The global Pilates fan base is like a galaxy — it’s incredibly vast and full of stars! In past blogs we’ve mentioned professional athletes who include Pilates as an important part of their training regimen (see “Pilates Works for Pro Athletes,” www.pilates-sarasota.com/blog/Pilates-for-Professional-Athletes/). It’s not surprising that Pilates is popular among stars of the silver screen as well! If you caught the Oscars last month, you may not have realized it, but you were looking at the gorgeous results of Pilates training. Best Actress Julianne Moore and Best Supporting Actress Patricia Arquette both include Pilates in their fitness routines according to celebrity Pilates blogger Chris Hunt, who says, “I always hope that by promoting Pilates using the successful celebrities that use it and swear by it, we can inspire other people to try out our beloved system.”
We’re right there with you, Chris! In the spirit of putting faces you know on the fitness method you love, these are some other stars who swear by Pilates. Guess what else they have in common? They’re all past their 40th birthdays!
Sandra Bullock – InStyle‘s review of celebrity workout routines revealed that the celebrated actress relies on Pilates to prepare for big parts such as her starring role in The Proposal, in which she needed to look super strong but super feminine as well.
Cameron Diaz – In a cover shoot for Esquire, the girl next door told (and showed) readers how comfortable she felt in her own skin, saying, “I know myself better. I feel more capable than ever. And as far as the physicality of it, I feel better at 40 than I did at 25.'” She named regular Pilates exercise as one of her secrets for staying toned and feeling her best yet.
Chelsea Handler – True to the wry, raw honesty for which Handler is famous, the comedienne opened up to Shape magazine about her struggle to find a healthy lifestyle path that she could stick to. “I was a fitness fiasco — until I found Pilates,” she said in an interview. “I’m longer and leaner and much more graceful. I can honestly say it’s changed my body — and my life.”
Gwen Stefani – ETonline called the platinum-haired frontwoman of No Doubt “one of the hottest bodies in music,” reporting that she added Pilates to her workout regimen after she hit her forties. She turns 46 this year and is still rocking out.
Vanessa Williams – “I was doing Pilates before people even knew how to spell Pilates,” the singer/actress said in an interview with Prevention magazine. “I started with Mari Winsor after my first child, 22 years ago. She used to come backstage and do a mat floor workout with me when I was doing Kiss of the Spider Woman on Broadway. Core strength balances your entire body. It pulls your shoulders back, tucks in your pelvis, makes you walk straighter, and gives you great posture.”
More testaments to the benefits of Pilates come from the likes of Lucy Liu, Jennifer Aniston, Sigourney Weaver, Lucy Lawless, and Penelope Cruz. And the celebs singing Pilates’ praises aren’t limited to women; sources say that Hugh Grant, Tiger Woods, and even Mick Jagger work on that “scoop” to stay on top of their game!
Many stars of stage and screen are drawn to Pilates for the same reasons you are: The fully integrated and maximally effective workout suits busy schedules and produces visible results fast, helping you get in shape and stay in shape. Ever hear of “red carpet arms?” Since Pilates incorporates the whole body, it helps to sculpt the “long and lean” physique that’s beloved by the camera and coveted by glossy magazine readers everywhere.
If you’re interested in having some of what they’re having, contact us to schedule a private session at Dynamic Fitness! www.pilates-sarasota.com/contact
Sources:
Claire Connors, Shape. “I was born with a French fry in my mouth.” Mar. 18, 2010. [http://www.shape.com/lifestyle/i-was-born-french-fry-my-mouth]
ETonline. “Celeb Sweat: Gwen Stefani.” Dec. 22, 2011. [http://www.yahoo.com/tv/s/celeb-sweat-gwen-stefani-114500851.html]
Alasdair Glennie, The Daily Mail. “‘I feel better at 40 than I did at 25’: Cameron Diaz defies her age as she shows off cleavage in new sultry men’s magazine shoot.” Oct. 2, 2012. [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2211972/Cameron-Diaz-poses-mens-magazine-I-feel-better-40-I-did-25.html]
Chris Hunt. “Pilates Win the Oscars Again: Patricia Arquette and Julianne Moore.” Feb. 23, 2015. [http://www.chrishuntblog.com/2015/02/23/pilates-win-the-oscars-again-patricia-arquette-and-julianne-moore/]
InStyle. “Movie Star Workouts.” [http://www.instyle.com/beauty/health-fitness/movie-star-workouts]
Popsugar.com, Fitness. “Vanessa Williams Shares Her Favorite Workout.” Mar. 29, 2010. [http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-500/Vanessa-Williams-Diet-Fitness-Secrets-Dealing-with-Stress.html]
Image Credits:
“Sandra Bullock at the premiere for The Proposal” by Angela George. [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
“Cameron Diaz at the Shrek the Third London premiere” by Caroline Bonarde Ucci [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
“Chelsea Handler at the 2012 Time 100 gala” by David Shankbone. (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
“Gwen Stefani performing ‘The Real Thing’ in Duluth, Georgia, United States” by jelizen (Flickr) [CC BY 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
“Vanessa Williams” by John Athayde from Washington, DC, USA [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
