Soooo summer’s almost over (wah!) but since September is the “other” beginning of the year, might as well use this time to kick-start your new workout goals, right?!
Written by Kiki Athanas, In-House Wellness Expert @ Calii Love and Founder of MEByKiki.com.
While most of us understand the importance of exercise and moving your body on the daily, it can get a bit, well, boring, if you tend to do the exact same thing over and over again. With TIFF in full swing, we figure now’s the perfect opportunity to highlight how some of our fave stars move and groove their body, to hopefully inspire a new routine or two that you can get behind to launch into fall movement!
JLO – HIIT
High intensity interval training (otherwise known as “HIIT”) is practiced as short bursts of physical activity at your max ability, paired with intervals of quick rests. This type of intense training causes a type of “disturbance” in the body, which can then lead to burning calories at a higher rate up to 48-72 hours later after your actual workout, which just screams efficiency in my humble opinion! Hence why powerhouse Jennifer Lopez loves it and has done for years – just note her killer 6-pack which she’s had since…literally…forever?! If you’re looking to build up your type 2 fast twitch muscles, this regime is for you!
Meghan Markle – Yoga
Feeling a bit stiff? There’s no better want to limber up then getting a good stretch in during a daily yoga practice. It’s a been a timeless regime for princess Meghan Markle, who uses a good flow to complement her weekly running & pilates sessions. The great thing about yoga is that it’s not just training your muscles, but more importantly, it helps you get back into your body (and out of your head), and ultimately still your mind. Whether you’re a work-a-holic actress, a jet-setting princess, or just your average awesome human – fitting some vinyasa into your daily or weekly ritual will treat your limbs & your soul to some much-needed loving.
Jessica Alba – Resistance Bands
Not into weightlifting but prefer to use “props” of some sort to really get you going? I hear you! Another option (which is also incredibly price-friendly!) is to use resistance bands like Jessica Alba does. A resistance band does exactly what the name suggests: it adds resistance to an exercise. This added resistance helps strengthen your muscles and pushes you to work a little bit harder. Bonus: these stretchy bands are a fantastic addition to your stretching routine, especially if you lack flexibility and mobility.
Kate Hudson – Pilates
Another great one for the body as well as the mind is Pilates, a form of movement Kate Hudson swears by:
“You can do so many different things. I love how it strengthens the body, because it feels very internal, I love how it lengthens the body.”
Pilates is actually a series of about 500 exercises inspired by calisthenics, yoga and ballet. One of the most praised benefits of pilates is how it offers increased muscle strength and tone, particularly of your abdominal muscles, lower back, hips and buttocks (the ‘core muscles’ of your body). Even better, pilates is designed to be accessible for EVERYbody, from beginner to advanced.
Kristen Bell – At Home Workouts
We love girl-next-door Kristen Bell for her down-to-earth personality…which also follows in the way she fits physical activity into her life: at home. Easy, peasy. No more excuses for those who might not be able to afford the next latest and greatest swanky fitness studio – Youtube videos are now your very accessible alternative! Kristen shares that as a busy mom of two who is often filming multiple projects at once, simply completing a 10-min video at home before she runs out the door – or actually just going for a quick run out the door, is how she stays fit (& saine) amongst the madness!