Notoriously thin Nicole Richie has been called lots of things, but buff is not one of them. However, that all might change -- the petite socialite has been working out lately to prepare for her role role in the TV show Chuck. According to Richie, "In 'Chuck', I play a cheerleader who ends up in a huge girly fight with an old classmate. We had a week of intense training with a martial arts guy to get ready for this scene and I loved every minute of it. If I had any baby weight left, that definitely got rid of it."

And it looks like she's planning on keeping up her healthy routine -- according to sources, she's hired celeb trainer Harley Pasternak to whip her into shape. But it's not for health reasons -- says one friend, "Nicole feels huge right now. Her breasts are enormous and she finds it difficult to get comfortable. The change to her body has been drastic and it's been hard for Nicole to accept. She looks in the mirror and doesn't even recognize the person staring back at her."

She feels huge? I think she looks great with a couple extra pounds -- better than she has in years. Your thoughts?

Source

Eva Mendes has some fitness advice just for you: Be consistent.

Consistency is key, says the actress who gets her workout inspiration from celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak -- he helps her consistently sculpt her calves by climbing stairs, consistently tone her abs with seated side bends and crunches, and consistently strengthen her lower body with dumbbell deadlifts.

The key for us non-celebrity types is to stay consistent without the aid of an expensive trainer. Think you can do it? Health.com offers some motivating tips.

Source

Harley Pasternak is a favourite among celebrities -- Jessica Simpson, John Mayer, Halle Berry, Katherine Heigl and Christian Slater are among the stars who swear by his Factor-5 Diet. But you don't need to be a celeb to follow the plan -- his advice is available in books sold across the nation.

The number 5 stands for the number of meals you'll eat a day on the plan, but they have to be healthy ones. Shape Magazine recently revealed four delicious sounding 5-Factor recipes:

• Bran Pancakes with Ricotta
• Chocolate Mint Shakes
• Seared Scallops with orange sauce and broccoli-cauliflower sautee
• Cheesy Italian Eggplant

Sounds like a tasty weight-loss plan, don't you think?

Source

In many ways, celebrities are just like the rest of us. Some of them pack on the pounds during pregnancy, while others stay relatively fit. Some of them love to exercise, while others want nothing to do with it.

Milla Jovovich is one of those celebrities who experience major weight gain during her pregnancy, and, according to her trainer Harley Pasternak, she "is not someone who embraces exercise." She got up to 192 pounds by the time she gave birth in November, and then she had to be ready to be filmed in a bikini less than half a year later.

She got back down to her goal of 130 pounds in five months by ... get ready for it ... working out hard and eating well. I know, it's not exactly breaking news, but we all know this is the system that works. Milla trained with Harley five days a week, and he prepared three meals a day for her and two snacks.

Source

Jessica Simpson, John Mayer, and Halle Berry all use Harley Pasternak's 5 Factor Fitness Plan in their own fitness routines, and Pasternak has now released a book so you can try the method at home. As the title says, the plan is all about 5's. Eat five meals a day, exercise five days every week, and incorporate five signature elements into each routine. Pasternak also has a 5 Factor Diet, which incorporates 5 meals a day, using 5 ingredients, that you can prepare in 5 minutes. (What is it with this guy and the number 5? Though I do like the sound of 5 minute meals.)

As pointed out over at Diet-Blog, the celebrities in question used the program with Pasternak helping them in person. Diet books -- and I think especially fitness books -- are often notoriously hard to follow. That being said, it seems like Pasternak is offering pretty sound, down-to-earth advice. Has anyone read either book? What do you think?

Source