Celebrity trainers tell all

Three celebrity trainers share their tips for staying toned, trim and in top shape. 1. Be mindful Know what muscles each exercise works, advises Valerie Waters of Los Angeles, who trains Jennifer Garner. For instance, concentrate on your thigh muscles when doing lunges — or even better, feel them with your hand as they contract. 2. Circuit train For a time-saving, fat-burning workout that gets fast results, ditch the hour-long jog in favour of circuit training, says Raphael Verela of L.A.’s Circuit Works, who has trained Elisabeth Rohm of Law & Order and Heroes fame. Try alternating between one minute of strength exercises (like squats or walking lunges) and one minute of cardio (think jumping jacks or skipping) for 30 minutes. 3. Eat five small meals a day “The body is a machine that requires fuel to run efficiently,” says Vancouver-based trainer Maureen Wilson of Sweat Co. Workout Studios whose clients include Shakira, Emily Blunt and Chantal Kreviazuk. Wilson recommends grazing on small, nutritious meals — like a cup of yogourt with sliced banana and a handful of walnuts, or half a whole-grain bagel with low-fat cheese, lettuce and sliced tomato — throughout the day instead of the usual three squares. “My clients are shocked when they lose weight by eating more,” she says. 4. Pack a lunch If you control what goes into your lunch, you’ll actually be able to eat more. “A sandwich from home with whole-grain bread and less meat than one from the deli leaves room for a treat like a small amount of dark chocolate,” says Waters. 5. Conquer diet obstacles If you regularly make unhealthy food choices at certain times of day — after work, for instance — don’t blame poor willpower. “Sometimes you need better strategies,” says Waters. Pinpoint common health barriers — in this case, scarfing down fast food after a tiring day at the office — and then devise strategies to overcome them, such as preparing nutritious big-batch meals in advance and freezing them in individual portion sizes.