Fitness Fab with Jeanette Jenkins
The celebrity trainer enters the BET Beauty Lounge
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Fitness Exclusive - Celebrity trainer extraordinaire Jeanette Jenkins has molded the bodies of Tia Mowry, Kimora Lee Simmons, Queen Latifah and Terrell Owens. As one of the most sought after trainers in Hollywood, we enlisted her to help us create a realistic, simple and encouraging guide to whipping your physique into shape for 2011.
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Fresh Start - "Before you start working out, you need to get your mind right. Create a place where you can go and receive positive reinforcement in order to to stay optimistic about your fitness journey, as well as your journey in life," Jenkins says.
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Good Energy - For some people, that positivity may come from church or yoga. "I just read a really great book called 'Ask and It Is Given' by Esther and Jerry Hicks," says Jenkins. "For myself, in order to stay positive and be a source of motivation to others, I have to have a source. My source is church, yoga and spiritual literature."
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Step Back - "Sometimes you have to step away from Twitter, Facebook and social networking and purposefully fill your mind with energizing literature that helps you focus and stay in a positive place," she says.
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Check List - Before you start your new exercise regimen, you should be doing a full health assessment. "Take measurements of your cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels," Jenkins says. "You can also go to your physician and get a full health screening, because there might be something internal that you need to take into consideration. Get your hormone and toxin levels tested as well."
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Balancing Act - "Of course you want to get your weight and your body fat percentage measured as well. You could do that at a gym with your trainer or get a scale that measures body fat, Jenkins advises. "They’re very accurate. I’ve been using them for years."
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Waist Not - "You want to make sure to get the measurements around your waist because if a woman’s waistline is above 35 and a man’s is above 40, that lets you know you’ve increased your risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer," she says.
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Top Three - "For weight loss, there are three things that you must absolutely have in your regimen: cardio, resistance training and flexibility work. Cardio helps you burn calories and strengthen your heart. Weight training maintains strong bones and strong joints. Flexibility keeps the integrity of the muscle, along with your range of motion, especially in the spine and hips," Jenkins says.
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Stretch Yourself - Jenkins stresses the importance of stretching. "Flexibility also helps people de-stress and helps women lengthen their muscles so they don’t have these short, bulky muscles."
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Switch It Up - Jenkins says it's important to avoid a stale routine. "Yoga gives you resistance and flexibility training, and if it’s power yoga, it may keep your heart rate elevated and you’ll have a touch of cardio as well. Circuit training gives you both cardio and strength training. It’s good to do mixed styles and make sure your full week of training – Monday through Friday – includes a variety."
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Jeanette's Rule - "When changing your diet, I recommend the 80/20 rule," Jenkins says. "That’s how I regulate my clients and how I live my lifestyle. Eighty percent of the time (Mon.–Fri.) you should be working out and eating healthy, and 20 percent of the time you should do whatever you feel like doing. If you stay on your workout schedule and you accept that working out is part of your everyday life, you’ll have that 20 percent leeway."
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Enjoy Yourself - "Find things that you like to do," she says. "If you don’t like running on a treadmill, try kickboxing."
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Plan Smart - "Remember to plan your meals and figure out which restaurants you can get healthy meals throughout the week. Don’t wait until you go out into the world to decide what you’re going to eat. I lose every time!"
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Look Ahead - "On Sunday nights say, ‘Okay, I’m going to eat this turkey lasagna on Tuesday and this meal on Wednesday.’ I also recommend that a lot of executives use a food delivery system. If you’re eating out all the time on corporate accounts, you might as well eat something healthy."
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Monday Headstart - "If a personal trainer is too expensive for you to go to all the time, find it in your budget to go every Monday," Jenkins says. "This way, you’ll start the week in the right frame of mind. If you can get up and go that day, there’s a higher chance you’ll stick to it for the rest of the week."
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Go Green - "What will help people not only lose weight but fight every disease known to man, are green vegetables. I give all of my clients this supplement called Macro Greens. It’s 5-7 servings of green vegetables. It helps you alkalize the body. Just drop it in some water and drink it down," she says.