30 Tips from Celebs About Health, Weight Loss, Willpower, and More
I won't lie: When I need a bit of inspiration to reboot my diet or find my lost motivation to hit the gym, I always turn to Hollywood. It's the job of celebrities to look good and flaunt their progress—and believe it or not, many do follow healthy (and attainable) philosophies that help them look and feel great on the inside and out.
So, read on for words of wisdom, encouragement, and motivation from 35 fit stars. These nuggets can help you get back on track, start fresh, and stop beating yourself up over a moment of weakness. Find some inspiration below and then check out these 17 Tips to Keep Your Resolutions—From Celebrity Trainers and Nutritionists!
BETHENNY FRANKEL
"Just as you balance your spending and savings, you must balance your food choices: Don't eat too much of any one thing; don't eat the same thing twice; balance starches with proteins, vegetables, and fruits with sweets; and always balance a splurge with a save."
JILLIAN MICHAELS
"Don't go treat-free. This is a bad way to live. If you go to one extreme, the pendulum is just going to swing all the way back to the other. I like to say to follow the 80-20 rule: Eighty percent of the time, eat the cleaner, healthier foods; 20 percent of the time, have the burger, the fries, the glass of wine." For more smart tips from this fitness guru, check out these 30 Best Weight Loss Tips from Jillian Michaels.
MICHELLE OBAMA
"I began to prioritize exercise because I realized that my happiness is tied to how I feel about myself. I want my girls to see a mother who takes care of herself, even if that means I have to get up at 4:30 a.m. so I can do a workout."
KELLY RIPA
"I like what [exercise] does for my mind. If I've had a bad day, if I'm feeling stressed out, if I'm feeling overwhelmed—it takes it all away. It's my antidote for everything. If I feel any sort of emotional upheaval, I go for a jog and I feel better."
KHLOE KARDASHIAN
"Don't diet. When you diet, you are basically setting yourself up for failure. I mean, the word 'die' is in there! You're not allowing yourself to enjoy the food you love, and it will only make you want it that much more. Make smart lifestyle changes—one baby step at a time." Love Khloe? Then don't miss the 4 Weight Loss Mantras Khloe Kardashian Swears By.
JENNIFER HUDSON
"The key thing is figuring out what your issues are, and it's really never about the food. You have to be real and honest with yourself. I had to stop and look and ask myself, 'Why do I want this? What is the real reason?' At times, it was comfort food like chocolate. I love chocolate and I realized it relaxes me. When you acknowledge what the issue is, you can control it better."
OPRAH WINFREY
"What I know for sure is this: The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal for this year is, you can get there—as long as you're willing to be honest with yourself about the preparation and work involved. There are no back doors, no free rides. There's just you, this moment, and a choice." Don't miss these 15 Food Facts You Never Knew About Oprah for more intriguing insights about this motivated woman.
KIM KARDASHIAN
"I'm really proud of my curves, and I hope all you curvy girls out there are embracing yours too! It's important to work out and be the best version of yourself that you can be, but never feel like you have to be the skinniest girl in the room to be the prettiest. Be confident in yourself and you'll shine!"
ALICIA KEYS
"I really enjoy actually training. I like the focus of it, I like the mental side of it, and I like running. I like when it's warm; if I can just hit a city block or hit a block, it gives me something to really concentrate on. And it's time alone, so I really like that a lot."
LEA MICHELE
"It's so important to stress that being healthy is not about being a gym rat. It's not about being 90 pounds. This is really how I live every single day. You have to look good, but you also have to feel good. So, I find workouts that [help with] both those things."
ASHLEY GRAHAM
"I workout and I do my best to eat well. I love the skin I'm in. And I'm not ashamed of a few lumps, bumps, or cellulite—and you shouldn't be either.
MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY
"It's no fun to sit down and talk about what exercise has to do with life. Go drip that sweat, run until fatigued—to where the mind can't ponder the past or the future—[and] then you've got something. It's fun to feel healthy, and it's fun to feel good."
MINKA KELLY
"[Working out has] completely changed my body, my life, everything. I cannot live without it now. When you have such a good workout, it clears everything up mentally, physically, and you just have a better day." Jealous of how much fun it sounds like she's having? Then don't miss these 35 Fun Ways to Lose Weight!
CHRISTINA HENDRICKS
"[Exercising with my husband] makes it so much more fun and makes the time go by so much faster because we're encouraging each other. And my husband is ridiculously funny, so he's making jokes the whole time we're working out, and we're getting time together."
BOB HARPER
"For me, working out is a form of therapy; it's cathartic for me and it's a good stress reliever. I know that when I go to the gym, I am taking care of myself and I know I'll feel so much better afterward." Follow these other 15 Rules from Bob Harper for Fast Weight Loss to get more inspirational wisdom.
BRIDGET MOYNAHAN
"It's a combination of wanting to be strong, fit, and healthy and enjoying the stress release. If you're healthy all around, you'll feel better. And if you feel better, you'll have a more positive outlook. It's all connected."
LAUREN GRAHAM
"Just keep moving. Someone said this to me a long time ago. It's a Buddhist saying, I think: 'There is no wasted effort.'"
LEANN RIMES
"[Working out] really did make me feel better and kind of saved me. It gave me a bit of sanity … I'm serious about my exercise. I don't just doodle around. I see people at the gym talking on their cell phones. I mean, you've got to put in the effort!" Are you guilty of these 12 Worst Cardio Mistakes You're Making? Find out!
JULIE BOWEN
"Running is the quickest endorphin hit I can get. I like to do it really early in the morning before everyone gets up. It gives me a clear head and sort of resets the clock. It's like, 'OK, I got that out of the way. Now I can deal with people.'"
ALANIS MORISSETTE
"There's a great empowerment that I get from running [and] not only from the endorphins … Being a runner, to me, has made being depressed impossible. If ever I'm going through something emotional and just go outside for a run, you can rest assured that I'll come back with clarity and empowerment."
USHER
"If you take care of your body, it'll take care of you. The benefit obviously is that I'm protecting my body from being harmed. I did my best to prepare and condition my body over time. If I didn't do this, I'd look a mess because of the lifestyle I live."
WILL SMITH
"Just stay ready. Stay in shape and then you don't have to rush to train before the movie starts. I'll show you my abs later because I'm in shape. But that idea, if you stay ready, you don't have to get ready."
GIGI HADID
"I was always taught to pay a lot of attention to my body and the foods that make me feel good. It's really important to get tested for your allergies and know what's inflammatory for your body and what you shouldn't be eating. I think all of those things are really important, more than following one person's fitness and diet routine." Speaking of inflammation, fight back with these 30 Best Anti-Inflammatory Foods!
KRISTEN BELL
"It's so hard to schedule workouts, so I try to do activities with my friends. Instead of going to the movies on Saturday, we'll go play Ultimate Frisbee or go hiking with the dogs or go bike riding. Something that's social, but also gives you a workout."
KALEY CUOCO
"It took years for me to figure out what my body needs and that what works for my friends doesn't necessarily work for me. Doing yoga five times a week has transformed my body. I love being toned and having muscle; it's so sexy and beautiful. And I owe it 100 percent to yoga. I go to a place called CorePower Yoga. One morning I'll take the Hot Power Fusion class, which is an amazing calorie burner. Or I'll take a Yoga Sculpt class, where we wear three-pound weights during yoga moves. The sculpt classes include 20 seconds of mountain climbing or jumping jacks between the poses, so I get cardio, too."
EMMA STONE
"If there isn't someone yelling in my face, then I'm just not into it. Pilates is the one thing that makes me happy while I'm doing it. But other than that, it puts me in a bad mood to lift stuff over my head. I hate it. But it is important to do it for my health, so I need to do it more."
ZAC EFRON
"There's this trigger that happens after two or three weeks of dieting and eating healthy food, where your body switches its primary energy source from burning mainly carbohydrates to burning fat. And when it switches over, all your cravings change. You go, 'Holy cow, I want kale and vinaigrette shredded with beets and a little bit of sweet potato!'"
KATE HUDSON
"I'm healthy but I'm not a preachy person. I know I should have more flaxseed, and I should be having spirulina every morning. I know there's some 'good fat' that I'm not getting in the day. I'm doing the best that I can. I believe in green juice, which is a lazy way of not eating the greens … I try to live by the basic rules, which is watch your sugar, watch your gluten, watch out for too much dairy, and I try not to eat too much red meat."
JESSICA ALBA
"I try to work out as much as I can. But the biggest change in my body came when I stopped eating processed food. I don't eat fast food or anything that's packaged or loaded with salt and preservatives. I eat as many organic and fresh foods as possible. I don't cut out cheese, I don't cut out carbs, I just eat fresh foods. It's made a huge difference in how I look and how I feel."
CHANNING TATUM
"I love food and I love indulging. My wife craves healthy food, but I'm the complete opposite. I grew up down South, eating Cheetos and Ho Hos. Processed, sugary, salted food. That's what I grew up on. And I was a skinny kid. Then you hit a certain age, you start drinking beer and now it's really easy to put on [weight]. And you can't fake it in 'Magic Mike.'" Speaking of men in movies, don't miss these 17 Famous Men Who Totally Changed Their Weight for Movies!
