Keeping Hollywood fit

With excitement, I prepared myself for daily workouts in LA. There were dozens of us from all over the world eager for a week of gym-hopping. Unfortunately, I went down with flu while my husband, who gamely joined the group at 6:30 every morning, bumped into Jennifer Aniston on Venice Beach.  Yes, she who at fortysomething easily gets the best bikini body nod over women half her age.  It comes with a price, of course, and a lot of discipline.  It is reported that her workout is a full two hours and that she wakes up as early as 3 a.m. to work out when the shooting call time is at 6.

In the very comfortable bed of the Omni hotel, I poured over magazines and websites regarding the remarkable weight loss of another Jennifer (Hudson). She lost 80 pounds and has dropped from a size 16 to a size 6! She is, of course, the new ambassador of Weight Watchers, but she is all praises for her personal trainer Harley Pasternak (who I have written

Biggest loser: Jennifer Hudson lost 80 pounds, dropping from a size 16 to a 6. But more than the svelte figure, she says what’s important is she learned a lifestyle.

about twice since this column started in 1997).

25-Minute workouts, 5 Meals a day

Harley is special because he understands that his celebrity clients, as most of us who juggle many roles, have little time for workouts.  His 5-Factor System of 25-minute workouts and five meals a day is a lifestyle that is proving to be working and sustainable. And he has a mean list of celebrity clients to prove it, from Lady Gaga to Halle Berry, Robert Pattinson to Robert Downey Jr., from Kanye West to John Mayer, from Katy Perry to Alicia Keys, from Miley Cyrus to Hillary Duff, from Orlando Bloom to Brendan Fraser (others being Megan Fox, Eva Mendez, Kate Beckinsale, Katherine Heigl, Juliette Lewis, Jason Segel, Common, Mandy Moore, Jessica Simpson, Jimmy Fallon, Natalie Portman, Paul Rudd, Al Pacino, Bono, Seth Rogen, Jonah Hill, Stephen Dorff, Zach Braff, Vanessa Williams, Eve, Jane Fonda, Rachel Weisz, Donald Faison, Benjamin Bratt, Ray Liotta, Rick Fox, Angela Bassett, LL Cool J, Juliette Lewis, Milla Jovovich, Tracee Ellis Ross, Minka Kelly, Jordana Brewster, Jeff Goldblum, Enrique Murciano, Teresa Palmer, Kimora Lee Simmons, Ellen Page, Kenna Amanda, Bynes Dido, Gabriel Macht, Ben Foster, Kid Sister, Jim Caviezel, John Rzeznik, Amanda Seyfried, Michael Chiklis, Alessandra Ambrosio, Nia Long, Sophia Bush, M.I.A., Eliza Dushku, Sanaa Lathan, Val Kilmer, Greta Gerwig, Gina Corano, Nina Dobrev, Haylie Duff).

Harley is also very well qualified. He is a renowned fitness and nutrition expert and a best-selling author with a masters of science degree in kinesiology from the University of Toronto and an honors degree in kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario.

A global diet

As a follow-up to his previous books (5 Factor Diet and 5 Factor Fitness), Harley recently released The 5 Factor World Diet. He picked diet lessons from the 10 healthiest countries to provide must-have ingredients, simple recipes, and cooking techniques. He reveals in this book secrets such as the self-control technique used by the Japanese that prevents overeating and the key to Singapore’s extremely low obesity rate of less than two percent.

The 5 Factor dietary approach includes five meals a day, five core ingredients, and a five-minute preparation time. You are allowed one cheat day each week where you can eat whatever you like. He blames obesity in America to a trend towards unhealthy habits, such as eating on the go and while watching television, an increase in portion sizes, and an excessive intake of high-fat animal products.

On the contrary, the healthiest countries practice eating smaller portions and taking time to enjoy meals.  On this program, each meal consists of a combination of lean protein, low glycemic carbohydrates, healthy fats, and fiber. Recommended foods are vegetables, fruit, lean meat, chicken, turkey, fish, eggs, whole grains, legumes, nuts, low-fat dairy, and olive oil. Below are his brief comments on some of the healthiest cuisine:

Japanese diet: Rice, rice, baby

Harley raves about the Japanese diet, built around rice, fish, and vegetables. He suggests people cultivate a taste for Japanese food, as “it can actually prolong your life.”  A lot of fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli, and soy-based foods packed with protein and isoflavones. He’s also a fan of seaweed. “It’s extremely high in nutrients and adds texture and flavor to food like no other ingredient,” Harley says.  It is also wise to follow “Hara hachi bunme,” which is the practice of eating until just about 80 per cent full.

Singapore: Spices and everything nice

The ultimate fusion food, influenced by Malaysian, Chinese, Indian, Thai, and British cuisine. “Without a doubt, from a culinary perspective, Singapore is the most interesting place I have ever visited,” he writes. Tropical fruits, such as durian, rambutan, and mangosteen are often eaten instead of dessert.  Strong flavors from spices, chilis from Malaysia, tamarind and turmeric from India. “Nothing shows the multicultural influences on Singaporean cuisine like the spices its chefs use,” he adds.

China: Soy good

Forget the North American version of Chinese food, such as a glistening platter of sweet and sour pork, Harley quips. The traditional Chinese diet is plant-based: fresh seasonal vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans. “You don’t find much beef.” Green tea, which has no calories and lots of health benefits, is aplenty. The Chinese add flavor to food with healthy soybean-based sauces such as hoisin and black bean. Using chopsticks tends to slow down eating. “Also, sauces will drip off. You don’t get as much grease,” Harley observes.

Sweden: How swede and fishy it is?

“The Swedes swear by dairy,” says Harley. “High amounts of calcium help with fat metabolism.” He recommends milk that’s two per cent or lower in fat. They also have lots of heart-healthy fish such as salmon and herring. They favor high-fiber, dark, dense breads. “They practice “lagom,” which means just enough. They eat until they’re satisfied, not full, similar to the Japanese.”  Traditionally, they make an open-faced sandwich, using just one piece of bread.

France: In onion there’s strength

It’s not so much about what the French eat or how they prepare it, Harley says. The secret is their reverence for food and the ceremony of eating. Leeks are prized not only for their taste but also for their diuretic properties, writes the nutritionist. The dish that best typifies the French emphasis on freshness, he says, is moules marinières, mussels with garlic, onions, parsley, and white wine. The key is quality, not quantity. Everything in moderation.

Italy: They like tomatoes

Harley also praises the Italians’ passion for food and large consumption of fresh tomatoes — rich in vitamins A, C, and K, and the antioxidant lycopene. He likes the Spanish use of saffron, almonds, and oranges, and the South Korean “five flavors” — sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and spicy — approach to cooking.

This famous nutritionist is also fond of hybrid Israeli cuisine, which includes mint, sesame seeds, and dips made from chilis, chickpeas, and garlic, and the Mediterranean diet of the Greeks.

In his book, he offers recipes from the 10 countries so that readers can adopt some of the best traditions from around the world into their own diets.

Put on your running shoes

“What I found was that in the 10 healthiest countries in the world, they all have different (dietary habits). But one thing they all share is that they all walk way more than we do in America. For those in these 10 countries, being fit and healthy is about having an active lifestyle, while here in America, being fit is about performing an exercise in a room designated for fitness,” Harley observes.

His singular, most important piece of fitness advice is “(to) get a great pair of running shoes.” On top of that, Harley says that you should always be wearing them, always.  “Wearing a solid pair of running shoes helps put you in the mindset of being active,” says Harley. “Every time you see me, everywhere in the world, I don’t care if I’m wearing dress pants or shorts, I always wear my New Balance 993s. Because if I see a flight of stairs I want to be like, all right, I’ll take the stairs, no problem, because my feet are comfortable.”

Recent bride Hillary Duff, in a magazine interview, claims that 20 extra minutes of cardio, along with Harley’s 5-Factor World Diet, allowed her to keep her curves and tone muscles. Meanwhile, new mother Jennifer Hudson, who had to lose weight prior to filming a movie where she portrays Winnie Mandela, told People magazine that more than getting a svelte figure, “I’ve learned a lifestyle, and also something to bring my son up on because I want him to have a good example to be led by in being healthy and eating healthy.”

New shape, new life

Hudson said that it was Harley who started her on walking.  She credited him for her new shape. She did not start with a real concrete goal on how much weight to lose. Harley made it simple.  “He said, ‘All I need you to do is make sure you get up and you walk, and you start that out, and also the strength training,’” Hudson recalls.  Harley also created a personal gym for Hudson to take on the road, including weights that transform into barbells along with arm weights.

“He’s a support system,” she said. “When I say, ‘Harley, I want to look this way, what do you need me to do?’ or ‘I want to work on this,’ and he’s right there.”

Hudson does not have a set routine either. When she needs to lose more, she’ll put in an hour to an hour-and-a-half a day of exercise. Otherwise, she’ll try to do at least 30 minutes each of cardio and strength training a day.

You may get a copy of Harley’s book or search The Philippine STAR archive for the exercise regimen he prescribed and I wrote about before. Fortunately, I also got to see one of Harley’s interviews on Access Hollywood. He was pressed to share the exercise regimen of Lady Gaga, but the gentleman and professional that he is, he kept mum about her program. Instead, he pushed the hosts to get down and do three exercises (out of five that he would normally recommend I guess due to the program segment limitation). Harley made them do skate lunges, a slight variation of a normal lunge since your back leg is slanted way beyond the bent knee instead of just being bent behind it. This is done on alternate sides 20 times, three sets. Then they did a combo dead lift and bicep curl, using weights again for three sets of 20 reps each. And finally, seated trunk twists with weights where you sit on the floor with feet stretched together in front of you. Then holding a dumbbell (a filled bottle or watermelon will do, Harley says) one twists the object down to the floor alternately left and right while maintaining one’s gaze in front. Same 20 reps and three sets.

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Post me a note at mylene@goldsgym.com.ph or mylenedayrit@gmail.com.