She trains stars like J-Lo, Gwyneth Paltrow and Madonna, and looks in fabulous shape herself too. What can we learn from Tracy Anderson's celebrity fitness regime?
Anderson says, 'Before I ever trained a celebrity I had done nine years of developing my fitness method and transforming hundreds of different women. Gwyneth came along just at the right time when I thought celebrity training was something I could do.
'I'm happy that I took that path because now so many women that I would have never been able to reach now benefit from it.'
Her whole-body workout program is called Metamorphosis. She says, 'It's all about women being able to identify what their problem areas are. This gives the custom prescription that can actually transform them.'
How often should we be exercising to maximise results? 'I do my Method every day: 30 minutes muscular structure work and at least 30 minutes of dance aerobics.'
And how about diet?
Anderson advises, 'The only time that diet is an issue is when you have really unhealthy diet habits and you eat unhealthily every day, or you're someone that eats three unhealthy meals a day. When it's out of control like that, you have to re-calibrate yourself back to having a healthy relationship with food. And that is where the awful word 'diet' comes in.
'If you want to get a bikini body, start NOW! Start now and actually make fitness a part of your lifestyle, and then you actually enjoy and keep it. Don't feel like you have to be perfect; even if you can't get perfect this summer, next summer you can.'
And if you're not happy in a bikini?
'Don't focus on it. You don't have to wear a bikini, but if you can't stand the way your body looks there's a problem.'
Anderson aims to get her clients to the point where they are happy with the shape they've achieved and aren't following crazy diets to maintain it.
She explains, 'Hopefully we can get people to the place where they don't have to live like that, so you can do your exercise program each day and you can pick the meal that means the most to you. Have the bread, have the steak if you want, have the dessert, have a couple of glasses of wine.
'But you couldn't also have had pancakes and eggs for breakfast, and peanut butter and jelly for lunch. Pick the meal that means the most to you and adds to the quality of your life in the greatest way. Then for the other two meals, eat really healthy and very low calorie.
'Or you can just eat balanced all day long if that's what you like, but you need to make sure that you get enough highly nutritious food.'
Variety is important, too, Anderson insists. 'You also don't want to eat the same thing all the time. You need to make sure that if you have steak one night, you eat fish another night, eat chicken another night...'
So what's it like working with some of the biggest names in showbusiness like J-Lo?
Anderson says, 'She is one of my favourites. She's incredibly talented. She is a woman who is very empowered and knows what she wants but is also very giving and very smart. It is so refeshingly uplifting when you meet her.'
Anderson has created a new Venus workout video to help the rest of us achieve the look and legs of J-Lo. The two first worked together after the singer gave birth to twins.
Anderson advises, 'Don't over-exercise large muscles. The large muscles in the legs are massive, and they want to become even more massive. Don't do the same repetitive movements over and over, and don't use heavy resistance. Women don't need to use a lot of resistance; there is intelligent strength and then there is muscle mass. We don't need muscle mass.'
Tracy Anderson's Venus workout video offers more tips to help you workout effectively at home. Take a look here: the J-Lo Venus workout.
Find out more at the Gillette Venus UK Facebook page
