Just how do the Celebrities get their body back?

The frenzy of attention over celebrities having babies has died down. I guess we’ve all realized that they are human too! But what hasn’t died down and probably never will, is all the fuss over how quickly they seem to regain their form once they have had children. Well, if you have the resources and can devote as much time and energy to the project as they are able to (and often have to because how the look is really intimately connected with doing their job) here’s a quick rundown on the steps you can take to get it done Hollywood style:

Hire a chef to provide all your healthy, low calorie meals. Hire a personal trainer to come to your house to whip you into shape during and after your pregnancy. Have an elective C-Section and Tummy Tuck a couple weeks before your due date to keep from gaining those extra pounds. Workout 2 hours a day by doing 2-a-days. Eat baby food. Hire a great hair stylist and personal stylist and makeup artist to get you looking amazing for your first photos with baby...

But you know what? Luckily we aren't under the same scrutiny and spotlight and don't have to go through the same extremes. We can enjoy our newborn infant and just focus on bonding with the new baby and enjoying the transition to motherhood without having to worry about eating perfect and straining our already strained bodies trying to shed the pounds fast. And rapid weight loss after pregnancy is NOT good for you; any doctor will tell you that!

For most celebrities they stay within their recommended weight gain. That way they don’t have more lbs. to lose than necessary. Have you stayed within your range?

I don’t want to leave you with the impression that movie stars and models don’t work hard to maintain their great bodies or to regain them after pregnancy. Just the opposite; celebrities work very hard at it because they have to as part of their job! They do have to physically do the work—and we all know when we’re tired this is the hardest part! So I give them A LOT of CREDIT!

To use a healthy approach and get your body back within 5 months, use the following steps:

1. 1. You put on anywhere from 15-50 pounds (and hopefully not much more than that!) over the last 9 months. Give yourself a break since that is a lot of weight to put on within 9 months. And if you stayed within your recommended weight gain (usually 25-35 lbs. for a healthy woman) you can do it in 5 months!
2. 2. Once you are given the okay by your doctor, begin exercising. Make sure you get a good cardiovascular workout at least 4 times a week. Try swimming, jogging, skipping, spinning, aerobics or interval walking.
3. 3. You will also need to do strength training to tone your body. Cardio will help you lose pounds but strength training will give you that tight look and boost your metabolism.
4. 4. Turn off the pregnancy eating radar! Eat plenty of vegetables. If you are breastfeeding don't restrict your calories too much or it may affect your milk supply.
5. 5. Breastfeeding your baby will help you burn extra calories! (Keep in mind if you are breastfeeding you can lose 1-2 pounds a week—if that is not happening you could be consuming too many calories with food.)
6. 6. You will probably get to your pre-pregnancy weight faster than you get your tummy firm and tight again. Just stick in there and enjoy getting the activity.

Ultimately, there are no short true and total shortcuts. Celebrities may be able to get their bodies back post-pregnancy faster than you or I, but they probably spent the same number of hours total as you or I will.

Is cellulite similar to regular fat?

Since “fit” is in the eye of the beholder, let’s talk about another genetic disadvantage that women have to overcome. Cellulite. I mentioned before all the money we spend on exercise equipment. What about the lengths we’ll go to rid ourselves of cottage cheese thighs or dimpled tooshy!

With all the misconceptions about cellulite: creams, theories dissolves, wraps etc., I thought I could clear up a few things for you. First and foremost cellulite is plain old fat. And the only way to get rid of it without surgery is through nutrition and exercise, mostly exercise.

I could stop here and say that’s all you need to know, but I will go into a little more detail. The more muscle you have the smoother look you can get. But there is one major reason some fit women can still have cellulite. Women have connective tissue that separates fat cells into compartments, and these compartments look like a honeycomb. This fat then has a chance to protrude and create the cottage cheese effect, through the honeycomb. Your genetics determine where and how many fat cells you have, but through exercise you can minimize the appearance of cellulite.

So why don’t men seem to have cellulite like women? The answer lies in male genetics. Instead of the honeycomb connective tissue they tend to have horizontal patterns, leaving less room for fat to protrude.

So how do you minimize the look of cellulite? First, exercise regularly to decrease the odds of developing cellulite. But, if you already have cellulite you can diminish the dimpled look with regular exercise. You should do a combination of toning and cardio. The best (and easiest) way to achieve this is through interval training. Follow short spurts of cardio with a few sets of toning. Overall toning is the most important component of losing the dimples! And muscle boosts your metabolism, which helps you burn the fat!

Keep in mind nutritional decisions are very important in fat loss and cellulite minimization.

Now you can’t do anything about the past or your genetics, but you can do a lot about your future. As I’ll talk about a lot more in the pages ahead, the best thing you can do is incorporate a consistent workout program 3-5x/week with toning and cardio and you will see significant cellulite reduction results within 6-8 weeks.

A few words about those creams, wraps and surgery to reduce cellulite. No cream applied to the skin can penetrate and rearrange the fat cells beneath the surface. You can compress fat, and this is why some methods seem to work—temporarily. Wraps only work for about 24-72 hours. Liposuction permanently removes fat cells, but if more than 10% of weight is gained old fat cells simply get bigger.

As we women get older, our skin gets a little thinner. So even a little bit of cellulite will show through. Combine that with our metabolism getting a little slower as we age, and our fat production increases. Avoid this vicious cycle and get on an exercise cycle! Seriously, take the opportunity to be proactive and prevent excess cellulite!

Fat tissue isn’t exactly attractive. Fat is rigid and ugly while muscle is smooth and takes up less space. Fat actually makes your waistline bigger by just being fat, as it takes up more space than muscle!