4 weight-loss secrets from a Hollywood trainer

Get fit and stay healthy

Fitness trainer Harley Pasternak has helped tone some of the hottest bods in show business, including Halle Berry, Katherine Heigel and Kanye West. His newest book, The 5-Factor World Diet, features nutrition tips he picked up while travelling the world with his celebrity clients. Here, the Toronto native offers you his tips on how to eat well and stay fit.

1. Stick to it

Losing weight on a restrictive fad diet only to resume your bad habits weeks later is a sure way to gain back all those pounds-and then some. Avoid the yo-yo diet effect by choosing a nutrition plan that you can easily maintain. “Whatever you do from a nutrition or exercise perspective, make sure it’s something you can keep doing every week for the rest of your life,” says Pasternak. If you’re planning to alter your eating and workout habits, ask yourself if your new routine realistically fits into your everyday life. That way, you’re more likely to stick with it.

2. Vary your routine

No matter how good the fitness plan, sticking with the exact same routine day after day is hard-and discouraging. In his first book, 5-Factor Fitness, Pastnernak recommends a different workout for every day of the week, each focusing on a different body part. Whether you vary the number of reps you do or make a switch from cardio to resistance training, it’s important to vary your routine enough so you don’t get bored. “At least one thing should be different daily,” Pasternak suggests.

3. Steer clear of the cleanse

Cleansing diets may be all the rage in Hollywood, but Pasternak says these extreme plans aren’t healthy. “Cleansing is just another word for starving yourself or crash dieting,” he says, adding that our bodies are so resilient that there’s no need to detoxify them, as these cleansing diets claim to do. “People say they feel clarity when they don’t eat, but that’s called delirium,” he says.

4. Keep it real

Though Pasternak has helped sculpt the bodies many of us look to as ideals, he says it’s important to remember that celebrities work hard to look like they do. “These are people who make it part of their careers to eat well and exercise consistently,” he explains. Stars make a lifelong dedication to looking good, which is something most of us aren’t able to do. Instead of striving for unattainable perfection, concentrate on maintaining your health by staying fit and eating well.

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