Hollywood's Hottie's Secrets

There are a lot of celebrities out there that we hold up as our standard of beauty. Why? Well because the media has told us that they are the most beautiful people in the world so of course we want to look at them. I was trying to stream my favorite radio station currently (Tulsa Gen X radio) in my office today and when I pulled up their Web site they had a link to a Jennifer Aniston interview that she she did with Allure, talking about her diet and exercise. Well when I clicked on the link all that was there was a quote from the actress talking about how her stomach isn't her biggest problem area, but instead that her booty is. There were pictures from the photo shoot with Allure, but that was it.

So basically I figured that I would look for something else and that's when I came across this article from a few years back in People magazine. It was published April 7, 2008 and written by Michelle Tauber. The article is entitled How to Get a Hollywood Body! and I'll share it with you here.

1. Hayden Panettiere
Less (clothing) is more. "There are parts of my body that I don't mind and parts that I can't stand," the actress admits. How she gets around it: bathing suits ("There's nothing constricting the bad areas") and "long, flowy summer dresses. You never feel fat." 

2. Is a tomboy. "I've always played a lot of sports—volleyball, softball, baseball. I was a gymnast for nine years." 

3. Walks with her dogs. When she's not working, Panettiere takes daily strolls with her pets up the hill near her West Hollywood condo. 

4. Jennifer Aniston
Is consistent. While filming Marley & Me in Miami, the actress has been working out for an hour a day on the hotel's elliptical machine. 

5. Makes workouts fun. Aniston does her cardio to her iPod. 

6. Watches the cocktails. She's fond of red wine and lychee martinis— but usually sticks to just one. 

7. Eats fish. In Miami, a typical meal for Aniston has been three rolls of sushi or a fish entrée at Michael's Genuine. 

8. Hugh Jackman
His workouts consist of "interval strength training"—doing, say, a squat and a shoulder press at the same time. 

9. ZAC EFRON 
"I definitely love to stay active. If it gets me outside and gets me moving, then I love doing it." 

10. Rihanna
"I go through a phase where I just eat whatever. Then when I'm finally fed up, I stop and I'm back on my regimen. And it keeps going like that." 

11. "I do the elliptical for 30-40 minutes. I speed it up in between, then I come down, then I come up some more." 

12. "I hate vegetables but vegetables help. Carbs are my biggest enemy." 

13. "If I know I'm going on vacation, I'll do Pilates for two weeks straight." 

14. Flaunts her assets. Her favorite body part? "My butt. It makes my clothes look good. It's not a dress—it's a dress! My butt perks up everything." 

A MODERATE APPROACH 
Yes, these stars say: You can eat pizza and skip the gym. 

15. Anne Hathaway
"When I'm working, I'm incredibly disciplined, because when you're portraying someone else, your body isn't your own. But when I'm not working, I think less about what I eat. For example, last night I had a club sandwich and two nights ago I had pizza. You've got to live!" 

ELIZABETH MITCHELL 
16. "I normally eat everything under the sun. But once a year for a month, I eat fruits, vegetables, nuts and lean fish, and I feel great." 

LEIGHTON MEESTER 
17. "Just have a little bit of something that you want. Don't overdo it." 

Claire Danes
18. The star's trainer Joe Dowdell says three days of cardio a week "is healthy. You shouldn't go to extremes." 

19 Penélope Cruz
Doesn't obsess about working out. "She gets in, gets the work done, gets out," says her trainer Gunnar Peterson. 

20. Gets plenty of sleep. "I think she gets more than eight hours a night," Peterson says. "She never comes into a workout sluggish or tired." 

21. Doesn't believe in bad eating days. "If she eats fries, then she eats them and moves on to the next thing. It's not a big deal," Peterson says. 

22. Keeps her body proportioned. "She has a butt—and the key for anyone with a butt is to do adequate shoulder work, to balance things out." 

23. Gwyneth Paltrow
Works out six days a week, doing dance aerobics for cardio. 

24. Sets goals. For the upcoming Iron Man, "she wanted a Victoria's Secret butt, like Gisele!" says her trainer Tracy Anderson. 

25. Recently completed a five-day "live food" (raw and organic) fast from N.Y.C.'s Organic Avenue. 

26. Katherine Heigl
Follows Harley Pasternak's 5-Factor Diet, eating five small meals a day. 

27. For exercise, works out with kettle balls twice a week. 

28. Beyoncé Knowles
"She loves southern cooking," says her rep, but when it's time to trim down, "she packs up on the salads, grilled fish and chicken." 

29. David Beckham
"He is much more health conscious since moving to Los Angeles last year," says a family friend. "He is training twice a day now." 

30. Kate Hudson
Favors salads for dinner and yogurt with honey for breakfast. 

31. MARIO LOPEZ 
"Break a sweat every day. I don't feel like I've woken up if I don't break a sweat first."

32. Eats every three hours. 

33. Has a cheat day once a week. "I eat a steady flow of tacos, ice cream and cookies." 

34. Curbs cravings with peanut butter. "It has some fat, and it's tasty." 

35."I like to keep my muscles guessing. I like to run, bike, dance when I can. A little yoga. And I swim when it's nice out." 

AMAZING SLIMDOWNS 

36 Mariah Carey
Water aerobics "is actually three times more effective" than other workouts, she has said. 

37. "I have my trainer move in with me—so I can't sneak food!" she says. 

38. Sticks to what she has called a "bleak" diet of lots of soup and fish. 

THEN 2006 
NOW! 

39. America Ferrera
Restricts pasta to lunchtime, says her nutritionist Philip Goglia. 

40. Doesn't have any starches (like potatoes or bread) at dinner. 

41. Has a mid-morning snack (usually fruit) to keep up her energy. 

THEN 2005 
NOW! 

42. SUSIE CASTILLO 
Picks fitness classes over "boring" cardio machines. 

43. Doesn't mix meats and starches because "it's too hard for the body to digest." 

44. Fills up every a.m. with a glass of juice made from romaine lettuce. 

45. Eats 70% dark chocolate only. 

THEN 2007 
NOW! 

KRISTEN BELL 
46. "Have a colorful plate. I make a spinach salad with things like blueberries, apples and carrots." 

LORI LAUGHLIN 
47. "As I've gotten older, I definitely have to watch more of what I'm eating and work out a bit more, run a bit faster." 

Cameron Diaz
48. "To get great legs, you have to do lunges, squats and steps," says trainer Teddy Bass, who does all that with Diaz. 

SHAR JACKSON 
49. "I eat a lot of green and raw vegetables, and I juice a lot. And I do the trampoline with my kids!" 

EVA LARUE 
50. "I'm into horse show jumping. It's an awesome butt, thighs, inner legs workout. You can't walk for days if you haven't ridden in a while!" 

ALI LANDRY 
51. "Chocolate is not cheating! After a salty meal, you need a little bit of sweet. This is living, not cheating." 

CIARA 
52. "When I'm in focus mode, I do training six times a week. Carbs only in the morning. And I try not to eat at least two hours before bed." 

EMILY VANCAMP 
53. "You have to find a workout you love. I hate the gym, but I just took up pilates and it has changed my life." 

LINDSAY PRICE 
54. "Running is the only thing that gets me out of my head. It's meditative and it makes you pretty in shape." 

GRETCHEN WILSON 
55. "Having a child means having lots of sweets in the house. I try to keep that stuff in the cupboard and out of sight." 

ALANA DE LA GARZA 
56. "Every couple of months I check myself in the mirror. If I go, 'Your jeans look a little tight,' it's time to cut out the nachos." 

GINNIFER GOODWIN 
57. "I don't diet. There's going to be barbecue and macaroni and cheese—but I'll have broccoli and salad the next day." 

MELORA HARDIN 
58. "I love restaurant pasta—the sauces. So now I ask for the sauce to take home and put it on whole wheat or rice pasta." 

MIRA SORVINO 
59. "I can't do diets. I find when I'm on them, I immediately feel like breaking them and eating a lot." 

Mandy Moore
60. "On occasion a bowl of Life cereal for dinner is the greatest thing. And I'm obsessed with Pink Lady apples." 

MIRANDA LAMBERT 
61. "I go with my trainer on a 35- to 40-minute walk. I'm speaking out for all those people who hate to run. I hate it too!" 

Kate Beckinsale
62. "Sleep is like the holy grail. My trainer says if you're tired, your workout will suffer. Sleep is the magic stuff." 

ASHANTI 
63. "I can do a good workout in less than an hour: 30 minutes on the treadmill, 10 minutes on the bike, then 10 minutes of crunches." 

JANE KRAKOWSKI 
64. "I've been really into boxing. You don't remember how hard jumping rope is! It really works my arms and I like the aggression of it." 

CHRISTINA MILIAN 
65. "I don't feel guilty. I love hot dogs, which are so unhealthy; but I have them on occasion so I don't feel deprived." 

ANGIE HARMON 
66. "I don't cut anything out. If I want potato chips, I have three or four. After that, the craving is pretty much gone." 

STACY KEIBLER 
67. "If there's a dessert table and I like it all, I take a little piece of everything, take a bite and throw the rest away." 

ANA ORTIZ 
68. "I just became a vegetarian [recently] and I've gotten a lot thinner. And if I take out the wine, I tend to slim down quickly." 

MOLLY SIMS 
69. "I drink a lot of water. I love the little Crystal Light packets that make you feel like you're drinking more water." 

NATASHA BEDINGFIELD 
70. "I hate that feeling of being so full that you feel like you're gonna burst, so I try not to do that." 

KIM KARDASHIAN 
71. "I like my shape, but to get rid of cellulite I focus on toning, doing martial arts on a treadmill. And Spanx are my best friend!" 

ROSELYN SANCHEZ 
72. "I do Fresh Dining, which is delivered to your home. And the DVD P90X—it's a 90-day program that transforms you." 

MINKA KELLY 
73. "I work my butt off. Really. I run at least 45 minutes every day. And then three days a week I do weights." 

GABRIELLE UNION 
74. "The quickest calories that add up are the cocktail calories. Might as well have a cheeseburger if you have a great margarita!" 

BROOKE BURNS 
75. "To help my muscles rebuild after I work out, I have a small serving of cottage cheese." 

76 Kate Walsh
Rotates Pilates with weights and circuit training. 

77. "I avoid sugar, serious sugar, because you go up then come down and crash." 

78. Practices portion control so she doesn't have to be "terrified of carbs. I want to be able to have a glass of wine." 

79 Fergie
Has meals delivered from Diet Designs. 

80. "I do organic vinegar shots. Two tablespoons after lunch and dinner. It helps take toxins out of your body." 

81. Makes "fattening food low-fat," like lasagna with turkey meat and cottage cheese. 

82. Jessica Biel
"She's game for anything, like 10 reps of standing on one foot doing a single leg squat," says trainer Valerie Waters. 

83. When not with her trainer, does yoga and running on her own. 

84. MARY J. BLIGE 
"I'm not a morning person, but I get up and knock out exercise, because if I don't, in the afternoon I'll be tired and there's tons going on." 

85. When it comes to alcohol, "once I get my buzz, I shut it off. Two drinks is my limit." 

86. Blige's trainer Gregg Miele (left) reinforces this mantra: What you eat in private shows in public. 

87. Vanessa Williams
"I drink a beet-carrot juice in the morning or an apple-strawberry-pear juice." 

88. "On vacation I enjoy the desserts—and work extra hard when I come home." 

89. Ashton Kutcher
When it comes to feeling sexy, Demi's husband once told PEOPLE that he relies on "quiet confidence." 

90. Catherine Zeta-Jones
"I do a lot of swimming because I live in Bermuda, both in the ocean and in the pool. I've got to drag myself to the gym, but when I finish it, I enjoy it." 

91. Her most common meal? Lightly grilled chicken with a little oil and lemon and a feta cheese salad. 

92. Cuts down on bread when she needs to slim down. 

93. Ryan Phillippe
Goes for daily runs at the UCLA tracks. 

94. Sticks to an all-protein diet, ordering steaks from L.A.'s Dan Tana's weekly. 

LOOK 10 LBS. THINNER—INSTANTLY! 

Ali Larter
95. "Just put your shoulders back and smile." 

MYA 
96. "Don't wear white, wear black. Very. Fitted. Black!" 

AMANDA BYNES 
97. "You know what's totally amazing? Spanx!" 

LISA RINNA 
98. "Black, high-waisted, really tight skirts. That's it!" 

Carmen Electra
99. "If you wear a dress with a belt placed high, you accentuate your waist." 

SHANNA MOAKLER 
100. "I love baby-doll dresses, so people look at my legs—not my stomach!"

My Life's Biggest Project: Walk This Way

My Life's Biggest Project: Walk This Way: "Today was the first day of my last semester of grad school. This makes me both extremely happy and extremely nervous. I'm pretty much going ..."

Walk This Way

Today was the first day of my last semester of grad school. This makes me both extremely happy and extremely nervous. I'm pretty much going through a plethora of feelings today. This is also the reason for the late post. Let me tell you about how much I did not sleep last night. I was so nervous that I wouldn't wake up to an alarm today that I layed in bed and kept looking over to my left at my clock. So when my alarm finally did go off I was wide awake.

Being in such good spirits I decided that instead of being lazy (like I've been the last month) I was going to walk to school today, so I did. I got about half way there and then my nose starting running and my ears started hurting because it was so freaking cold. This of course changed as soon as I walked into my building. Once I made it to my college I walked in and it was hot as hades. I took my gloves off and my hands were sweating. I walked up the stairs instead of taking the elevator and was proud that I was able to fall right back into my good habits that I had tried to form last semester.

So everytime I would have to take a flight of stairs I would give myself a pat on my back. I was so proud of me. That is until I left school today. My friend told me that she could give me a ride home if I wanted and I told her that would be great so she waited for me to figure out my work schedule for the week and then we walked over to the parking garage where she was parked. She asked me if I minded taking the stairs and I said sure. At the time I was pissed when I found out that she had parked on the fifth floor, but when I made it all the way up I was like Yay! Go me! So thank you to her for making me do that.

This week is my bounce back week. I'm getting back into the swing of things. Here it is to a great semester back and getting back on track. I hope that this is not only a great semester in terms of grades and school (especially since I am due to defend my project this semester). I also hope that it is great in terms of my health. So good luck to me and anyone else who is on my path :) Tomorrow morning I am going to start my work out again and walk to school...look out this girl's back!

My Life's Biggest Project: I'm Not a Player I Just Crush A lot

My Life's Biggest Project: I'm Not a Player I Just Crush A lot: "I've talked about this before, but I'll talk about it again. Happiness is the key to success. Sounds like a fortune cookie right? Well yeah,..."

I'm Not a Player I Just Crush A lot

I've talked about this before, but I'll talk about it again. Happiness is the key to success. Sounds like a fortune cookie right? Well yeah, but there is so much truth to what I'm saying. My friends and I are the flirtiest group of people I've ever met. It's all innocent and our dynamic is amazing. We make ourselves feel better about eachother. Isn't that what a friend is for? OK if you can't answer that with a yes you should check out and reevaluate who it is that you are hanging out with.

I have a friend who tells me how much she enjoys having male attention, and I get that! She says it is very important to her. As a single woman I suppose I understand that too, but maybe not quite as extreme as hers. I told her I think it is because I have so many male friends. Most of which have girlfriends and most of which are dating my female friends. (The single male friends I have in my life may be subject to a little more extreme flirting on my side anyway...lol. But really and truly I seem to treat most of my friends the same way.) But these male friends in my life are encouraging and quite frankly most of the time they are good for the ego. Not just because they tell me I look nice, but because they make me feel good about who I am. I know that they like me as a person, both inside and out. To me this is much more complementary than some random guy I don't know saying something about me being hot (simply an example). I told my friend what she needs is a group of guy friends to do this for her. It will help build confidence in herself the next time she pursues a relationship. This may also maybe help her realize how great she is, because female friend approval simply isn't working out for her.

I love all of my friends and think they are all wonderful people and have extraordinary things about them that make them who they are. When you think this highly of someone it is easy to praise them about the things that make them great. Obviously there is a reason why I have chosen to have them be a part of my life and that is because they are amazing. To have people in your life like this is truly a blessing. Now there is a difference between friend flirting and flirting with intent. However, they both chemically do the same thing in the brain, except that flirting with intent (meaning flirting to pursue more than friendship) may release a different feeling. You know the one, the tingle in your tummy (butterflies) and the nervousness (the good kind). All of this is good so don't be scared of it!

Let me tell you a little story. It's a true one so be prepared to have an "aha" moment. Most of us have heard about the freshmen 15 right? With new found freedom and off the wall schedules, college freshmen tend to gain a lot of weight. Eating whatever they want whenever they want. Late night snacks often times take a toll on the tummy. The introduction of alclcohol being much more accessible than it was back in the days of high school also takes a real toll on one's weight gain. I however had an extreme opposite reaction to being a freshmen. I dropped 50 pounds. And my attribution to this weight loss was simple. It was happiness.

My senior year of high school was horrible. Not because of school, but because of some really shocking and painful family problems. By the time it was time for college I was ready to get out and get a fresh perspective and start on things. I know you can't run away from your problems, but getting out and away from everything when I did helped me to have a better look at the situation. It is much easier to be on the outside looking in. I had gained a lot of weight as a result of the family issues going on at home my senior year and feared that I would only gain more, but that's not what happened.

Instead I met a boy. One who I was passionately in love with. It's funny because looking back I think how could I have been so silly at 18 is it possible to really know what love is? Well even now I really do think that I loved him, not in a mature we should get married and spend the rest of our lives together in a grown up relationship, but more in a I want to spend ever second of every day with you and when I'm not with you I'm thinking of you. It was young love, but that didn't make it any less real.

Instead of dwelling on my anger and bitterness towards a certain person in my family I now had something positive (well it was at the time anyway) to put my energy toward. I became more active and without really changing up my eating the pounds just kind of seemed to fall off. I remember my friends step mom asked me what I was doing to lose the weight and I said nothing. She said that must be nice...lol. It sounds crazy, but it worked!

Want some scientific reasoning? The reason this worked was because of endorphins. According to encyclopedia.com "Endorphins are small neuropeptides that are produced by the body and act to reduce pain—hence, the name endorphin (a shortened version of endogenous morphine). The term "enkephalin" (meaning literally "in the head") is also applied to endorphins, but usually refers to smaller molecules that have pain-relieving properties."

The article also says the following about endorphins.

"Endorphins were discovered when scientists found sites where molecules such as morphine bind to nerve cells and reasoned that the body must use these sites to bind chemical compounds. Experiments showed that the compounds were small peptides, and the actions of endorphins were determined by a number of researchers."

How will this help you to lose weight? Well being in a better more positive state of mind helps you to do lots of things. There are two things that endorphins do. First they suppress one's appetite and second they decrease pain, which makes it easier to push through hard workouts. What's not to love about endorphins?

So wheter it be some fun flirting or hardcore romantic love, your body produces these wonderful little hormones! I'm not saying you need to go out and mack hardcore or even fall in love with someone to be happy and or thin. What I am saying is that you need to surround yourself with people that make you happy. Things didn't work out great with that guy back my freshmen year, but in that moment it was great and beneficial to me at that time in my life. One of those everything happens for a reason things I suppose. Now I have a solid group that I am happy to be around. Even though I've moved off and don't get to see them as much as I'd like we always tend to pick right up where we left off like time almost froze. Flirting doesn't have to be innapropriate nor does it have to be something that you try to avoid. Sometimes it just means that you are a likeable person that people like to be around. I see no harm in that at all.

So what do I suggest? Go out mingle, slap on that pretty little smile of yours on your face and people will be drawn to you. This will spark conversation and thus will result in more smiles and laughter (which is amazing for your health). Being flirty is fun and will result in you feeling good about yourself. So go out there and get your flirt on, you'll be happy that you did :)
    

My Life's Biggest Project: Mama Mia

My Life's Biggest Project: Mama Mia: "I am one of those people who absolutely loves Italian food. It is by far my favorite. Breads, pasta's and sauce (well everything, but alfred..."

Mama Mia

I am one of those people who absolutely loves Italian food. It is by far my favorite. Breads, pasta's and sauce (well everything, but alfredo anyway). I adore Italian food and really Italian culture for that matter. The problem with Italian food is the over abundance of carbs. I sure do love carbs, but they sure do not love my waistline...lol. My mom sent me this recipe and as soon as I go grocery shopping after I get home I'm going to try it out. If you happen to do so before me let me know what you think. Here it is:

Courtesy of Rachel Ray:

Cauliflower Sauce with Whole-Wheat Penne

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray
Show: 30 Minute MealsEpisode: Healthy, Wealthy & Wise
Rated: 4 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (147)
Filed under: Pasta, Vegetables, Cauliflower, more
RECIPE RATINGS & REVIEWS(147)
Cook Time:25 minLevel: EasyYield: 4 servings
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Ingredients
1 pound whole-wheat penne rigate
Salt
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, cracked from skin and sliced
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 head cauliflower, stem removed and chopped
1 cup chicken stock
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves stripped and finely chopped
3/4 cup grated Romano, 3 generous handfuls
Salt and black pepper
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and pasta and cook to al dente. Drain and reserve 2 ladles of pasta water.

While water is coming up to a boil and pasta cooks, make sauce. Heat a deep skillet over medium heat with extra-virgin olive oil. Add garlic and cook 3 minutes, then remove. Add onions and cook 5 minutes then add cauliflower, chicken stock and the rosemary. Cover the pan and cook 15 minutes. Uncover the sauce, add 1 to 2 ladles of pasta water and mash the cauliflower with the back of a wooden spoon or potato masher. Add the pasta and cheese to the cauliflower and toss to combine. Season the dish with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve.

I love cauliflower, which is why my mother sent me this recipe. One of the things that I love about it is that Miss Rachel Ray has given us a way to make a healthy meal and it will only take about 30 minutes. When time is an issue your health shouldn't be the thing put on the back burner. Try out this recipe and let me know what you think!