Don Saladino, who has been working with the Gossip Girl actress for ten years, gave an inside look into Blake Lively‘s workout to E! News and claimed that the most significant transformation she has made has been purely mental.
You have the same number of hours in the day as Blake Lively, which means you can work out at the same intensity as she does.
In addition to the fact that the star of A Simple Favor has always been a sight to behold on the red carpet, we couldn’t help but remark how strong and confident she has appeared in her recent outings. She has basically turned the red carpet into her personal runway, as evidenced by her wearing a plunging purple jumpsuit to the Broadway premiere of The Music Man or donning an icy blue bra and skirt set at New York Fashion Week. Her best friend and model Gigi Hadid even commented on one of her Instagram photos with the words “Hawtest.”
Don Saladino, Lively’s long-time trainer, believes that while her toned body is unquestionably aspirational, it is also somewhat attainable if one is prepared to put in the effort.
Saladino, who has previously worked with Lively’s husband Ryan Reynolds, Marvel superhero Sebastian Stan, and Anne Hathaway, among other celebrities, revealed the secret to why Lively has been looking “so wonderful” lately in an interview with E! News.
“I think what’s happening with Blake right now is that she’s seeing how important it is to strive to remain consistent,” Saladino said. “Because she is a mother, she is no different from any other person you know, right? She is a living, breathing human being. Her tissue, muscle, and bones are no different from those of any other person simply because she is a celebrity. She is a living, breathing human being.”
Thus, she is placing herself first, with her responsibilities as the founder of Betty Buzz, acting commitments, and parenthood of her three daughters with Reynolds: James, 6, Inez (5), and Betty (two years old), which means Lively is prioritizing herself above all else.
“It’s not always easy, right?” allowed Saladino. “As she’ll admit, like, some days her kids might be up all night or something’s going on just like a normal mom has to deal with, but I really believe that Blake success recently is an effort to make time and do the best that she can. Sometimes things could get in her way or sometimes things will pop up and she accepts it and she moves on. That’s really it.”
In the nearly a decade that Saladino began working with the former Gossip Girl star, this is the most significant transformation he has observed in her mentality. As a team, they’ve mastered the art of working smarter rather than harder in order to suit her demanding schedule.
It all comes down to consistency, he believes. “She’s really striving to exhibit that degree of consistency, and I think that’s what it boils down to.” That’s an excellent line that Blake and I have come up with together. When it comes to coming into a practise, we don’t want to enter every session with a Rocky-type mentality,” says the coach.
With Lively, Saladino customises their workouts based on factors such as the quality of sleep she received the night before and her energy level, which is a lesson he hopes others can take away from their relationship.
I’m just saying that the majority of folks out there need to understand that this isn’t about coming in and pushing on the pedal and working out at your maximum capacity every time. The most common error people make is to assume they know what they’re doing. “The reality is that there will never be an ideal scenario, isn’t there? There will always be things that will get in the way of your progress. That’s just the way life is. “Just go in there and get moving,” she says.
Lively’s current goal, according to Saladino, is “simply to get in and move every day effectively, because rather than leaving and saying, ‘Great, I moved!,’ she is now leaving and saying, ‘Great, I moved!’ That is the most important lesson to take away from this. Don’t feel obligated to get up off the couch and complete this world-record-breaking exercise session. Because if that is the goal, then no one will ever be successful in their endeavours. “This level of consistency is what we’re striving for.”
That means that the length of your sweat session should not be your primary concern; instead, your strength and mobility should be your primary concerns.
“I understand that people don’t want to think about it, but we’re all getting older, right?” Saladino reasoned his way through the situation. “Every human being is experiencing the effects of ageing. And as we grow older, we will become weaker, our bone density will decline, our muscle mass will diminish, and muscle is our body armour.”
When working with female celebrities such as Lively, Emily Blunt, Cindy Crawford, Scarlett Johansson, and Emily Blunt, the emphasis is on “getting stronger, which does not mean they’re going to get bigger,” which alleviates a common concern among women about working out: “getting bigger means you’re going to get fat.”
“Our nutrition is going to determine whether or not they grow in size,” Saladino explained further. “Strength is characterised by a specific level of mobility, because mobility is characterised by the combination of flexibility, stability, and strength. ” As a result, if someone is physically strong, it implies that they are also functionally powerful. I don’t mean physically strong in the sense of powerlifting. “I’m talking about someone who can truly move and use their strength to just be more successful in life.”
According to Saladino, when you mix the two, “we’re able to offer something really special, and we’re able to help better someone’s life.” Cardiovascular health is vital for heart health, he says. As a result, whether it’s Blake or anyone else, the objectives are to become stronger and more mobile.”
Nonetheless, fitness is only half of the issue, with diet being an equally, if not more, vital role in feeling your best at any given time. Saladino also shared his eating philosophy with Lively and the rest of his clients, which he described as “wholesome.”
“Your plate should be vibrantly coloured,” Saladino advised. “Your protein should be the first thing on your plate. Vegetables should be the first thing you put on your plate. Your slow-burning carbohydrates should be the first thing you put on your plate. And it isn’t going to change anytime soon.”
So, what exactly goes into creating the ideal plate? Here are Saladino’s top five recommendations for goods to add to your shopping list as soon as possible.
“One category that comes to me is veggies, and I believe that we should be consuming as many vegetables as we possibly can,” he said. “They must be cooked before eating.” They must be consumed raw, and they must be juiced. There isn’t a better option than the other; we just need to rotate between them. And we need to eat a variety of coloured veggies since this will improve our micronutrient profile, which is the quantity of vitamins, minerals, and fibre that we have in our bodies, as well as our health. This is what aids in the detoxification of our bodies and the cleansing of our minds.”
It goes without saying that you also require protein, which will help you to strengthen your muscles while also healing and rebuilding them. Saladino advised choosing lean proteins such as “chicken, turkey, and fish, as well as some of the fattier proteins such as organ meats or eggs,” as opposed to fatty meats. “These are things that our bodies require in order to remain satiated, as well as for hormone function and hormone balance.”
Also read: Women In Fitness – How Things Have Changed
Following that come carbohydrates, which are frequently maligned, much to Saladino’s displeasure, with the trainer emphasising the significance of excellent carbs for our bodies to use as fuel in order to perform their functions.
According to him, “if you’re going to sit there and eat stuff like white pasta or white flour, it isn’t going to be very nutritional.” According to the nutritionist, “If you’re going to eat something like sweet potato or fruits, which are strong in micronutrients and high in fibre, these are the foods that are going to truly feed our systems, and they’re powerful foods.”
Fats are another category of food that is frequently vilified, despite the fact that they should be present on your plate at every meal. For example, Saladino pointed out that olive oil and avocado oil, as well as nuts and seeds, “are all things our body requires to stay content.” They also serve as an energy source and help to control our blood sugar levels, he added.
Then there’s the matter of salts, specifically Himalayan pink or Celtic sea salts, which Saladino believes are excellent for detoxifying the body in addition to acting as a “natural rehydrator.”
When it comes to what he tells his clients to avoid, the list is short and straightforward: “You should avoid sugar, with the exception of fruit sugar.” Because of the fibre in the fruit, it is critical to consume the entire fruit. By avoiding items that are low in nutritional value such as white flour, white bread, and processed foods.”
And, while Saladino enjoys the occasional beer, he suggests that people restrict their alcohol consumption because it creates intestinal inflammation and interferes with sleep quality.
“Right, diets aren’t the issue here; it’s nutrition.” Saladino shared his thoughts. This means making certain that the foods we consume have high nutritional value, that the foods we consume are potent; even if it’s a dessert, make certain that it’s created with high-quality ingredients and that it doesn’t contain a lot of partly hydrogenated oils, which are harmful to our health.” You’ll want to start paying close attention to the ingredients as soon as possible. “Generally speaking, the less ingredients, the better.”
All of this is relevant to Saladino’s next challenge, which begins on February 28 and will last for four weeks. The program’s topic will be metabolic flexibility, which is a fitting theme given that March is National Nutrition Month.
As part of his commitment to sharing some of the fitness plans he uses to train his celebrity clients, Saladino has worked with Lumen, a hand-held, portable device that properly measures metabolism, to assist clients tailor their meals to their unique physiology. You can forget about intermittent fasting, as well as the Keto diet, because this is all about teaching contestants that “they should use protein, carbohydrates, and fats as their energy source” rather than fully eliminating any food type in order to make their metabolism “more efficient.”
There are no quick fixes, and this is not a 20-day repair,” Saladino said. “This isn’t a quick fix fad diet,” says the author. Ultimately, this is about fostering a long life of health, and it is done in the proper manner.”
And if you’re interested in trying it out the Lively way, Saladino shared a sneak peek of his six-week “Train Like Blake Lively” programme for E! News:
