He’s helped Beyonce, her hubby Jay-Z, and superhot mom Gwen Stefani get into shape, and now Marcos Borges can help you work out over the holiday season. Because we’re all frantically running around during this time of the year, Marcos created a 5-minute total body routine, published in Us magazine, for which you only need your own body weight.

Dedicate only 1 minute to each exercise; they’re guaranteed to work your biceps, triceps, shoulders, chest, core, abs, lower back, glutes and thighs.

Jumping Plies
Begin with a regular plie – feet more than shoulder-width apart, back straight, abs contracted – lowering yourself so that your thighs are parallel to the floor (or as far as you can go). But instead of slowly straightening your knees, quickly jump up, returning to your starting position upon landing to repeat the move.

Reverse Lunges
Instead of stepping forward into a regular lunge, step backwards, but make sure your back is straight and your abs are contracted. Your front knee should be directly over your heel, and then return to your original position (standing with your feet shoulder width apart) and repeat with the opposite leg.

Push-Ups
There’s no variation to this classic move; just make sure you keep your body as straight as a plank and flex at the elbow. Repeat for 1 minute.

Dips
With your hands beside you pressing on a flat, raised surface and your legs stretched out in front of you, slowly lower yourself as far as you can go. Push yourself back up to your starting position and then repeat.

Side Planks
Start in the plank position, but with your one hand pointed up towards the sky and your other on the ground holding your body up. With your feet stacked on each other, lower your hips to the ground but keep your bottom arm locked. (This move works your core.) Then return to the starting position and repeat.

Source

Apart from her awesome music, Beyonce is known the world round for her curves, on-stage leotards and fit physique.  She recently told Billboard that she may not wear her high heels on the treadmill but she does do all of her choreography practice in her heels, and she makes sure that the back-up dancers do the same.  She said,

“But I mainly get in shape from doing the choreography during those long 12-hour rehearsals for two months before a tour.”

Along with those grueling 12-hour rehearsals Beyonce also said that just like other people she’ll do the ‘boring’ workouts such as running on the treadmill and doing squats.  The Single Ladies singer said,

“I don’t run on a treadmill in heels. That’s a bit extreme.  But I do practice my choreography in heels.”

Beyonce is currently Billboard’s Woman of the Year.

Source

The rapping megastar Jay-Z, who is married to Beyonce, is a regular exerciser.  He recently said that he normally exercises four times a week and does things such as push ups, pull ups, cardio and weight training. Granted that’s if he’s not on holiday nor if he’s in the middle of a strenuous tour.

But this may all change now that he has been touring with Coldplay whose lead singer happens to be Chris Martin, the husband of Gwyneth Paltrow.  Just like his wife, Martin practices yoga and his concerts are an incredible show full of energy where Martin bounces around as agile as can be and looks like a rubber band as he bends and stretches across the large stage. Jay-Z has taken notice of this and though he hasn’t started yoga yet, he’s definitely thinking about it.  He said,

“Chris hasn’t tried to get me to do yoga yet but I am close to doing it. I’m envious of what he can do on stage. Watching him is amazing, he can really move. I want to be able to move like that, get my leg behind my ear, things like that.”

Other yoga bending crooners include Madonna, LeAnn Rimes and Sheryl Crow.

Source

The man behind Beyonce’s gorgeous figure, Marco Borges, is revealing his secrets to a Dream Girl body, and how you can get those dangerous curves.

Borges has spent the past 16 years helping people lead healthier lifestyles and has worked with other celebrities including rap heavy-weight Jay-Z and the super fit pop-rocker Gwen Stefani. His latest book, Power Moves: The Four Motions to Transform Your Body For Life, reveals his inventive secrets for lifelong health based solely on four simple exercise motions. Earlier this year, Borges appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres show to demonstrate a few moves from his book – without expensive gym equipment.

Each day the celebrity trainer and exercise physiologist will share his tips on Usmagazine.com, so you’ve got to keep checking back to the website for more.

Today’s tip is: Walk It Out
“Did you know that walking a mile burns the same amount of calories as running a mile? Also, walking has the highest rate of compliance of any exercise, which means you’re more likely to stick to it than anything else. Studies show you can add 12 years to your life if you go on a walk three times a week.

Beyonce, Sarah Jessica Parker and especially Gwyneth Paltrow all swear by detox cleanses. But the Today Health show has questioned whether they’re safe and as healthy as they claim to be or not.

Dr Ian Smith, author of The 4 Day Diet, and Heidi Skolnik, a nutritionist to the New York Giants, went on to the morning chat show to discuss the pros and cons to these sometimes extreme eating programs.

Watch the video above for the answers…

Most women would kill for a bootylicious body like Beyonce’s. But the Grammy-award winning singer says she too has her days when she’s not entirely happy with her curves.

The 27-year-old bombshell is as famous for shaking her booty on stage as she is for her powerhouse voice, but told MTV recently that she goes through stages, like every woman.

“I guess my butt is natural… I like being curvy but sometimes I get curvy in the wrong places.”

But it’s not just her self-image that passes through cycles; sometimes her workout routines do too. The Destiny’s Child leading lady and Dream Girl says her workouts usually pick up around New Year, during which time she focuses on “doing the stairs”. Unfortunately her motivation only lasts for about three months, the singer says.

In 2007, Beyonce was made GQ magazine’s Sexiest Woman in the World. But the Houston, Texas, native doesn’t feel comfortable making those ‘Sexiest’ or ‘Most Beautiful’ lists.

“Some people think one thing is beautiful, some think another is. When people say that I am ‘most beautiful’ or ‘most sexy’, it bothers me,” she told MTV. “I like fashion and I like to look good. I like to try at least, but everyone has their own opinion.”

With a body like hers, most women would relish the thought of simply making it into GQ magazine, never mind being listed as its sexiest woman in the world.

Source

“If I’m sitting around at home, I’m not going to want the 100-calorie Oreos,” she told SELF. “I’m going to want the real Oreos and milk. Staying busy…I have more discipline.”

“Comfort food helps.  I allow myself one bad meal every week. Yesterday, I had pizza and wine. There’s too much good out there to never indulge.”

“I feel best when I’m not really thin and not really heavy, when I’m still curvy,” she told SELF. “I really believe that everyone is supposed to be different, and whatever is a natural weight for you is usually what looks best.”

Beyonce is on the cover of the June issue of Self Magazine and inside she admits that she too has to work hard at staying in shape.  In the interview she was very candid about the dedication required to keep fit.  She said,

“I can’t eat what I want, and I can’t not go to the gym.”

As of late, Beyonce is rather cardio focused and on days when she doesn’t have long dance rehearsals she will run up to six miles a day. She has a personal trainer with whom she works out five days a week and her training includes 100 squats, step-ups and walking lunges. She also does some strength training,

“I’ll put on a song that I really like and do [biceps curls with] five-pound weights [for] the whole song and just try to burn out.”

Beyonce also explained how she keeps physical and mental incentives in order to stay focused.  For example, she keeps a painting of an Oscar statue next to her treadmill as a visual reminder of her ultimate goal and she’ll think about or meditate on the costumes that she has to fit into for concerts, appearances, etc.. Beyonce sees that diet and exercise is all about a state of mind and that the mental determination is just as important as physical determination.

“The truth is, it’s a lot of sacrifice. It’s more about your mental strength than physical strength. You have to push yourself. It doesn’t matter what trainer you have. And it doesn’t matter what program you’re on. You have to be healthy and make the right choices.”

Source