Red hot on the red carpet

L.A. has Oscar fever and some of the most distinguished movie stars of the year will be walking the red carpet at Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center on Sunday.  There is a lot that goes into looking picture perfect – whether or not you are taking a stroll on the red carpet, you might have an event coming up where you want to look and feel fantastic.  Get ready for some red carpet ready tips from the pros.

Buzz about detoxing

A seasonal detox is said to speed up your metabolism and clear toxins out of your system. Spa director Matt Dower of the award-winning Mirbeau Inn & Spa says a seasonal detox can enhance your overall health and appearance.

• Prep by cutting your sugar intake including honey and artificial sweeteners; these pack on excess weight.
• Start your morning with a tall glass of water with the juice of ½ of a lemon. Lemon helps re-hydrate the system and promotes digestion, which will help the flow of waste out of your body.
• Sweat it out. Whether through aerobic exercise, heated yoga, a sauna or otherwise, sweating daily is a natural way to get rid of toxins.
• Drink plenty of water during and after your workout to replace water loss.

Detox from the inside out at Spa Luce, the Hollywood day spa at Renaissance Hotel & Spa at Hollywood & Highland Center – the place to be and be seen this week.  Chill out in a 60-min Detoxifying Wrap with essential oils of Rosemary, Juniper and Cypress combined with the active properties of Seaweed.  This will aid in reducing water retention and rebalancing your body.  You never know who you might run into… 

Stars are gym rats too

EQUINOX’s latest program for losing weight is their MetCon3™ fat-blasting class.  Based on the practice of metabolic conditioning, MetCon3 is a high-intensity class drawing on the latest research in endocrinology, exercise science, and strength-building to tax the body’s three energy systems and to improve the storage and delivery of energy to muscles of the body.  The workout targets your three energy systems (Phosphagen, Glycolic and Oxidative) using kettle bells, body bars, steps and weights to help you push your resistance levels up a notch.   Find star frequenters at EQUINOX: Hilary Swank, Natalie Portman, and Julianne Moore, Bradley Cooper, and Mark Wahlberg among others.

Reality check.  Celebs are people too, with real bodies just like you. 

Lifestyle expert and author Laurel House says, “Celebrities don’t maintain “picture perfection” year round. In fact, when it comes to the red carpet, they often times fake it thanks to practiced positioning, flattering cuts, same-day de-puffers, strategic spray tanning, momentary muscle-toning exercises, and a whole lot of eye-catching confidence.” 

The author of QuickieChick’s Cheat Sheet to Life, Love, Food, Fitness, Fashion and Finance on a Less than Fabulous Budget has some pretty tricky quickies to creating your own star.

1. Eat de-puffing foods to decrease circumference fast, you need to drop water weight. Have meals with“diuretic” foods like celery, celery seed, cranberry juice, green tea, fennel, and parsley.
2. Go for skin-brightening and lifting with a Yogurt Refrigerator Facial.  Rub full fat Greek yogurt on your face, and let it sit for 10 minutes. Remove it and reveal exfoliated, glowing skin.
3. Bathe in coffee grinds.  It improves circulation while simultaneously having a diuretic affect, pulling out water. Scrub the grinds on your thighs for instant slimming.

How Octavia does it.

Carlos Jaramillofitness director at Capella Pedregal resort in Cabo San Lucas Mexico and personal trainer to Academy Award nominee for Actress in a Supporting Role Octavia Spencer says you have to set an attainable goal for weight loss in an appropriate amount of time.

Jaramillo encourages cardio in all its varieties to his celebrity clients. “Your body will adapt to your favorite machine and before you know it, those 400 calories you used to burn in the beginning have dropped to 200 calories because you adapted and became more efficient at this exercise. So move on. Variety is the spice of life and it’s the key to a great fitness routine.”

Your very own premier personal trainer

Valerie Waters, fitness expert on the advisory board of LIVESTRONG.com and celebrity trainer and author of RedCarpetReady.com motivates clients (Ben Affleck, Charlize Theron, Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale, Reese Witherspoon) into tip top shape right with a circuit workout before a movie role or an awards ceremony.

Get into tip top shape quickly with five exercises Waters prescribes to her clientele. Complete them as a circuit for maximum fat burning benefit. Rest 1 minute after completing the circuit and repeat the circuit 3-4 times a week.  On the alternating days, do something different with your body like take a spin class or a run outside (run for 2 minutes, walk 1 minute. Repeat this 8-10x).

Skaters 20x each way.  Cross your left leg behind your right leg as your lower body. Extend your right arm out to your side and keep your left arm hanging on the outside of your front (right leg). Jump to the other side, switching the position of your legs and arms (reversing them.) Make sure you keep your head up. The key is to make far jumps from side to side.

Lunge Kicks 20x each way.  Stand with feet hip width apart and abs tight. Step back with your left foot and lower into a lunge so your right knee bends to 90 degrees. Squeeze your glutes as you push up through your right heel bringing your left leg forward, kicking it in front as you stand and straighten your right leg. Repeat the movement until you complete your reps, then switch sides.

Standing "W's" 15x. Stand with feet hip width apart, abs tight and bend over at the waist about 45 degrees. Bend your elbows more than 90 degrees, with your palms facing each other, thumbs pointing up. Maintaining the same bed in the elbows, squeeze your shoulder blades together as you raise your arms. Pause, slowly lower back to the starting position. At the top of the movement, your arms should form a "W". Pause, then slowly return to the starting position.

Star Push Ups 10 total (5 each way). Start in a push-up position with your arms shoulder width apart, elbows slightly bent and back straight. Begin by lowering yourself down an inch off the ground and then proceed to push yourself up, with one fluent motion. At the top of the push-up motion twist your upper body until one arm is positioned and held directly over the other in a straight line. Slowly lower yourself and repeat to opposite side.

Ultimate Toe Touch 10x each side.  Lie flat on the floor with legs out straight and arms out to the side of you. Raise your left leg and touch your toe with your right hand (or reach as close to your toe as you can), making sure both shoulders come off of the floor.

An award-winning smile.  Last but not least…don’t forget about your smile.  Flash those pearly whites like Audrina Patridge with new Colgate® Optic White™ Toothpaste.  Start brushing with this enamel-safe formula about a week before your big day and you will start noticing a whiter smile.  The lower 1% hydrogen peroxide concentration features the same whitening ingredient as leading strips and is clinically proven to whiten 3+ shades over a 4 week period.