Lauren Graham, fresh from her 7-year stint on the Gilmore Girls and recently co-starring in the film Evan Almighty, uses celebrity trainer, Ron Mathews, to keep in top shape. Recently profiled in Viv mag Ron Mathews, has also worked with Eva Mendes and Jennifer Garner. What are Lauren’s secrets for staying in shape?

Lauren Graham: Diet
Lauren’s daily calorie goal is 1600-1700. She allows herself to indulge in desert and pasta on occasion.

Breakfast – Tortilla wrap with 1 slice of low fat cheese and 3-4 egg whites and 2 tablespoons of salsa
Snack – Atkins bar
Lunch – Large mixed green salad with 4-6 ounces of lean protein such as chicken, turkey or fish.
Snack – 3/4 cup cottage cheese
Dinner – 6-8 ounces of lean protein like chicken or fish with 1/3 cup brown rice, 1 1/2 cups steamed veggies, such as asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, peppers (no peas or corn).
Beverages – Lauren drinks 8 glasses of water per day. She’ll add a glass of water if she drinks a caffeinated beverage to offset any dehydrating effects.

Ron’s philosophy is to allow for one cheat meal per week, but he recommends not to overdo it and turn it into all day cheat-fest.

“If you try to eat perfectly all the time you will fail, so don’t set yourself up for defeat. When you know you are going to rewarded with that occasional piece of cake, it makes sense to focus on clean eating the rest of the time.”

Lauren Graham: Workout
Lauren workout sessions with Ron are an hour long, 4 days a week. He keeps her excited about her workouts by mixing it up, with an emphasis on working the core and stability training. Ron aims to keep her heart rate about 145 for each session. If they are unable to meet she’ll do cardio on her own instead.

“Consistency is key. The body does better if you work out at the same time each day – your body will then realize when it needs calories and will have energy available at that time.”

Celebrity Diet Doctor Weigh in…
Ron’s “cheat meal” allowance is somewhat reminiscent of Harley Pasternak’s “cheat day” in his 5-Factor Diet and Exercise Plan. The similarities don’t stop there as Pasternak has also trained Eva Mendes. Looking at Lauren’s diet, it includes a serving of protein at every meal to curb hunger. She could afford to go up on the veggies, which will fill her up on less calories. I couldn’t help but notice the “2 tablespoons of salsa” which doesn’t really make sense to me from a weight control standpoint. You actually want to fill up on low cal foods, such as Salsa, so you eat less higher calorie foods. Portion control would be best used on the higher calorie foods such as the cheese and tortilla wrap.

But I digress, because Lauren’s diet and workout are obviously paying dividends. You would never know that she is actually 40 years of age.  Yes 40! Lauren sure makes 40 look like the new 30!

You can learn more about Ron at his website.
www.ronmathews.com

Ron offers weight training (Muscle Fusion) and boot camp (A-Bomb) at the Fitness Factory in West Hollywood.
www.atomfitness.com/

Ron can also be found on the television show My Workout, Friday mornings on Life Time.