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Me too!

When Charlotte wrote about her Action Hero Workout experiment, I wanted to know more about Valerie Waters, the personal trainer behind the workouts. She has trained super buff celebrities like Jennifer Garner, Kim Raver, Jessica Biel and Cindy Crawford. She obviously knows how to get results, and that is exactly what I need!

I got in touch with her and was very excited when she sent me her Valslide to review. (although I was secretly hoping she would fly out to train me for a week/month/year!) As I said in my pre-vacation post, the Valslide was one of my five fitness tools that I brought with me on my trip. It is portable, convenient and very effective. Trust me, regular lunges will seem like a breeze after doing them with a Valslide!

She also sent me a copy of her Red Carpet Ready ebook and it is AWESOME! It is more than just nutrition and fitness advice, it is a PLAN. So many times I say “I am going to do this tomorrow” and then tomorrow comes and I forget. Valerie sums it up by saying:

“plan for your workouts and your food. Don’t leave it up to chance”.

This is just one of several “a-ha!” moments I’ve had as I continue to read the book. If you are looking for a plan, with workouts that will challenge your every muscle, then get it here.

Valerie is not just an amazing trainer, but she is also very kind. She took time out of her very busy schedule to answer some questions for me. I was particularly interested in how some of the new moms, such as Kim Raver, were able to get back in such great shape after having a baby.

Q: Please tell me how you got started with personal training and becoming a celebrity trainer?
From the moment I first picked up a barbell, I loved weight training. For years I studied and mimicked what the body builders were doing. This was the late eighties, before it became too extreme, but also when everyone else was doing aerobics. In the early 90’s I moved to LA and got a job in a fancy boutique gym. They were one of the first clubs to actively promote personal training. I went through their trainer program and with in a month of starting I was booked solid 8 hours a day! I knew then I had found my calling. I loved turning people onto fitness and seeing how their confidence and self esteem increased as they became more fit. Eventually the gym went under, as did the next 3 gyms I moved my clients to. It was a difficult time but I was learning so much and really growing as a trainer. A couple years later someone referred Cindy Crawford to me and who ended up training with me for over 15 years! She was at the height of her supermodel-ness when we met and working with her brought me attention. She also referred her model girlfriends and her then boyfriend Richard Gere to me who I helped prepare for several movie roles. At one point, someone referred Lauren Holly to me. She was nervous about working with a trainer because the previous ones had made her “too bulky” and she didn’t want that look. I had already moved past my body building, body-part split routines toward my own style of circuit training. Lauren loved the workouts and her new body. Six weeks after we started I had her camera ready for a film role and soon she was on the cover of In Style. It was around this time that my number seemed to be on speed dial of all the major talent agents and managers. I became known for delivering results fast! Then one day I received a call from a girl named Jennifer who said “I’m going to play a spy.” This began a very rewarding relationship with the very lovely Jennifer Garner. I had a blast helping her become a butt kicking super spy, then a super hero, and now a super sexy mom!

Q: Do you have any advice for those who say they do not have time to exercise?
You have to let go of the notion that you will one day magically find the time to exercise. You must make the time! In the beginning you may need to carve it out in bits and pieces but you can accomplish a lot in 15-20 minutes if you are focused. But please, make sure it is a focused “I’m working out” time. Not a, “I will do plie squats while I do the dishes or crunches while still in bed” type of workout. Exercise is very empowering and a great stress reducer. You won’t see the full benefits if you are multitasking during your workout.

Q: If I only have time for a 20 minute workout, what exercises should be on my “must-do” list?
First, I would make sure you are lifting weights during those 20 minutes, not walking on the treadmill. It is best to focus on large muscles like the glutes, back & chest and do combination exercises like a reverse lunge with a 2 arm row or a Valslide side lunge with a shoulder press. This will enable you to get more done in less time.

Q: What are some tips/ideas about the new moms you have trained, like Kim Raver?
What is so great about my mommy clients like Kim Raver is that they recognize the importance of staying fit during their pregnancy. For Kim, it was doubly important because she actually shot the pilot of Lipstick Jungle while she was 6 months pregnant! Didn’t she look great! When you start exercising again (this will be different for everyone) you simply can not start up where you left off, especially with your abs, but do get started. Your baby and family will be better served if you take care of yourself too.

Q: Was she able to bounce back after her baby and what changes had to be made to her workout given her new schedule?
Kim Raver bounced back but right into work 3 weeks later. I hope this takes the myth out of the fact that celebs have it so much easier. We really had to stay focused on the nutrition because it was hard to get to the gym with her shooting schedule. This is where having a few pieces of equipment at home really counts. A Valslide, Valband, step, stability ball and 2-3 pairs of dumbbells is all you need. When she couldn’t make it to the gym she had a 20 minute routine she could do at home or in her trailer. Being on camera may make you a little more committed but it doesn’t make it any easier. Kim would always tell me how much better she felt after working out.

Q: Do you have any suggestions for the sleep deprived moms? (like myself!)
Yes! I have worked with many new moms. Besides Kim, there’s Jennifer Garner, Cindy Crawford, Rachel Roberts (Simone). I find it best to focus on basic strength exercises. It will feel good to move some iron. This is not the time for intervals. I find that a strength circuit will give you back some energy. I like to keep the exercises really basic: squats, lunges, rows, chest press, glute bridges and stabilization moves for abs like planks or belly button draw-ins.

Q: And your action hero workouts are excellent—if you could be an action hero, who would YOU be? Well Wonder Woman has the best costume but I think I have to go with the Bionic Woman (the original Jamie Sommers version). I loved that she was really just a human with some special parts. I like the idea that we can re-build ourselves.

Q: Given the fact that your schedule is probably overbooked, how do YOU find the time to exercise? I like to do my workout first thing in the morning. It doesn’t always happen but that is my favorite. It just sets my whole day. When you workout in the morning you get to carry it around with you all day. You feel almost virtuous. Of course, like anyone else, I have to be committed to making the time otherwise I would just sleep that extra hour.

Q: And what is your favorite workout?
I love a really great strength circuit. I have been lifting weights for over 20 years and it is still my favorite. I do however, like to sweat, so even when I weight train it feels very cardio. Just like with my clients, I set up giant circuits and keep moving. For recreation I like yoga, surfing and hiking with my dogs Cody & Lexi.

Thank you again Valerie!

To find out more about Valerie Waters and the Valslide, please visit her website here. For information about the Red Carpet Ready program, follow this link here.

and since it is Monday gang, get up and get moving! What action hero will YOU be today?

Written on Monday, June 16th, 2008 at 4:31 am
Filed under fitness, interviews, product reviews.
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