From Beyonce and her vegan diet to Kate Hudson looking pert through Pilates, find out which 10 stars make our list of 2014’s top bods and how they did it.
Tinseltown’s personal trainers can surely put their feet up – from Jennifer Lopez’s amazing abs to Jessica Simpson’s crazily toned calves, Hollywood’s been hard at work in the gym this year. Whether it’s going vegan for a while, or cutting back on sugar, these stars have been watching what they eat as well as working out to get in the best shape of their lives.
We take a look at the hottest star bodies of 2014 – and how those A-listers got in Grade A shape…
BEYONCE
How she did it: Sticking to a plant-free eating plan
Queen Bey and hubby Jay-Z underwent a 22-day vegan programme in December 2013… and its effects lasted well into 2014, when the curvy singer showcased her amazing hourglass figure on stage for the pair’s On The Run tour which ended in September.
Bey’s personal trainer, Marco Borges, of 22 Days Nutrition, helped the superstar singer ditch the meat and shape up. After her and Jay’s vegan stint, he said in February she was still sticking to its principles to give her the energy for the gruelling schedule ahead. “The transition was fairly easy, because she’s sticking to a mostly plant-based diet with some fish here and there,” he said of her adaptation after the 22 days were up. “She is all about health and wellness. She just wants to feel good.”
Beyonce’s bangin’ body transformation was noticeable during her stage appearances with her husband, with the singer looking tauter and more toner than ever before. Borges said the star had been training with his Power Moves style, which means using all four limbs – and major muscle groups – at once. It’s a great way to save the busy mum-of-one time, as she also alternates between sprinting and running on the treadmill to burn more calories in a shorter space of time.
JESSICA SIMPSON
How she did it: Weight Watchers
The year 2014 saw reality star, designer and singer Jess possessed by a “newfound determination” to shed her baby weight – and, after working with Weight Watchers as well as targeting her legs and butt with an hour of cardio four or five times a week personal trainer Harley Pasternak’s protegee Teri Ann Krefting, she unveiled her amazing new body before she tied the knot with beau Eric Johnson in July.
Jess, who signed up to be a Weight Watchers spokesperson in 2011 before giving birth to daughter Maxwell, managed to shed 50 pounds before revealing she was pregnant again. After her son Ace was born in May 2013, she took her time slimming down with the help of the slimming group in a deal rumoured to be worth US$3m. “I think anybody who’s gone through a pregnancy, after they have the baby, it’s like, ‘I need to do something about this,'” she said. “For me, I really want to do something that is a lifestyle, because in the past, I’ve been known to yo-yo diet.”
According to the Weight Watchers Points Plus scheme, every food has a value based on calories, fat and fibre per portion; the points system encourages you to eat more healthy food with a lower energy density, so you don’t use up all your daily points. “I have a newfound determination that I’m really proud of,” she said earlier this year in a commercial. “I can honestly say I’ve never been happier.”
MEGAN FOX
How she did it: Following a low-sugar diet
Trainer-to-the-stars Harley Pasternak has also had a hand in Megan Fox’s hottest ever screen appearance in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The stunning mother-of-two, whose second son Bodhi was born in February, looked better than ever on the silver screen, thanks to a sensible, low-sugar diet devised by Pasternak, as well as plenty of workouts.
“She eats carbs, she just eats the right carbs,” he said of Megan’s eating plan. “She eats three meals and two snacks a day – she’ll have protein, fibre and healthy fat every meal. She is living a low-sugar lifestyle. It’s so sustainable, it’s so moderate; she’s not doing any zero this/zero that. She has definitely buckled down and she is amazing. In the morning she’ll do a smoothie or an egg white omelette with some avocado as healthy fats, and she’ll have hummus and cut veggies as a snack, and a salad with grilled chicken for lunch.”
Megan also does resistance training at least three times a week, using Pasternak’s technique on working on the back by doing back rows, dumbbell rows and the Superman pose, as well as getting her cardio fix on the Helix Lateral Trainer, and he couldn’t be more proud of his A-list client. “Look at her now,” said Pasternak, who also works with Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Katy Perry. “She looks as good as she’s ever looked, if not better.”
JENNIFER LOPEZ
How she did it: The Tracy Anderson Method
Jennifer took a leaf out of Beyonce’s book and gave a vegan diet a whirl in April under the guidance of Marco Borges. “Right away, I dropped like 8 to 10lbs – I feel great mentally and physically!” she said after ditching the meat and dairy for 22 days. She’s also a fan of protein blends by BodyLab, saying: “It’s not a solution-in-a-bottle, it’s not a fad diet, it’s part of a health regimen that makes your metabolism work as hard as you do. It’s a way to love your body.”
But the main change to the Latina lovely’s body has come about since she teamed up with trainer-to-the-stars Tracey Anderson. “You got to work out, you got to watch what you eat. It’s a job – you’ve got to buckle down. I’ve worked out my whole life and I’ve been incredibly disciplined when I needed to be,” says J-Lo of her approach to fitness.
Anderson says as well as breaking a sweat together, the pair worked hard to keep her famous curves intact and not let her get too thin. “She does the Tracy Anderson Method, which includes muscular structure work and between nine and 13 different exercises that change every 10 days, and dance aerobics as well. “I keep [her butt] toned and in position. We do planks, moving the legs and butt at different angles. We don’t want to change her sexy body and wanted to design a workout to keep her sexy butt toned.”
KHLOE KARDASHIAN
How she did it: Boxing
This year saw Khloe hitting the gym daily in a bid to move on from her messy divorce from Lamar Odom. “I’ve definitely become obsessed with working out,” says the reality TV star, who recently reunited with boyfriend French Montana, but she insists it’s taken a while for her to shape up. “It’s funny, because my weight has always fluctuated, but recently so many people have been saying ‘You look so good, you’ve lost all this weight’. There’s no quick fix, I would say.”
The man putting her through her paces is Gunnar Peterson, who’s been impressed with her determination. “Khloe is always trying to get better. She’s not obsessed or a crazy lady about it, it’s just about the work,” says Peterson. “Khloe has her head down. She’s got a steady work ethic and there’s no overanalysis. She comes in every day and starts her workout between 6am and 10am. Her boxing skills are exceptional, the technique and power is so impressive. She works hard and isn’t scared of the early morning routines.”
And Khloe’s thrilled to be packing a punch in more ways than one with her honed physique. “I switch it up because I get really bored. So I do either Pilates or I go to Equinox gym and I make sure I do cardio, if I don’t do anything. But I love Gunnar for my circuit training,” she says. “I love to box, I’m good at it. I don’t get bored and you shed weight when you do it, so with Gunnar, we do boxing as a warm-up.”
KALEY CUOCO-SWEETING
How she did it: SoulCycle
“I’m a big SoulCycler! I do it all the time,” said the Big Bang Theory star, whose bikini body wowed the world earlier this year as the proof that the classes – a twist on the modern spinning class, which combine a cardio burn with motivational phrases in a candlelit room with a pumping soundtrack – really do work. “Spinning changed my body. My legs are severely toned, and you get an ab workout.”
Kaley, who tied the knot with tennis star Ryan Sweeting in a surprise New Year’s Eve ceremony after a whirlwind romance, also loves yoga and horse riding – and says her beau has to share her love of staying fit. “For me to be with someone, he’s got to be fit. Or at least doing something he loves. Following your passion— whether it’s hiking or sports or whatever—is supersexy,” she says.
“I’d say I work out four to five times a week. I do SoulCycle, yoga, and horseback riding – I love to be active and just get out there and be outside. I spent the past couple of years trying to figure out what I wanted to get up for in the morning—and I was lucky to find two things: spinning and yoga. I took a Bikram class, and I’ve been going five days a week ever since… Staying fit is all about trying to find enjoyment in something physical, because that’s the only way you’re going to get results.”
JESSICA ALBA
How she did it: Dancing
Shaping up and mastering the sexy dance moves needed for Sin City 2 took the dedicated star between two hours and five hours a day, but the rigorous training paid off with Jessica looking healthier and happier than ever. Dance instructor Jennifer “JJ Dancer” Johnson, who choreographed the actress’ dance sequences, said Jess is equally disciplined about healthy eating. “The secret to have a great bod and not having to kill yourself to look good is eating right,” she said. “That’s a strong point of Jess’s. She’s motivated nutritionally, and she eats a balanced diet of salads and proteins. If you’re eating right, that’s more than half the battle.”
And Jess herself admits becoming a mother has helped her find a balance, instead of “trying to be perfect”. “I don’t deprive myself,” she explains. “I have [junk] if I want it. When I do feel that I am depriving myself, I find that I binge. That’s not a balanced way to go about it.”
Her long-time trainer Ramona Braganza says: “She recognises the importance of keeping her health for her two daughters. She schedules her fitness time, eats healthy by cooking her meals, and plays with her girls. Even when on a movie where she works 16 hour days, she gets up half an hour earlier to exercise. It’s about time management, scheduling it in and sticking to it.”
LILY ALLEN
How she did it: Barry’s Bootcamp
The Smile singer has been slimming down throughout 2014, as she’s been supporting Miley Cyrus since the release of her new album, Sheezus, and is kicking off her own tour. But she hasn’t been following any fad diet – just hitting the gym for the first time since having her children. “I’ve not been eating differently, I’ve just been exercising,” she said earlier this year. “I’m getting ready for my tour.” Lily, who’s worked out with personal trainer David Marshall, aka the Body Doctor, in the past, has been heading regularly to Barry’s Bootcamp in London as well a gym in North London.
While she was on tour, she joked that she had been eating “a lot of crisps”, but said she was struggling to stick to a proper regime. “I’m not really eating a lot of proper meals – only when I’m able to get to a restaurant,” explained Lily. “’I think it’s touring and dancing and probably not wanting to eat room service. I don’t really like food being mass produced, you look at those kitchens and they’re huge, I don’t like it.”
The mother-of-two, who lost a baby before falling pregnant with her two daughters, said she had ditched the gym as she wanted to be safe. “After tragically losing a child so late into my pregnancy I may have gained a few pounds. I am one of many that find comfort in food,” she said in response to criticism of her weight gain. “The two pregnancies that followed were terrifying because of what had happened before, and I was pretty much on bed rest for 20 months. I wasn’t exercising because I didn’t want to take any risks, and funnily enough, the survival of my children felt more important than being thin.”
KATE HUDSON
How she did it: Pilates
All eyes were on Kate’s fab physique this year as she launched Fabletics, her global range of sports clothing. And she’s worked hard to make working out a part of her life – every day. “My workout mantra is ‘Break a sweat every day’, even if it’s just for 20 minutes. I’m very disciplined about that,” says Kate, who’s worked with her Pilates instructor Nicole Stuart for more than a decade. “If I have the time, I try to do Pilates at least twice a week. I’ve been doing it for 15 years and I think it strengthens from the inside. When your core is strong, everything else starts to lift up.”
Mum-of-two Kate’s also a fan of dancing for exercise, and loves exercising with her children too. “I’ll walk around for a couple of hours with Bing on my back – that’s a workout. And I’ve been kick boxing with Ryder. I can do squats with him on my back… The things that I’ve seen the best for women have been anything that’s real dance, something that elongates, and really, really strengthens. So, Core Fusion, Tracy Anderson, Ballet Barre, Pilates – I think those things for women are great because they centre on the core.”
The actress also eats a healthy diet, but doesn’t skimp if she feels like splurging. “I make sure I eat well without depriving myself of the things that I love: a cheeseburger and fries, creamy white-truffle pasta, bowls of ice cream. Everything in moderation, but I indulge at least three times a week. Usually I aim for 1,800 calories a day,” says Kate.
CHRISTINA AGUILERA
How she did it: Yoga
Christina unveiled a fantastic new look at the end of 2013 then, after giving birth to daughter Summer Rain in August, was back in great shape just weeks later after reportedly practising yoga throughout her pregnancy. The Latina beauty, who stars on the Voice, works out regularly with personal trainer Tee Sorge and yoga instructor Christa – who she’s even taken on the show to help her contestants loosen up before a performance.
Asked about her secrets for looking great in a recent interview, Christina said: “Laughter, happiness, breathing, and I did some yoga.” In the past, she’s been a fan of trainer-to-the-stars Ashley Borden, whose Rolling Out system involves using a foam roller or PVC pipe to stretches muscles, tendons and releases the fascia, the connective tissue that surrounds muscles. But these days, with two children, Christina’s chilled out about whether or not she exercises, saying she “doesn’t live at the gym”.
“If I can squeeze in a workout, great. If not, that’s okay, too,” she explains. “If I have to choose between working out and spending time with my son after a hard day, it’s not even a question.”
Words: Fleur Fitzpatrick/Feats Press
