How to shine like a star

With the writers strike over, the party’s back on in Hollywood! There’s going to be a red carpet at the Oscars this year after all. So the stars have hit the fast-forward button to look spectacular for their big night.

What makes them shine so brightly -- besides all that bling? It’s a combination of being fit and carrying themselves with a relaxed and graceful confidence from the moment they step out of that limo to face the cameras. The training strategies I use to get my Hollywood clients ready for the red carpet can help you look radiant for a special event, too. Here is my plan for shaping up in the week before the big night – but it’s not easy. The intense program is intended for regular exercisers who want to really kick things into high gear just before a big reveal. For the most part, I recommend keeping the training simple and consistent with one goal in mind: burning fat. Skip the Pilates – it’s time to sweat!

Aim for an hour of cardio every day. It can be any form you want but it must be intense and sustained cardio that keeps your target heart rate up around 85 percent of your max. (A quick way to calculate your target heart rate is to take 220 minus your age and multiply by .85. This is not perfect but is a basic enough equation to get you in the ballpark. If you don’t have a heart rate monitor, you can determine your heart rate by counting your pulse for 6 seconds and multiplying that number by 10.)

Try to do your exercise first thing in the morning. And -- if you can -- go for another round of cardio later in the day (I did mention my training regimen is intense, right?!) This is called split training and is another secret to dropping pounds. If your main goal is to look slim and trim for the big night, I don’t recommend focusing a lot on intense strength training. Stick with basic body-weight exercises such as crunches, planks, lunges and squats. Really put your focus on aerobic activity this week. It's all about sweating.

If, however, you’re a guy who wants to pump up his chest and arms, certainly go ahead and hit the iron, too. To get an extra bang for your buck, do circuit training and skip the rest breaks so you keep your heart rate up. For added oomph, do 50 push-ups every day (not necessarily all in a row) Of course, to get red-carpet ready, you really need to keep a close watch on your calorie consumption. The wrong diet can easily undo the calorie burn from all that cardio. That’s why I recommend a diet rich in veggies, veggies and more veggies, plus lean protein such as white fish or salmon.