Blake Lively's Personal Trainer Shares Secrets to Her Incredible Body After 4 Kids
Don Saladino, Blake Lively's longtime friend and personal trainer, has revealed exactly what the Gossip Girl star does each day to ensure she continues to look and feel her best after giving birth to four kids. The good news is that the most important part of Blake's health and fitness regimen is both free and easy for almost anyone to do.
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Don said there's one thing that Blake does every day that makes a huge difference.
When it comes to weight loss, sleep plays a critical role, according to the trainer. In fact, he once had a client lose a shocking nine pounds in three weeks just by logging an extra 90 minutes of sleep each night.
"It's a fat-burner, and it's free," he explained to E! News, before adding that the average person needs between seven and nine hours of sleep per night.
He also said highly restrictive diets can do more harm than good.
Anyone who has ever tried to go on a strict diet knows that there can be plenty of pitfalls to this approach. Not only does restriction leave you feeling "ravenous" — leading to binge eating and other unhealthy choices — but it can also make you feel lousy.
"The human body is going to look at the amount of calories someone is consuming and say, 'Wait a second, this person is not putting enough energy into my body.' And you're not going to run all that well," Don explained of extreme diets.
You also may fail to lose weight.
Don said caloric deficits prevent people from achieving their weight loss goals.
"Their blood sugar level is low and their energy level is low, so they are not moving as frequently anymore," he continued, noting that you'll have more success if you focus on eating high-protein food and plenty of fruits and veggies.
Another cheap trick that he claims can help you shed a few pounds? Walking.
Getting your steps in is a simple and effective way to stay trim.
Walking "everywhere" is a free and easy way to burn calories and improve overall health at the same time. "Walk to work in the morning, walk home from work, after all three of your meals, walk for 30 minutes, just do something," Don urged.
"You're going to have to show some discipline. It's a pretty easy thing to do, and sometimes people are like, 'Oh, walking is easy — that's effective?' Of course it is. It's very effective."
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We realize all of this is probably easier said than done.
Most busy parents simply don't have the time to squeeze any more sleep into their packed schedules (as much as they might wish otherwise), and in today's car-dependent society, not everyone has the opportunity to walk to and from work.
That being said, it's nice to hear celebrities touting more easily obtainable wellness routines that don't involve committing hours to the gym and thousands of dollars on equipment and gear. If there's a diet plan we could get behind, walking and sleeping our way to a healthier body would definitely be the winner.
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