any of these things will get you there. Great for people who travel, or who can’t make it to a gym, but for most people, these things won’t be used anymore than the old school exercise bike sitting in the corner of the living room.

Interesting, but nothing to write home about. ☆☆☆

NW - Page 72, Get Bikini Ready

Some options on how to maximise your calorie burn either during your workouts, or just while you talk on the phone. Some good ideas including heading to the beach to run on sand (a killer workout), and dancing with your friends. Also has some ideas for avoiding bad snacking at work, and a couple of other nutrition tips. ☆☆

OK, Page 84 - Paris Hits the Gym

Excuse my sniggering, but these have to be the least convincing pictures of a workout I’ve ever seen. Teddy Bass, an A-list personal trainer is whipping Paris into shape for 60-90 minutes a day, up to five days a week. Wow, now if only he could get her to stop tilting her neck to the side for the cameras, maybe those workouts would be better. The rundown on what he’s got her doing is fine, but she’s missing any kind of resistance training for her back, so it’s unbalanced as far as upper body goes. If the main picture shows her squat technique (it’s hard to tell what’s really going on here), please don’t replicate it at home.☆ (hilarity value only)

Bye Bye Baby Weight, Page 30

Small article on Katie Holmes’s rigorous exercise regime. It includes a rumoured daily routine of 200 sit ups. I bet Katie’s paying a heap of money for a trainer, and if they’re getting her to do 200 sit ups a day, the she should sack them right now. Happily, she’s also doing some Pilates - hopefully not with the same trainer, or you have to question their understanding of the quality versus quantity ideas Joseph Pilates had - which will at least give her some functional abdominal strength.

I know I’ve said this before, but anyone who’s had a baby needs to do exercise to involve functional muscles, in slowly incremented amounts, not zillions of repetitions of a predominantly useless exercise. ☆☆ (second star added because of Pilates)

Woman’s Day, Page 74, Star Workouts

Yay, star workouts! A rundown of who’s doing what in the who’s who of Hollywood.
Broken down into four parts - resistance training, yoga, Pilates, and running, and the kilojoules burned per hour. Interesting article, but I think the closeness of running and resistance training kJ’s burned has to be a misprint. Definately building lean muscle mass via resistance training helps burn fuel, but burning k’s while doing it shouldn’t really be the main aim.

The best way to view this quartet of styles is as four parts of a balanced routine. Pilates for core strength and postural awareness, resistance training for an awesome buff body, running for cardio and fat burning, and yoga to keep yourself limber. No one type of exercise can deliver everything you need, so it’s important to remember that while you might really enjoy doing one particular thing, you’ll get more benefit if you add variety.

☆☆☆ Good content, would be better if balance between styles was suggested, and less focus on burning kJ’s. Move more + eat less = kJ’s burned without having to count.

On the same page is a small article by Dr John Tickell where he blasts fad-diet fixes. I totally agree with what he says, but this is mainly a plug for his book. Doesn’t make the information any less truthful though. ☆☆☆

New Idea, Page 71, Hype vs Health

Article on Hollywood stars and their dietary quirks by Dr Tim Crowe, who is a dietician and lecturer in nutrition at Deakin University. I like this article, because finally someone is saying egg white omelettes are totally unnecessary, and missing integral vitamins which are found in the yolk. Also under the gun is Nicole Richie’s favorite pasta with lemon juice, chewing gum, and protein drinks. Sensible and interesting information. ☆☆☆☆

OK Magazine, Page 90, Eva’s Body

Hooray, I give my clients the same kind of medicine ball woodchop squats Eva Longoria’s trainer makes her do. Maybe I should up my fees? Interesting article about someone who has a great body, but really seems to work for it. It’s always hard to tell what really goes on, but if you train three times a week and have a sensible diet, then you’re on the right track. Patrick Murphy and I also both like to say that cardio, nutrition and weight training are three key elements to looking great, but I like my version better where I make a triangle with my hands … Good article, good advice, and best of all, no mention of low-carbs! ☆☆☆☆

NW, Fighting Fat, page 64

If you want to freak yourself out a bit, check out this article which gives you a rundown of how much fat is in a few commonly eaten foods. It’s disappointing that one of the alternatives given is a frozen meal, when it’s much easier to lower your fat intake if you cook things yourself. It doesn’t have to be hard or time consuming either. Check out this week’s Top Five newsletter for an easy to make, low fat pizza which tastes fantastic. Over the page there’s three good afternoon snack ideas, and a lower kilojoule alternative to 2 minute noodles. Again, it’s basically a chocolate bar, and if you really want to lower kJs, eat a sandwich, or some almonds and dried apricots, which are the basis of this bar and forget the chocolate and other things it’s got in it. I give this article ☆☆☆

Who, Page 60 - Britney Bounces Back

Britney Spears had a baby five weeks ago, and is now in top shape again. Uh huh, that’s got to have been a safe exercise and diet plan she was following, when you see the photos of her in August. If you want to see a great, sensible plan, check out last weeks Weekly Review on Princess Mary’s regime. Again, the low carb diet rears it’s ugly head, and there’s vague information about cardio every day. Sure, the cardio part works, but I bet it’s way easier to hammer yourself when you’ve got a nanny to take care of your kids. If you’re a normal woman, don’t try and lose 18kg in five weeks. ☆☆

Britney’s story is followed by four pages of other celebrities and their post-baby bodies, with various means of losing weight. Gwyneth Paltrow has gone for a six week detox program with Nish Joshi (colonics, anyone?), and Katie Holmes “bounced right back”. Angelina Jolie wants other women to realise “they’re beautiful at any size”, kind of easy to say when you look like an ethereal goddess. Personally, it took me about two years to lose the thirty kilos I put on when I was pregnant with Miss M, and I’m happier with my body now than I ever was before. But the reality is, unless you’re some kind of genetic freak, you cannot lose the weight quickly without sacrificing your health, or gaining it back again later. Don’t believe the hype.

New Idea, page 56 - The Housework Workout

Man, if any workout ever struck a chord with me, this is it. Disappointingly, there’s not much detail. But, I know vaccuuming is hard work, dusting works your triceps, and cleaning the oven - well, you get my drift. If it works for you, go for it! ☆☆

On the opposite page, there’s another article about exchanging one food for a lower kJ one. Happily, one of the things exchanged is a piece of fruit. One out of six. It also gives you a rundown on how long it will take you housework wise to burn off said item. Don’t rely on pushing a trolley to burn off too many kJ’s! ☆☆

Woman’s Day - page 74, The Carb Lover’s Diet

Basically a promo for Bakers Delight’s new online menu planning tool, but I’m wrapt because there’s carbs a plenty here. Good ones too, not the bad kind. There’s also an interview with the Biggest Loser’s new female trainer, Kim, and a couple of other little snippets of info. Yay to the dietary advice.☆☆☆

It seems to be all about diets this week, from headlines on Famous Magazine “Katie’s Diet Hell!” (when you’re hanging out with Posh Spice, is it really surprising?), “Princess Mary’s Amazing New Diet” on Woman’s Day, and “Stuff the Diet” on NW’s cover. Here’s the low down on the articles:

NW - page 29 - “Stuff the Diet”

6 pages of celebs who are refusing to join the dieting “madness”, embracing their fuller figures. Hooray, some famous women who aren’t terrifyingly skeletal - but I’m disappointed diet and exercise are being blamed for horrendously unhealthy physiques, when taking both these things to psychotic limits are the real culprits.

Here’s a little known fact - you can eat sensibly, exercise moderately, and also be healthy. Ditching the diet might sound awesomely liberating, but if you’re pigging out on the wrong foods, you’ll not only look curvaceous, but develop some health problems along the way.

Why does everything have to be taken to an extreme? Eat some damn carbs! Have some chocolate or a glass of wine. Get active by doing something you enjoy. The idea behind this article is great, but once again, Hollywood goes to crazy lengths in the health and fitness stakes. I give this article ☆☆☆ for the theory, but only ☆☆ for the message it’s sending.

Page 83, Overhaul Diet Hell

This article introduces us to the new contestants on “Overhaul”, brought to you by the “Celebrity Overhaul” team, and this time featuring real people. Reading their daily diets is kind of scary, so I won’t detail them here, but if you’re in the supermarket queue, have a quick flick, and then take a long hard look at what’s in your trolley …

New Idea, pg 107, Get Fit With Guy - “Shape up for Summer”

Hooray for Guy Leech, and his sensible eating tips. There are five here, and all of them are sensible, easy to implement, and the antithesis of the first article discussed in this column. Definately read this, and try putting them into practice. The full ☆☆☆☆☆

Woman’s Day - “Princess Mary’s Beach Body Diet”

Hmm, the old beach body diet rears its ugly head - but this one is actually good. I see the word carbs included - and not in the “don’t eat any” sense! It’s a sensible eating plan, with snacks included, and if the proof is in the pudding, so to speak, the Princess is looking pretty good.

The exercise plan is also great, recommending a slow start, and incorporating incidental exercise into your routine. Apparently some gyms hold exercise classes where you can bring your baby - wait, I’ve heard Hunt’s in Fitzroy have a great class - Thursday mornings at 10.15am! I like the advice for women not to expect to bounce back to their pre baby shape straight away, and to make sure you don’t work so hard you exhaust yourself. Great stuff. ☆☆☆☆

Page 72, Overhaul Special

More about “Overhaul”, and happily some more great tips you can easily incorporate into your life. Mostly about exercise, but includes diet tips like being more conscious about what you eat, and not crash dieting (yeah, take that, Hollywood stars!). After being depressed about the first article, I’m impressed with the subsequent ones. I give this one ☆☆☆☆, and I’ll be watching “Overhaul” quite keenly.

Hooray, finally some really meaty articles in three of the weeklies.

New Idea, page 60, Hollywood Beach Bodies

A rundown on what the stars do to keep their bodies in great shape. Naomi Watts and Jennifer Aniston like to do yoga (don’t we all), but Jennifer’s blurb says “shoulder stands keep her shoulders looking sculptured”. Sorry, but shoulder stands really don’t use your shoulders at all - they work on balance, proprioception, and core work. Downward Dog, Triangle, any of the Warrior sequences would be great if you wanted to focus on shoulders, but the deal with yoga is balance between opposites, so if you have a good range of poses, your whole body will benefit. Boo to the Zone diet as well.

Elle McPherson’s diet is better - she follows a low GI plan - far more sensible, but apparently she uses cheese as her main source of protein, which is really strange, full of fat, and far less nutritious than lean meat, legumes or fish. Apparently she does 500 crunches a day, which is time consuming, and pointless. The Body needs someone to overhaul her core workout quickly! This article perpetuates the myth that ab exercise can change the shape of your stomach - it can’t! Especially if you eat that much cheese …

I like Eva Mendes approach, which is work hard, eat sensibly, and reap the rewards. Being genetically gifted also helps. “Everything in moderation is fine”. I agree.

This article is still full of the old “carbs are bad”, “eat raw food” diet myths, which is rubbish. Sure raw food is great, but so is cooked food if it’s the right kind. Carbs are great, if they’re the right kind. Try to educate yourself about what’s total crap, and limit the amount of times you eat it. It’s not rocket science.

On a positive note, there’s a plethora of exercise suggestions here: pole dancing (have you ever seen the upper body strength those women have?!!), surfing, yoga, Pilates, tennis, weights, running, bushwalking, judo, and Budokan are some of the things you could choose to try if you’re stuck for choices. Just please don’t eat too much cheese, or it won’t matter what you do.

Fairly mixed bag accuracy wise, so I’m giving it:

☆☆

Famous Magazine, Pg 64, Get Moving Again.

On page 64, Celebrity Overhaul’s trainer “P” has some advice for anyone thinking about getting into shape - and it’s good! Start off slowly and ease yourself into it, train with friends to help keep you motivated, and remember that if you’re moving, it counts as exercise - there’s no need to go berserk straight away. Checking with your doctor to make sure you’re okay to exercise is a smart idea, especially if you’ve taken a lot of time away from working out for any reason, like having a baby, illness or injury. Having correct equipment (shoes, non restrictive clothing, non-slip flooring) is also important.

P doesn’t ignore diet either, which is great. She also suggests employing a little positive imaging and thinking about yourself being the fitter person you want to be - great to get your brain involved. The idea of setting achievable goals is important too. All very much in snippet form, but great for anyone who wants usable suggestions on how to get back into things. I like the way she suggests using gyms, trainers and friends to help take the onus off you being the only one responsible for your exercise program. The more support you can get, the better!

Nice work P, informative and sensible advice. I give it:

☆☆☆☆

Woman’s Day

I’ve included this issue of Woman’s Day for a different reason. Over the past couple of weeks I’ve been checking out a lot of websites, and have become quite fascinated by Oprah Winfrey (www.oprah.com) Oprah’s insanely well publicised battles with her weight, both in the print media and on her show are known to almost everyone. Her website credits her trainer, Bob Greene, with helping her reach a sustainable level of not only weight loss, but good health. She claims she feels better at fifty than ever before. The site has several sections with exercise programs, and her trainer’s six week boot camp, as well as sensible eating plans.

This months Women’s Weekly magazine features a ten page Oprah diet and exercise special, with Oprah talking a lot about self esteem. This quote sums it up “Getting my lifelong weight struggle under control has come from a process of treating myself as well as I treat others in every way”. It accompanies an article on her philosophy of eating for pleasure, and analogies about the symbolism of putting junk into your body and what that does to you as a person. I have to admit I liked the article and respected what she was saying.

So I was honestly disappointed (and a little shocked) to see a photo of Oprah on the cover of this weeks’s Woman’s Day with the caption “Oprah collapses, new diet threatens her life”. Sure, I know magazines love to beat up stories, and most of us don’t really want to read about stars losing heaps of weight and keeping it off - that’s no fun. But the accompanying story claims she’s limiting herself to an insane amount of calories per day after a binge eating relapse.

So what’s happened to the woman who wrote that inspiring article? Where is the supportive trainer who helped her lose weight with a disciplined work ethic and sensible nutrition plan? Did she learn nothing from the time she trained with him? Does it make it easier or harder to lose weight when you’re wealthy, famous and have every professional at your disposal? How is this going to effect all the people who’ve used Oprah’s recent sensible approach to inspire themselves?

I’ll be interested to see where this story goes, and whether Oprah will comment on it herself. No stars, because that’s not what this is about.

Say it ain’t so - the trashiest mags have not one exercise article between them. I’m broken hearted! The closest any of them come is a tiny paragraph on Jessica Simpson rollerskating, and how it burns 2117kJ in half an hour. Crunching iceblocks apparently burns 170kJ. So grab your skates and a cup full of ice … and hopefully next week, there’ll be something worth commenting on.

As an aside, I did learn that a new series of “The Biggest Loser” (the US version) starts tonight at 8.30pm on Channel 10. Tragic though it may be, I’ll be watching!