BREAKING THE SECRET

Go to any newsstand and check out the pop culture section. You are guaranteed to be inundated with multiple headlines about how some celebrity got in shape.
“The (insert celebrity name) super diet.”
Or how about
“How (insert name) slimmed down.”

Sadly people look up to celebrities for a variety of reasons. Some reasons are good but many more aren’t. Just like their positions, salaries and love lives, people are fascinated with celebrity diet and fitness secrets. The magazines know this and cash in. Herein lies the problem. This is all too similar to the television infomercials selling the next best fitness contraption. It is misleading and deceptive.

You may be saying, “Alright but look at so and so. They’re in great shape; they must know what they’re doing.”
Not necessarily, but someone knew what they were doing.
Enough lead in, the truth here is that there is no such thing as a celebrity secret diet. Celebrities have fame and money, not magical powers. Here is the secret to how your favorite actor or singer got in shape…they ate right and worked out.

That celebrity is just like you. The only difference is they have greater access to the best trainers and fitness experts in the world. Either they or their production company or label pay thousands of dollars for extensive training programs.

Let’s look at the 300 example. The 2006 film 300 gave the world a glimpse of a group of Spartan warriors that looked like they were carved from steel. The film’s star Gerard Butler looked amazing. Due to this, the 300 workout became a popular internet search item.
There was no secret though. The actors went through an intensive training program that had them on super strict eating plans and workouts that lasted many grueling hours. In fact the 300 workout is so brutal it can actually be counterproductive. Sure it will get you looking ripped like a Spartan but it’s not a very good plan for long term fitness.

Keep this in mind next time you see those articles. There are no celebrity secrets to fitness. Like any other person it comes down to what they eat and how they trained. The only difference is they may have more time and money to train and to hire trainers and nutrition experts.

A good majority of celebrities are not fitness experts. So in the same regard they shouldn’t be sought after for fitness advice. Instead the trainer should be the one the magazine is talking about.
Sure they are a few exceptions, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, LL Cool J, and others all have put out fitness books and are known for their physique. Arnold and Sly were training long before the fame and success came along. However they too seek the guidance of a qualified trainer when preparing for a film.

Finally when looking at celebrity fitness you should consider the source. The greater majority of pop culture publications are not founded in fitness. If you want an honest look into the training (notice I don’t say secrets) you should check out publications that are aimed at a fitness audience. Muscle & Fitness and Men’s Fitness are better examples of publications to get a look at celebrity workouts.
Muscle & Fitness for instance will usually present the workout from the words of the trainer, not the celebrity.
Bodybuilding.com is another great source that you can find online.

In closing fitness should always be about you. It should be about your health and your goals. Workout and eat for the right reasons.

©2011 BEST FITNESS NOW