Work Out Like Lady Gaga

For the last 10 years, celeb trainer Harley Pasternak has worked hard on his ever-evolving 5 Factor philosophy of diet and exercise. And people are listening: Lady Gaga , Eva Mendes , and Mandy Moore are just a few of the celebs who have all turned to him for their fitness needs. The 5 Factor exercise regimen is tailor-made for busy individuals too. When I spoke to Harley last week he told me that all you need is 25 minutes a day; that’s it. If you can do more, great, but he promises that 25 minutes on his plan will give you results. This seems to be counterintuitive to almost everything we’ve heard about weight loss. First 30 minutes was enough, then 45 - now 25? “There is a big difference in training hard and training smart,” says Harley. “And when you combine cardiovascular and resistance training you’ve hit two birds with one stone.” Harley says that resistance training is key because it keeps your metabolism and resting heart rate elevated throughout the workout and beyond. “So even though you’re only doing a five minute cardio warmup, and five-minute cardio cooldown, you’re in your fat burning zone for the entire 25 minute workout.” To get the most out of a 5 Factor workout , focus on two main body parts and the abs - do this every day, for five days a week. And while you should shift the areas of the body you focus on, Harley says that you should always do ab work. To see the moves Harley gives to his celeb clients, read more. Deadlifts . “This is a great exercise for the hamstrings, which a lot of people overlook,” says Harley. “I know women, in particular,  always want to get their abs tight, but deadlifts are great for working the butt.” Reverse incline dumbbell rows . “Quite often, women slouch,” says Harley. “This exercise strengthens the upper back and posture muscles. Better posture makes your abdominals look leaner and tighter and gives you a natural boob lift.” To do this move: Lie facedown on an incline bench, with your chest flat against the elevated pad. Hold a dumbbell in each hand, letting your arms hang down to the floor, palms facing each other. Keeping your chest on the bench and your arms close to your torso, pull both dumbbells up to the sides of your chest. Slowly lower your arms back down and repeat. If you don’t have a bench, try a tipping row instead. Dumbbell side bends . Harley says that side bends are a favorite of Lady Gaga’s because they help keep her love handles tight. Side bends are also a great alternative to sit-ups; just make sure you avoid the common mistakes associated with side bends . Ab rotations . Lady Gaga is big into working her abs and it shows. To increase the difficulty of this exercise, hold a five-pound medicine ball or dumbbell at chest height. Want to see what one of his workouts is like? Then give this 5 Factor workout Harley created for FitSugar readers a try.

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Work Out Like Lady Gaga

5 Ways to Slow Down Meals

Eating quickly can lead to weight gain , because you end up devouring substantially more calories than you would if you ate more slowly. Downing food fast can also cause unfortunate digestive distress . Here are some techniques to slow down your meals and enjoy your food without needing to loosen your belt. Source: Jupiter Images View Slideshow ›

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5 Ways to Slow Down Meals

Have You Ever Gone on a Crash Diet Before a Big Event?

In a few weeks some friends and I are going on a mini-break and heading to warmer weather. But imagine my surprise when one of them said that she is going on a hybrid cleanse/crash diet before we leave. Right now, she feels like her body is not bikini-ready. I’m not a fan of crash diets - I think they can be dangerous and don’t promote sustainable weight loss. Still, I understand the pressure some women feel at the thought of having to wear a bikini, or wanting to look great on their wedding day or any other big event. Luckily, my story has a happy ending. After a long discussion with my friend, she’s swapped her crash diet for a healthy meal and exercise plan instead. And though she might not lose the 10-15 pounds she was hoping to drop in three weeks, she should be able to shed five. The best part is that she’ll probably keep it off, too. I’m wondering . . . Have You Ever Gone on a Crash Diet Before a Big Event? Yes - I’d do it again too. Yes - But I’d never go that route again. No - I don’t believe in crash diets.

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Have You Ever Gone on a Crash Diet Before a Big Event?

Harley Gives Us an Inside Peek at His Celebrity Clients

Harley Pasternak is a busy guy. In about the span of a week, he left his training duties on the Lady Gaga tour in Europe, headed home to LA to see 10 clients, and then crossed the Pacific to Hawaii for two more. When I finally caught up with him in Tampa, he was already planning his departure to Toronto, his childhood home. Harley - whose client list reads like a who’s who of Hollywood - never expected that he’d become THE go-to trainer for the stars. “I was studying to be in medicine,” says Harley. “Personal training was something I did; it was a side business that grew and grew and next thing you knew I had three studios and 12 trainers and I was like, ‘OK, I guess this is my career.’” He describes his work as “the coolest thing in the world,” and it’s easy to understand why. Not many people can say they shoot hoops with Kanye West and Common or hang backstage with Katy Perry , Alicia Keys, and Lady Gaga. Working with musicians seems to be his current thing right now, “They’re very creative people, they have more control over their own destiny to the extent that they tend to be a little more stable,” says Harley. “I enjoy working with actors too but actors are more project-to-project where musicians have an ongoing thing.” Harley pulled back the curtain a little bit and shared with me what it was like to work with these amazing artists. To see what he had to say about each one of them, read more. Lady Gaga . In the kitchen, Lady Gaga, or Gaga as he - and everyone else - calls her, is a bit of a chef, even helping him develop recipes for his 5 Factor World Diet book. “As I presented the recipes for the 10 healthiest countries in the world, she suggested mixing and matching the ingredients from different countries,” Harley says. “She would make a salad or a stir fry and bring elements of Italy and Japan together into one recipe, which was really helpful to me.” Kanye West . Through several world tours Harley has grown pretty close to Kanye. “Everyone gives him a hard time for the things he says and does, but all the bad things you see in the public, those are all the bad things about him. Every bad thing about Kanye you know.” The Kanye that Harley knows is “interesting, inspiring, passionate, and creative.” Says Harley, “No one has more energy than him, training him is amazing.” Common . After four years of working together, Harley says that Common has become a close, personal friend. Not only is he one of Harley’s favorite clients, he also one of the “hardest workers” he knows. “Common has a movie coming out called Just Right and he is the lead. When people see his body they are going to be talking about it for a year.” Katy Perry and Alicia Keys . Harley says one of the biggest perks from his job comes from working with clients that he’s also a fan of, like Alicia and Katy. “I’m just a huge fan of them both,” says Harley. “It’s just amazing to work with really creative people who are doing wonderful things that I get to enjoy their craft as well.” Stay tuned for eating and exercise tips from Harley coming to you later this week.

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Harley Gives Us an Inside Peek at His Celebrity Clients

Harley Gives Us an Inside Peek at His Celebrity Clients

Harley Pasternak is a busy guy. In about the span of a week, he left his training duties on the Lady Gaga tour in Europe, headed home to LA to see 10 clients, and then crossed the Pacific to Hawaii for two more. When I finally caught up with him in Tampa, he was already planning his departure to Toronto, his childhood home. Harley - whose client list reads like a who’s who of Hollywood - never expected that he’d become THE go-to trainer for the stars. “I was studying to be in medicine,” says Harley. “Personal training was something I did; it was a side business that grew and grew and next thing you knew I had three studios and 12 trainers and I was like, ‘OK, I guess this is my career.’” He describes his work as “the coolest thing in the world,” and it’s easy to understand why. Not many people can say they shoot hoops with Kanye West and Common or hang backstage with Katy Perry , Alicia Keys, and Lady Gaga. Working with musicians seems to be his current thing right now, “They’re very creative people, they have more control over their own destiny to the extent that they tend to be a little more stable,” says Harley. “I enjoy working with actors too but actors are more project-to-project where musicians have an ongoing thing.” Harley pulled back the curtain a little bit and shared with me what it was like to work with these amazing artists. To see what he had to say about each one of them, read more. Lady Gaga . In the kitchen, Lady Gaga, or Gaga as he - and everyone else - calls her, is a bit of a chef, even helping him develop recipes for his 5 Factor World Diet book. “As I presented the recipes for the 10 healthiest countries in the world, she suggested mixing and matching the ingredients from different countries,” Harley says. “She would make a salad or a stir fry and bring elements of Italy and Japan together into one recipe, which was really helpful to me.” Kanye West . Through several world tours Harley has grown pretty close to Kanye. “Everyone gives him a hard time for the things he says and does, but all the bad things you see in the public, those are all the bad things about him. Every bad thing about Kanye you know.” The Kanye that Harley knows is “interesting, inspiring, passionate, and creative.” Says Harley, “No one has more energy than him, training him is amazing.” Common . After four years of working together, Harley says that Common has become a close, personal friend. Not only is he one of Harley’s favorite clients, he also one of the “hardest workers” he knows. “Common has a movie coming out called Just Right and he is the lead. When people see his body they are going to be talking about it for a year.” Katy Perry and Alicia Keys . Harley says one of the biggest perks from his job comes from working with clients that he’s also a fan of, like Alicia and Katy. “I’m just a huge fan of them both,” says Harley. “It’s just amazing to work with really creative people who are doing wonderful things that I get to enjoy their craft as well.” Stay tuned for eating and exercise tips from Harley coming to you later this week.

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Harley Gives Us an Inside Peek at His Celebrity Clients

5 Good Morning Stretches

Instead of hitting the snooze button in the morning, I take the extra 10 minutes to stretch. It’s a great way to get the juices going in the morning and ease away any stress or tension from the previous day’s activity or a funky sleeping position. Since stretching before breaking a sweat is debatable, I keep my morning stretches simple - I don’t even have to leave the bed to do them! Try this simple stretching sequence when you wake up tomorrow to get your blood flowing and your body primed for your day. Source: Jupiter Images View Slideshow ›

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5 Good Morning Stretches

Allergy Symptoms vs. Cold Symptoms

Winter is slowly receding, and in many places Spring has sprung, even though the official start date doesn’t come until the end of the week. With Spring weather comes blooming plants, trees, and shrubs, and with those lovely flowers comes pollen, the irritant that brings on hay fever. I lived for years in denial of my seasonal allergies and pretended that I had a cold . . . a cold that never ended. I have wised up and since allergy season is upon us, or will be soon depending on where you live, I thought it might be useful to compare the symptoms of the common cold with those that accompany seasonal allergies. Itchy nose: Although allergies and colds both produce a runny nose and congestion, allergies create the dreaded itchy nose . The itch generally occurs in the back of the nose and is difficult to “scratch.” Folks suffering from “nasal pruritus” (the fanciest way in the world to say itchy nose ) often scrunch up their faces, like a bunny, to try to alleviate the itch. The sneeze: Sneezing frequently, and sometimes quietly, is common with allergies. Allergy sneezes are an attempt to remove allergens from the nose. Sneezes from colds tend to be loud, deep, and infrequent, attempting to clear the bronchial congestion down in the lungs. Unfortunately, the list of symptoms is a bit longer, so read more. Runny eyes: While eyes might occasionally water with a cold, they will run profusely with allergies. Mucus color: Mucus, aka snot, is generally clear with allergies, whereas with a cold it tends to have a color - yellow to green . Dark circles under the eyes: This symptom is sometimes referred to poetically as the ” allergy shiner .” These “shiners” are caused by the inability of veins in the area to drain due to chronic nasal congestion . It is like a traffic jam in the area under your eyes. Common colds do not cause these. If you are living in allergy denial, hopefully, this list will help you figure out that you do indeed have hay fever, and need to leave the weeding and lawn mowing to someone else for now.

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Allergy Symptoms vs. Cold Symptoms

How to Prevent Wrist Pain in Yoga Class

When teaching yoga, one common complaint coming from my students is wrist pain. This makes sense since many poses involve putting your body weight into your hands and wrists, which tend to be weak areas. I will say that as you continue to practice these poses, the muscles surrounding your wrists strengthen decreasing your pain. Unless you have a wrist injury, I usually recommend that my students do the poses until their wrists feel slightly sore, and then have them change into a modified version of the pose. Here are my recommendations. Posture How to Prevent Wrist Pain Down Dog Instead of placing your palms flat on the floor, make fists with your hands, or place your forearms on the mat, coming into Quarter Dog . Or you may benefit from using a wedge , a type of foam block that elevates the wrist, decreasing the amount of bend at the joint. Sage Either take pressure off your wrists by bending your top knee and planting your foot in front of your other knee, or rest on your forearm instead, as in this variation of side plank . Wheel (Full Backbend) Use the foam wedge I mentioned above, or keep the top of your head resting on the floor. Another great wrist pain remedy is to do your backbend by holding onto someone’s ankles. Have someone stand by your head facing you. Place your palms on the front of their ankles with your fingers pointing down. When you lift up into backbend, you’re pressing away instead of down, which is much easier on the wrists. To see more modifications, just read more. Posture How to Prevent Wrist Pain Camel Try resting one hand on a heel at a time and extend the opposite arm into the air, then switch. Or rest your hands on your hips or in prayer position at your chest and just lean back without bringing your hands to your heels. Whichever variation you try, concentrate on pressing your hips forward, so most of your weight is in your knees and thighs. Intense East Bend your knees and do tabletop or place your forearms on the floor as in this elbow plank variation . Crow The best remedy for wrist pain in this pose is to spread your fingers wide, and gradually lean your weight onto your fingertips as you lift one leg up at a time. This will help strengthen your forearms and hands, so in time, you’ll be able to lift both legs off the floor, holding Crow for one breath, and eventually holding for five or longer. As I said above, practicing this pose will strengthen your wrists and prevent pain. Handstand When putting all your weight into your hands in this pose, spread your fingers as wide as you can and concentrate on pressing into your fingertips to take the pressure off your wrists. If that doesn’t help, do handstand by placing a block under each hand. This will give your hands something to grip, although you may need help kicking up into this pose.

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How to Prevent Wrist Pain in Yoga Class

Harley Pasternak Is Always on the Run

I was lucky enough to talk to celeb trainer Harley Pasternak , who shared with me a great tip that seems perfect for the weekend. Harley says that the singular, most important piece of fitness advice he can offer someone is, “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.” Listen ladies, I know that wearing your running shoes 24/7 is not always an option; I think most would agree that even the coolest pair of kicks are not the best way to set off your LBD . So while I might not be wearing them all the time, I do get what Harley is saying. I keep a pair of running shoes in my file cabinet at work so I can take a walk or head to the gym during my work day. And I know that many girls - including Kim Kardashian - wear their workout clothes out as a way to motivate themselves to exercise later in the day. Even if you don’t have a good pair of running shoes , think about investing in them. They’re great to have on hand for talking a walk, going on a hike, or any other form of fitness that strikes your fancy!

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Harley Pasternak Is Always on the Run

Not Another Celebrity Cleanse: Salma Hayek’s Cooler Cleanse

You’ve heard about the Lunch Box Diet ; well, now there is the Cooler Cleanse . And this one has some celebrity backing. A veteran of the juice fast cleanse, Salma Hayek has used the regimens for more than a decade to prepare for big events, from walking the red carpet to walking down the aisle. The curvaceous actress paired up with long-time friend and juice master Eric Helms to bring her juice cleanse to the masses. That is, if you live in New York and want to drop $58 a day on fresh-pressed juices. The Cooler Cleanse offers cleanses that last from three to five days, and in FAQ section, the company tells us that “You will consume less than 1,200 calories each day during the 3-Day Cooler Cleanse and the 5-Day Cooler Cleanse.” I have always heard that 1,200 is the minimum number of calories required for the body not to go into starvation mode. The five flavors of juices (a green juice, a grapefruit mint, a red juice with beets and apples, young coconut water, and nut milk sweetened with dates), are all freshly pressed overnight and delivered to clients by 6 a.m. Cooler Cleanse also offers a four-course raw food cleanse at $62 a day - you pay a little bit more to have something to sink your teeth into. Although I am a fan of coconut water and that grapefruit mint mixture sounds tasty, I am not a fan of juice cleanses. But what about you? Would you try Salma’s cleanse?

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Not Another Celebrity Cleanse: Salma Hayek’s Cooler Cleanse

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