The secret to the world's best bodies

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• by Piper Weiss, Shine Staff, on Thu Nov 11, 2010 10:01am PST

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Models flaunt their hard work at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, airing Nov. 30 on CBS. (Photo by Theo Wargo/Getty Images)

Victoria's Secret designs the lingerie. Justin Gelband designs the bodies that wear it. At the annual runway show, Gelband's efforts were getting all the attention. He’s been called the Model Whisperer, ever since the label began tasking him with getting models in shape for their epic catwalk. “I started for Victoria’s Secret a few years ago with Angie Lindvall and it just took off from there,” Gelband said yesterday in between preparations for the big event, which airs, Tuesday, Nov. 30 on CBS. This year, he spent the past 12 weeks training eight women for the yesterday's runway Olympics.

Your job is more than just getting women in shape. It's about sculpting the kind of bodies that can really sell a bra. Is there a secret to your formula?

There isn't one. Everybody is different. I build a foundation for each woman. I find out who they are, what they do now and create a new program for them using fundamental exercise programs. I train them at a Mixed Martial Art studio called Mushin in New York City. Each girl has her own specific type of workout. The movements and exercises may be similar in structure, but they are always geared specifically for each girl and her needs.

What are your hours like leading up to the Victoria’s Secret show?

My hours are based upon the girl’s schedules. I am 24/7 and I tend to my girls around the clock. A typical day starts between 6 or 7 am in the gym training and I’m done between 8 and 10 pm.

Does anyone ever break down in the process?

They all have their days of breaking down. These girls weren't all born skinny, they certainly weren't born with perfect bodies and they all have insecurities just like any other women. I think the hardest part of my job is seeing the girls not get a job, magazine or runway they wanted.

How did you get this job?

I must thank the model, Ms. Angela Lindvall, who allowed me the opportunity to get her in shape after bearing her second child. I was living in L.A. at the time, and we had 12 weeks for her to get in shape for the Victoria's Secret show and we did it as a team. From there the word spread. I also had the owner of One model management, Scott Lipps introduce me to Miranda Kerr, a longtime client and friend. Ali, the booker at Women introduced me to Anne V, Irina Shayak and Candice Swanpoel. All of them still train with me to this day.

So what goes into training for the show?

A month or so before the show we fine-tune the girls already healthy eating regimens. My girls love to eat, so we start taking out salty, sugary, carb-laden foods. We up the intensity of our workouts and keep setting and achieving small goals along the way. The 10 day period before the show begins gets really intense and we make sure we are making the most out of each meal and each workout. A balance of protein, fat and carbs is expected from each and every girl. It depends on their body type and their blood type.

Justin’s takeaway tips: Most of us aren't going to be wearing a diamond bra and a pair of wings for an audience of millions any time soon. But that doesn't mean we can't get a "Body by Justin." Here are some tricks of his training trade:

1. Go lighter on the legs: Gelband doesn't push the kettle bells or heavy leg weights. Bulking up leg muscles won't create an overall slimming effect. Instead, his leg work-outs rely on balance to develop overall toning. Try Justin's 360 kick exercise.
2. Personalize your diet: Gelband designs his diet plans along blood type guidelines. The idea behind it is that your blood type affects the way you digest and metabolize food.
3. Posture makes perfect: Core strength doesn't just firm up your midsection, it dictates how you carry yourself. You can have a killer body that's hidden behind a slouching posture. Gelband incorporates both balancing and ab-tightening Pilates routines into his regimen to improve overall posture. Try his Ab Mania workout.
4. The 3 best places to tone: Hips, inner thighs and stomach. You don't need to perfect every muscle in your body, just the three biggies. Sculpting these areas is a shortcut to an overall appearance of rock-solid fitness. Try the plank cross for an inner thigh workout.

Exercise May Cut Endometrial Cancer Risk

Study Shows Lower Risk for Women Who Exercise 150 Minutes or More Per Week

By Katrina Woznicki
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Laura J. Martin, MD

Nov. 8, 2010 -- Exercising 150 minutes or more every week may reduce the risk of endometrial cancer by a third, according to a study.

Researchers led by Herbert Yu, MD, MSc, PhD, associate professor at Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Conn., compared 668 women with endometrial cancer with 665 women of the same age who did not have the disease. Women answered questionnaires about their lifestyles, environment, and physical and recreational activities.

Based on the survey results, the researchers found that:

• Women who exercised 150 minutes a week or more had a 34% reduction in endometrial cancer even after adjusting for other factors such as body mass index (BMI), a measurement of height and weight.
• When looking at BMI and activity levels, women who were active and had a BMI of 25 or less showed an even greater reduction at 73%.
• Women who were of a normal weight but inactive had a 55% lowered risk, whereas women who were overweight and active had a 38% reduced risk.

The findings were presented at the Ninth Annual American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference held in Philadelphia.

Researchers said the results suggest that both exercise and BMI levels affect endometrial cancer risk and that they also reaffirm earlier findings showing an independent association between exercise and a lowered risk for endometrial cancer.

The CDC recommends adults ages 18 to 64 get at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week and muscle-strengthening activities that work all major muscle groups on two or more days a week.

Endometrial cancer is a cancer that forms in the lining of the uterus. The National Cancer Institute estimates there will be 43,470 new cases and 7,950 deaths from endometrial cancer in the U.S. in 2010.

HELLO EVERYONE.. I AM POSTING A SPECIAL ARTICLE FOR MANNY PACQUIAO.. I am doing this not because he is my fellow Filipino rather I am doing this because he is the best ever as far as I can see.. He is truly an inspiration to us, an example of an impossible dream that came true..

Critical Mass: Making the case for Pacquiao as 'the greatest ever'

By Vanni de Sequera, for Yahoo! Southeast Asia Friday November 19, 2010 12:12 pm PHT

A new book about Manny Pacquiao sheds light on how a once one-dimensional slugger has somehow evolved into the Muhammad Ali, Bruce Lee, and Robin Hood of boxing.

Acclaimed sports biographer Gary Andrew Poole traveled the world observing the Pambansang Kamao at the gym, in the ring and behind the scenes of his chaotic personal life. His new book on Pacquiao has been called by critics as an unprecedented "journey to Planet Pacquiao." Vanni de Sequera spoke to the book's author.

"Pacman: Behind the Scenes with Manny Pacquiao-the Greatest Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World", a 248-page book by Gary Andrew Poole, helps us understand how this complex Filipino has managed to subdue the best boxers of his generation.

Poole details how Emmanuel Dapidran Pacquiao grew up in Sarangani Province in Mindanao, poorer than even the poorest in this desperate "City of Dust." When Pacquiao was barely a teenager, he formed an alliance with fellow young boxer-dreamers in General Santos City. To the author, it was a show of solidarity that would forever define the 90-lb. man-boy.

Those who obsessively follow the exploits of Pacquiao are troubled by questions that hang in the air like yesterday's cigarette smoke. How does a fighter – who began his professional boxing career at 106 lbs. (by loading his underwear during weigh-ins) when only 15 years old (by lying about his age to the Games and Amusements Board) – conquer the kings of boxing, moving up in weight with chin, punch, and speed intact more successfully than any fighter in history. "Pacman: Behind the Scenes…" offers intriguing glimpses into the possible answers.

Trainer Freddie Roach and conditioning expert Alex Ariza, for one, belatedly came into his life. (Or did Pacquiao, with his ferocious sense of destiny, enter theirs?) Also, maybe poverty never gave Pacquiao's insufficiently nourished frame a chance until science-based nutrition triggered his adult growth spurts.

One way or another, Poole has managed to puncture the bubble of the Pacquiao mystique – quite a feat given the boxer's lunatic-fringe entourage. Poole even gingerly devotes a chapter to Pacquiao's alleged romantic relationships.

CRITICAL MASS: Who initially approached you with the idea to write this book?

GARY ANDREW POOLE: About four or five years ago, I was in the Wild Card Boxing Club with Pacquiao's trainer, Freddie Roach. I was covering a different fight, but he kept going on and on about Pacquiao. Roach told me the PacMan might become one of the greatest fighters ever. My ears pricked up. I was in the midst of writing another book, but I started researching Pacquiao, who was not much of a story yet in the United States. I thought he had a compelling story – one that went beyond his athletic feats. It also interested me on another level, something I came to call the "globalization of celebrity."

Boxing, they say, is the sport of the underclass: there have been many success stories about champion fighters whose fighting qualities were honed by abject poverty. What exactly is it about Manny, do you think, that empowered him to transcend merely being a respected titleholder into becoming included in the Greatest-Ever debate?

I think his boxing accomplishments, not his dramatic personal story, put him into the Greatest-Ever debate. He has fought excellent boxers – some of the best of his era. He has fought brilliantly. I just sat ringside as he pummeled Antoino Margarito. It was another virtuoso performance that earned Pacquiao his eighth belt. At fight time, Margarito was 17 pounds heavier than Pacquiao – that's David-and-Goliath-type stuff, and only adds to the Greatest-Ever talk and the mythology around the PacMan. Of course, a win over Floyd Mayweather would leave little doubt about his supremacy.

A few times, you write that Manny is the greatest boxer since Ali. Why do you believe he is superior to Marvin Hagler, Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson, Julio Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker, and Roy Jones Jr., among others?

Every boxer you named is a legend. Pacquiao? He has the fastest hands ever. He has some of the quickest feet. He has two powerful hands. He has an incredible boxing mind. I think what separates him from those great boxers is his ability to fight and dominate much, much bigger world-class opponents. He is essentially defining this era of boxing. He has become a star of sorts in the United States, but he is a victim of boxing's decline in America. I think that is the reason people are sometimes skeptical of his accomplishments – many Americans, including the US media, haven't followed him as closely as the stars of the past, and so they don't fully appreciate his ring brilliance.

"Pacman: Behind the Scenes with Manny Pacquiao-the Greatest Pound-for-Pound Fighter in the World" is now available at all Fully Booked branches in the Philippines.

Knee and Hip Exercises for Osteoarthritis

WebMD Feature

By Gina Shaw

Reviewed By Brunilda Nazario, MD

The old slogan, “Move it or lose it,” goes double, or perhaps triple, for people with osteoarthritis.

“Just like for anyone else, physical activity is important for overall health,” says Steffany Haaz, PhD, a health behaviorist at the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center. “But it’s even more important for people with arthritis because there’s disability associated with the condition, both the disability associated with the disease and the disability that happens when a joint doesn’t get exercised. First, you move less because it’s painful, then you start to lose the ability to move. It can become a vicious cycle.”

Years ago, arthritis was treated with rest and immobilization. Scientists have since learned that locking up the joints actually makes them worse.

“There’s a huge body of literature demonstrating that keeping the hips and knees moving, and the muscles around the joints strong, contributes greatly to protecting the joints and staving off additional damage caused by arthritis,” says Linda Arslanian, DPT, MS, director of rehabilitation services at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

Of course, it’s not as simple as hopping on the treadmill or hitting the weight room. A healthy 30-year-old might be able to exercise however he pleases, but people with knee and hip osteoarthritis have limitations. Which exercises can you do to make the most of your mobility without increasing pain or risking injury?

“That’s the trick,” says Arslanian. “Some exercises actually can make knee and hip arthritis worse. Those are the ones that create a huge amount of impact loading on the joints -- the ones we call ‘high impact’ activities,” she says.

Exercises to Avoid With OA of the Knee or Hip:

• Running and jogging. “The difference between how much force goes through your joints jogging or running, as opposed to with walking, is sometimes more than tenfold your whole body weight,” says Arslanian.
• Jumping rope.
• High-impact aerobics.
• Any activity where, at any time, you have both feet off the ground at once, however briefly.

Fortunately, that leaves a lot of activities that areOK for people with knee and hip osteoarthritis and that can help keep you mobile. There are three key areas you need to focus on: weight-bearing cardiovascular activity, to keep your bones strong and your heart healthy; muscle strengthening activity, to relieve strain on the joints; and flexibility and range of motion, to help prevent falls and keep your joints mobile.

Cardiovascular Exercise

Good cardiovascular exercises for people with knee and hip osteoarthritis include walking, swimming, and cycling. “Really, it’s anything that you can tolerate that gets your heart rate going,” says Haaz.

If you can take a brisk walk, it can keep you mobile and help to reduce pain. If walking for exercise is too painful, try a recumbent bicycle. “These bikes extend the angle of the joint so that the knee and hip aren’t flexing so much with each rotation, so that it might cause less strain and pain,” Haaz says.

If even the recumbent bike is too much, the swimming pool is your friend. “It feels great on the joints!” Haaz says. “You must find a pool that is heated, because cold water is very painful for arthritic joints. The only downside to swimming is that it doesn’t give you the delay of bone loss that is a key benefit of weight-bearing exercise.”

Muscle Strengthening Activity

You might think that lifting weights would be bad for arthritis, but some studies show that the opposite is true. By strengthening the muscles around the joints, strength training helps to take some of the load off the arthritic joints and relieves pain.

“The job of connective tissue is to hold things together, so you’re losing stability in the joint, part of what’s causing the pain. When you strengthen the muscles surrounding and supporting the joint, you can relieve some of the symptoms,” says Haaz.

In a recent study, older men and women with moderate knee osteoarthritis who went through a 16-week program of strength training reported an average of 43% decrease in pain and gained increased muscle strength, decreased disability, and lessened the clinical signs and symptoms of their disease.

Strength training also lessens the risk of falls, which can be a major risk for people with knee and hip osteoarthritis. A study from New Zealand found that women 80 old and older showed a 40% reduction in falls with simple strength and balance training.

You can also help to prevent falls through the gentle, easy motions of exercises like tai chi and easier yoga classes designed for people with arthritis, which will further improve your balance.

Flexibility and Range of Motion

There are a number of specific exercises that you can do, designed to be easy for people with osteoarthritis, to increase your flexibility and range of motion around your knees and hips.

“We want to do activities without force that bring the hips and knees through the full range of motion in a general, unforced manner, allowing the joint to lubricate itself and help to heal the damage,” says Arslanian. You can do these stretching exercises in a pool, or on a mat near a wall for support.

Before starting an exercise or flexibility training program, check with your doctor. Depending on your ability and comfort level, try these exercises 2 to 3 times per week and gradually work up to doing the exercises daily. Aim to do 2 to 3 sets of 8 repetitions per side.

Hip Exercises

• Leg swings. Simply hold onto the edge of the pool, or the wall if you’re on land, and gently swing your leg out to the side, alternating sides. “The pool is particularly good for this, because the buoyancy assists you and you get a better range of motion, and you also have resistance from the water that makes your muscles do more work,” says Arslainian.
• Leg extensions. In the same position, extend your leg gently backward, alternating legs. As with all range-of-motion exercises, Arslainian advises getting an expert consult before starting out. “If your hip is very tight, and you try to bring it behind you and it doesn’t move backward very well, you can end up overarching your back and causing back problems by doing it incorrectly. You need to be shown how to do it right.”
• Knee rocks. Get down on one knee as if you’re proposing marriage (with a soft mat underneath to cushion your knees). Rock gently forward, keeping your shoulders straight. This stretches the front of the knee while protecting the lumbar spine. Make sure your knee does not extend past your toes as this can strain the knee.
• Straight leg raises. Sit in a chair, straighten one leg, and raise it straight out in front of you. Alternate legs.
• Leg curls. If you are nimble enough, lie on the floor on your stomach, and gently bend your heel back toward your buttocks, making sure to keep your hips on the ground.

All of these exercises should be done without weights, Arslanian advises. “In general, it’s not a good idea to put a weight on the ankle and bend and straighten the knee. That puts a lot of torque on the knee that can exacerbate arthritis. Instead, if you want to add weight, it’s better to use something like the full leg press machine, which has you lie down and push a plate up. With those, your full body weight is somewhat unloaded from the joint.”