gymnast-related stories
"Dancing" Star Reveals Why He Looks Great Naked
Celebrity Fitzness Report, Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Our fitness expert Fitz sits down with the stars and digs out their great and not-so-great methods for staying healthy.
This week I interviewed an American Gold Medalist and the most famous naked man of 2008. Shawn Johnson and Gilles Marini are two of the strongest competitors on ABC's hit show "Dancing with the Stars," and they have two of the best bodies as well. We all know Shawn's a fierce athlete and Gilles ... well, we all know that he looks spectacular in the buff.
Gilles made us drool as Samantha's sexy neighbor in the "Sex and the City" movie, and he reveals to us his secret to staying outrageously lean and muscular. Shawn divulged what shocked her about ballroom dancing and whether or not she expects to bring home that disco ball trophy. If nothing else has inspired you to become more fit, these two sure will!
For the highest quality viewing experiencing, we've embedded this video on Fitzness.com. Please click on the video below and you'll arrive at this fun interview (located on the bottom right corner of the front page).
Hottest Celeb Guys
By Mary Kearl
12: Kevin Eubanks
Kevin Eubanks has made his name as a jazz musician as the leader of Jay Leno's Tonight Show's band. Now he has gained recognition for his healthy vegetarian lifestyle by being voted PETA's World's Sexiest Vegetarian man in 2007. Eubanks' reason for choosing this lifestyle? "Every night before the show, I make sure [my] guitar is perfectly tuned," he has said. "And every day, I do the same for my body -- with healthy, vegetarian meals.It's the easiest way to stay fit and feel great."
Image credit: Getty Images
7: Matt Damon
This cutie has been known to do some crazy yo-yo dieting for movie roles. But we love Matt Damon for bulking up for his lead role in 'The Bourne Identity' series -- becoming Jason Bourne required months of training in kickboxing, martial arts, and weaponry. Director Paul Greengrass has called Damon an "amazing sportsman" -- and we couldn't agree more.
6: David Beckham
You know the accolades -- two-time finalist for FIFA World Player of the year, one of the highest paid "football" players, Posh Spice's man-candy, object of lust of every other female. AOL Body loves David Beckham because he's supportive of his wife's fitness goals -- and 'cause he's willing to push himself to that next level of fitness. We hear he does running sessions on sand -- on top of his regular workouts -- yikes!
Image credit: Getty Images
4: Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt has a slew of workouts and websites dedicated to honoring his celeb fitness status: BradPittWorkout.com, Brad Pitt's "Troy Workout," and "How to Be Ripped Like Brad Pitt (Tyler Durden) From Fight Club in 12 Weeks Or Less." Each includes a mix of aerobic intensity and strength training, targeting back, arms, shoulders, and naturally, ab muscles. These days, however, Pitt has put his celeb life on pause for the concern of others' health, donating a reported $1 million to Doctors Without Borders, which Pitt has said was good for his health too. "It's personally rewarding when you see lives change because of an action you take that, though simple for you, means so much to others. You sleep peacefully at night."
Image credit: Getty Images
3: Matthew McConaughey
Matthew McConaughey is the hottest poster boy for outdoor fitness we know. Whether running, biking, hiking, or swimming, he always seems to be workin' it outdoors (how else could we see so many shirtless paparazzi pics?). But lately we hear he's taken up an even rougher and tougher workout -- stand up paddle surfing -- a variation of surfing that gives his whole body a workout. Hey, whatever he's doing, he can keep on doing it.
Image credit: Getty Images
1: Will Smith
We've always loved this Bad Boy's legendary abs and toned arms. True to form, Will Smith has written song lyrics that explain his mantra for fitness and life: "The key to life is on a treadmill." Or, as he told 'Reader's Digest,' "When I say I am going to run three miles, I run five. With that mentality, it is actually difficult to lose."?We couldn't have said it better.
Image credit: Getty Images
Celebrity Fitzness Report: Olympic Champion Nastia Liukin
Womens Health, Celebrity Fitzness Report, Diet & Weight Loss, Celebs & Entertainment, Nutrition & Supplements
Curious to know how celebrities squeeze fitness into their daily lives? Want to know the secrets of the stars? Bi-weekly, our That's Fit fitness expert Fitz sits down with the celebs we want to know more about, and digs out their great and not-so-great methods to staying healthy.
Nastia Liukin was the darling of the U.S. gymnastics team this year as she conquered Olympic Gold in the All Around competition and proudly added to her collection four more medals. That would be three silver and one bronze; I personally would kill to have just one in any color. She's Russian born, American bred and now working with the Secret Sport Challenge to help make other athletic dreams come true. I scored this interview this week while she was promoting the Challenge and bringing attention to the twenty $5,000 scholarships being given away to help others achieve their sporty goals. Nastia is ridiculously fit and has some great advice to help you look better, feel stronger and live longer.
Fitz: How many hours a week do you train before a competition?
Nastia: Before the Olympics I trained for about seven hours a day. It included about two hours of warming up and conditioning, and the rest of the time was spent practicing routines and skills on the events.
Fitz: If you weren't a professional athlete/gymnast how do you think you'd pursue fitness?
Acupuncture for athletes
I was watching the Olympics the other day and saw a piece where a reporter went and received acupuncture treatments. It was interesting to hear about this particular practitioner who was influential in acupuncture's acceptance into Western culture. After the piece, the reporter mentioned that Nastia Liukin, gold medalist in the women's all-around gymnastics competition, has weekly acupuncture treatments. She's not alone. Acupuncture is widely used as a method to aid and speed healing from sports-related injuries. Though the thought of multiple metal needles being inserted into your body is daunting, to say the least, proponents of the traditional form of medicine sing its praises. In addition to aiding in healing, acupuncture is said to help athletes by boosting energy, improving circulation, and ensuring the body gets the most out of nutrients. In addition, acupuncture is said to help improve the quality of sleep and boost immunity.
Shawn Johnson flips for nutrition
Fitness, Nutrition & Supplements
It was a one-two win for American gymnasts last night at the women's all around. I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to watch these powerhouse athletes perform. Graceful and athletic Nastia Liukin took home a well-deserved gold. But I have to admit that my personal favorite was young Shawn Johnson. She's so powerful and seems to pack every move with just a little bit of attitude. It's no wonder the silver medalist has a lot of power behind her moves; she trains 4 hours each weekday and 5-6 hours on Saturdays. Unlike Michael Phelps' astounding calorie intake, Shawn Johnson strives for a bit more balance in her meals. She doesn't follow any specific diet, but just aims for good nutrition and a healthy balance. She also tries to stay away from sweets. Johnson says, "A normal breakfast for me is yogurt and scrambled eggs, lunch might be a wrap or salad with some fruit, and for dinner I eat a lot of fish or chicken and fresh vegetables."
Train like an Olympian: Alicia Sacramone, gymnastics
Fitness, Celebs & Entertainment
Her workout consists of hanging leg lifts, lunge walks holding a bar, pikes on an exercise ball, and standing side jumps onto a box or step. These moves help her gain the power to do the amazing flips and jumps required for her sport, but will help the rest of us to sculpt fabulous butt and thigh muscles and work our abs. Most of Alicia's cardio comes from her gymnastics work, but she spends about three hours a week focusing on cardio.
As far as diet goes, Alicia is careful to eat healthfully, but doesn't follow any strict diet and doesn't leave out any food groups. To relax, she relies on her iPod (she says it's her best friend), which is filled with R&B, hip hop, and energetic dance music.
Gymnastics helps kids build strong bones
If you want your kids to have stronger bones and avoid osteoporosis later in life, encouraging gymnastics and other high-impact sports activities before they hit puberty could really help. Research shows that girls who participate in gymnastics, particularly artistic gymnastics, have much greater bone density than girls who are active in other less strenuous activities. The keys are jumping, sprinting, and rapid direction changes, which all put stress on the bones and encourage them to grow stronger. So some sports besides gymnastics can also be good for bone development such as basketball, soccer, and lacrosse to name a few.
