Hot Hollywood Mums Masterclass
Friday 29 June 2012
These American beauties look amazing in their bikinis. Closer reveals the secrets behind their beach body confidence.
Best for bootilicious bums
Yummy Mummy: Beyonce
Pregnancy weight and size: 12st 2lbs and Size 14
Now weight and size: 9st 7lbs and Size 10
Masterclass: It felt like Beyonce had barely been pregnant before she was showcasing baby Blue Ivy Carter to the world – as well as her famous bootilicious bum. As well as dancing ahead of three comeback concerts in Atlantic City at the end of May, the 5ft 6 pop star has been doing Pilates to tone her stomach and pelvic muscles and yoga and plyometrics (weights with fast movements) to keep her bum pert. She’s also been hitting the gym with hubby Jay-Z, 42.
Diet wise, she eats six small meals a day, commonly known as the Grazing Diet. Filling up on healthy egg white omelettes, lots of fresh fruit, chicken and greens means that she never gets hungry and reaches for unhealthy foods.
Of her body confidence, she says: “I never want to get to that point where I don’t look natural. It’s important to feel like a woman, as well as look like a woman.”
Beyonce’s top tip: Take your husband to the gym with you so you can’t make excuses not to go!
Best for bingo wings
Yummy Mummy: Kate Hudson
Pregnancy weight and size: 9 stone and Size 10
Now weight and size: 8st 3lbs and Size 6-8
Masterclass: Kate Hudson’s toned arms are thanks to her secret discovery – a FREE iPhone fitness app, which means she can work out wherever she is in the world. And the 5ft 6” Something Borrowed actress, 33, credits the QE2 Pilates app, created by her personal trainer Nicole Stuart, for helping her shed her baby weight after having second son Bingham last August. Kate, also mum to Ryder, eight, splits her workout into four 10-minute blasts, targeting her arms, abs, bum and hips. As Kate hates dieting, she filled up on lots of high protein meals of steak or grilled chicken with veg and salad, and avoided eating after 6pm.
Kate credits her actress mum Goldie Horn, 66, for giving her beach body confidence. She says: “Mom always celebrated the female body. I felt when I started becoming a woman and getting my figure, it was celebrated. She also advised me not to go on crash diets, or become obsessed with my weight which is all very ‘Hollywood’.”
Kate’s top tip: Take an exercise ball (which you can deflate and pack in your suitcase) on holiday so you can fit in quick workouts in your hotel room.
Best for flat tums
Yummy Mummy: Jessica Alba
Pregnancy weight and size: 11st 8lbs Size 12
Now weight and size: 9st 1lb and Size 8
Masterclass: Jessica Alba’s killer abs are the result of working out with fitness guru Yumi Lee at LA’s Fitness Factory four times a week, doing core moves including burpees, lunges and chest presses. The 5ft 6 actress, 31, hit the gym hard for four months after having baby Haven, now eight months, last year. She loves calorie-burning hikes with her producer husband Cash Warren, 32, as well as the cross trainer and exercise bike at the gym. The Fantastic Four actress, also mum to Honor, three, sticks to three diet rules to stay slim: lots of lean meats, low-fat meals and she always leaves something on her plate. She also watches her portion sizes, avoids bread and deserts, apart from when she can’t resist a slice of cake! Discussing her beach body confidence, the actress says: “With Haven I didn’t gain as much as Honor, so afterwards I was closer to where I feel comfortable in my own skin.”
Jessica’s top tip: Create a fast-paced playlist of your favourite songs on your iPod to get you moving.
Best for toned legs
Yummy Mummy: Nicole Richie
Pregnancy weight and size: 10st 7lbs and Size 10
Now weight and size: 8 stone and Size 8
Masterclass: Six years after that skeletal beach photo, mum-of-two Nicole Richie is looking fitter and healthier than ever with legs to die for. She’s shed the two and a half stone of baby weight after having son Sparrow, two, and the 5ft 1 star, 30, has finally embraced her body and got her curves back. So what’s her secret? Fashion designer Nicole, also mum to daughter Harrow, four, joins the long list of A-listers who have enrolled the help of infamous trainer Tracey Anderson to get in shape. Tracey’s hardcore method includes hourly workouts 4-6 (yes six!) days a week doing a combination of aerobic exercise including skipping and sprinting and leg toning moves such as squats, star jumps and lunges with weights. A typical meal plan for Nicole includes a power juice made from kale, spinach, beetroot and apple, gazpacho (cold tomato) soup for lunch, chicken protein soup for dinner, and plenty of hydrating coconut water after workouts.
Speaking about the emaciated bikini photos from 2006, Nicole admitted she was too thin, saying: “I wouldn’t want any young girl looking at me and saying ‘that’s what I want to look like’.” Happily, it’s a completely different story now. We think you look fab, Nicole!
Nicole’s top tip: Make exercise fun. After being challenged by a mate to a Britney Spears dance off, she uploaded a hysterical video on YouTube of her and a friend breaking out some moves.
By Maddy Biddulph and Claire Newbon