Mel B is promoting her own workout dvd. She was in London yesterday on a morning chat show selling the video and then at the launch of International Fitness Week March 14 – 21 at Old Spitalfields Market. Not really feeling her makeup right now. Is it the lips?

Anyway, I think this is what she does now. She’s made all her money from the Spice Girls past and revival, then she did the Dancing With The Sh-ts gig, and now she’s pimping herself as some kind of fitness person. This is something I’ve been thinking about a lot – when people get really, really famous really, really early, and then that momentum just runs out…what do you do with the rest of your time?

Like, what will Justin Bieber be doing when he’s 25? I mean, Justin Timberlake is the exception, isn’t he?

The following is not gossip related. Please skip if you’re not interested.

On the subject of fitness – we have received an overwhelming response to the articles I posted about exercising during the Oscars. Many of you have written seeking advice from my trainer Hayley, and she’s responded directly to a large majority of those queries. I’m thinking of adding this as a regular feature – just thinking right now – but do appreciate your interest and enthusiasm. Thank you!

The challenge of course is addressing the individual needs and levels of all those who may have questions. This is where, if it’s an option for you, a personal trainer can help. A good personal trainer. Hayley is very familiar with each client and tailors her approach to us individually. She knows I have a bad back, she knows where I need to be stretched, she knows where she can push me and where she can’t. She also knows what I hate, and, like a manipulative bitch, somehow gets me to try harder in those areas.

Dylan, by the way, after I told him he was “fluffy” at Sundance, a word I borrowed from my mother who called Jacek that last year, has lost 20lbs since January and now thinks he can take me at the gym. So we’re having a fitness competition next week. Hayley just designed it. It’s BRUTAL. I’ll post later this week.

For those of you just starting though, or who feel like you don’t know where to start, here’s something that Hayley told me a long time ago that really, really helped. You can walk. You don’t have to run. Let’s take a distance of 5km. You can take 5km at an easy jog pace, or you can powerwalk 5km at a good clip. It’ll take you longer, obviously, but you burn the same amount of calories. This is what I love about Hayley – she breaks it down so that it doesn’t seem so insurmountable.

I know for those of you who are more advanced, you might be rolling your eyes at the basicness of this kind of information. But I was never diligent about exercise when I was younger. And I needed something that didn’t make me feel like it was beyond my abilities. This is where a lot of programs fail. They scare people off at the beginning.

As for my program right now as I’m on the road for another two weeks – I took it easy when I got home from the Oscars because that kind of intensity would just burn me out. Now though, there’s another goal ahead. I have to be in the Bahamas in a month with etalk. And they usually have us for one shoot on the beach. So that’s my motivation. Since it was nice in Vancouver last week I skipped the gym and took to the trails with the dogs half-running, half-powerwalking. To focus on my arms, I hit the pool. Hayley always tell me she can tell when I’ve been swimming because it’s so good for your back and shoulders. Now I’m not a strong swimmer. In fact, I am slow as ass. But I’m also not racing. So who gives a sh-t? I usually do at least 1km in the slow lane. It takes me 27 minutes.

Right now I front crawl the entire distance. Here’s what Hayley had me starting out on a year ago though:

-just legs with a flutter board, no arms, kicking only, for 2 laps (100 metres)
-just arms, with those foamy brick things in between your legs, like front crawl with no kicking, for 2 laps (100 metres)
-front crawl arms and legs for 2 laps (100 metres)
Rest for a minute then repeat as many times as you can

As for what Hayley’s sending me away with on this trip – my workout is below:

10 minute bike warmup (I know you hate the bike but I'm changing it up a bit to work on some different muscles so suck it up and do the bike to warmup...)

20 minutes of strength

Stability ball dumbell chest press - 15
20 stability ball situps
Stability ball bent over row - 15
60 seconds front plank
15 pushups from your knees
20 back extensions on the stability ball
3 minutes skipping
do this 3 times

20 lunges with 10 lbs weights in each hand (stationary, 20 each side)
30 seconds 3lb weight boxing
20 oblique crunches on stability ball
20 box step ups (each leg) - hold 3lb weights in your hands and each time you drive a knee up and do 1 punch with each hand before you step down
30 seconds bicycle abs as fast as you can (with control)
15 stability ball hamstring curls
do this 3 times

1 minute skipping
30 seconds bicep curls
1 minute skipping
30 seconds tricep cable pulldowns
do this 3 times

Treadmill intervals - 8 x 2 minutes at 7.5mph with 60 second walk break inbetween (if you can't do 8 or don't have time do as many as you can or if 7.5 seems too fast then slow it down)

stretch

try to do this workout every other day then 2 days just do light cardio and take 2 days off.

See how she guilted me there? “If you can’t do 8…”? That is INTENTIONAL. She reserves that judgy sh-t just for me.


Photos from Wenn.com