Famous Fitness Gurus

Famous Fitness Gurus

Whether it's a light stroll or hitting the treadmill for a four-mile run, people often need motivation to exercise, typically in the form of a peppy or aggressive personality. And with hit shows like "The Biggest Loser" and the immense following of Tony Horton's P90X home fitness program, it's clear that fitness is about star power almost as much as getting healthy.

 

From yesterday to today, let's take a look at the fitness gurus who have inspired people to shape up.

Tony Horton

Tony Horton (photos), 52, is one of the hottest exercise gurus with his workout program P90X. The program has been a financial success for Horton, too. Before he hit fame, he served as a spokesman for this 1990s trendy exercise piece (watch the commercial).

Jillian Michaels

Widely known for her appearance on a popular TV weight-loss competition, Jillian Michaels (photos) recently launched her own show (watch clips), in which she encourages overweight families to change their eating and exercise habits.

Jack LaLanne

Jack LaLanne (photos) may have been the original fitness guru, and he's got the nickname to prove it. His exercise TV show was one of the longest-running of its kind.

 

He gained fame for his success as this and wowed audiences with his feats of strength. A proponent of vegetarianism and organic foods, LaLanne has been the face of vitamin supplements and later went on to market these.

Richard Simmons

Eccentric fitness personality Richard Simmons (what's his real name?) gave America one of the classic workout routines, "Sweatin' to the Oldies." After living most of his adolescence in obesity, Simmons (photos) opened a gym in Los Angeles that helped launch his long career.

 

What staggering statistic did he announce on a recent TV appearance?

Jane Fonda

Already a movie star, Jane Fonda (who is her famous father?) became a fitness legend in the 1980s and 1990s with a series of aerobics videos that are credited with starting the fitness craze among this group of people.

 

After announcing her retirement from film in 1991, Fonda (photos) made a comeback in this 2005 Jennifer Lopez film.

Billy Blanks

Despite being born with a physical disability, Billy Blanks (photos) famously invented this type of exercise, derived from martial arts. It attracted millions of followers, including this former "American Idol" judge.

Lou Ferrigno

Yes, he played this comic-book character on TV, but Lou Ferrigno (photos) was also a fitness trainer and bodybuilder. In a 1975 documentary, Ferrigno famously tried to beat a bodybuilder-turned-governor at the Mr. Olympia competition.

Bob Greene

Fitness and nutritional guru Bob Greene (photos) lucked out to get one of the most famous women in the world as his client. He's the creator of this diet.

Suzanne Somers

"Three's Company" star Suzanne Somers (photos) became synonymous with one of the most iconic piece of 1980s exercise equipment. Who can forget the commercials?

Judi Sheppard Missett

Judi Sheppard Missett (photos) turned her passion for dance into a worldwide exercise phenomenon. Founded in 1969, it's still popular today.

Tamilee Webb

Tamilee Webb (photos) developed a famous series of workout videos in the late 1980s and 1990s that launched her as a bona fide fitness queen and reportedly earned her this much in sales.

Jackie Warner

Jackie Warner (photos) is the star of this Bravo reality show, where she works to inspire drastic lifestyle changes for overweight clients who are struggling to get healthy. The fitness fiend also has launched another show that features her signature boot-camp-style workouts.

Mari Winsor

Mari Winsor (photos), a dancer, author and Pilates instructor, is known for her signature low-intensity workouts.

Harvey Walden

Harvey Walden (photos), a United States Marine drill instructor, is whipping soft celebrities into shape on this reality show.

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5 Easy Shortcuts To Fake Being Fit

No matter how much you exercise, these low-effort tricks will have you looking better in no time.

You know that you should exercise, but there are lots of things holding you back: You don’t have the time to devote to a regular exercise routine, or you don’t have the money to join a gym, or The Biggest Loser is on and you never miss an episode. Those are, of course, all just lame excuses for why you don’t exercise, but we’re going to ignore that (for now). Instead, we’re going to show you how to fake it.
If you know you have next to no willpower, don’t sweat it; our methods are so easy even, well, you could handle them. And if you’re a guy who exercises fairly regularly, don’t bail. Our tricks — from lightning-fast ways to temporarily pump up your muscles to foods that de-bloat you — will also help you look your absolute best.

Next to no exercise, a tiny time commitment, and a minimum of humiliation —we can’t make this any easier.

1. Get a Tan
One of fashion’s cardinal rules is that darker colors are slimming. Well, that’s also true for when you’re unclothed — which is why getting a tan can actually make you look thinner. We don’t tell you this simply because Karl Lagerfeld announced it one night after eight glasses of Riesling. There’s actual science behind it: Dark shades absorb light, shrinking a viewer’s visual field, while lighter colors reflect it, making a surface area appear larger. So a bronzed body will look lean and mean (Gerard Butler in 300), while a pasty one will showcase every roll (Will Ferrell in Old School).
If the sun rarely shines where you live (Seattle, Baltimore, the creepy man-nest you’ve built in the attic), invest in a self-tanner. Actually, you should probably do it anyway to, you know, avoid skin cancer. Anthony Logistics wraps their $30 made-for-men tanner in dude-friendly packaging that looks as discreet as any cleanser in your medicine cabinet.

2. Wear Tighter Clothes
It may sound counterintuitive, but the last thing you should do if you’re, uh, “husky” is drape yourself in oversized garments. Baggy clothing doesn’t hide fat; they hide your entire body, giving you a billowy, shapeless profile that makes it look as though you’re hiding a torso like Jabba the Hutt’s. Instead, buy tops and bottoms that fit — if you’re not sure what that means, ask a salesperson — and pick out dark, monochromatic colors that present a solid visual field instead of dividing your body into unflattering chunks. Avoid patterns, too; they draw attention to whatever they’re covering, like the doughy area where your abs used to be.
If you’re still self-conscious, wear a compression undergarment that holds in your flabbiest parts and gives your posture a boost. Ript Fusion’s $58 crewnecks, V-necks, and tanks feature spandex panels that wrap tightly around your core, giving it a firm, smooth appearance — just like it’d have if you actually went to the gym!

3. Pump Yourself Up
While it takes time to get jacked, you can capitalize on one short-term effect of a weight-bearing workout: a build-up of lactic acid and other byproducts that gives muscles a “pumped up” look for hours. Celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson, who slimmed down Carmelo Anthony, bulked up Hugh Jackman for Wolverine, and even chiseled Kim Kardashian’s ass — well, relatively speaking — offers this 15-minute full-body routine, which can be done anywhere:
Perform the following exercises in immediate succession, without rest in between. Ideally, you’d go through the circuit three to four times in a row.
—25 squats
—Push-ups to failure
—As many crunches as you can do, but a minimum of 25
—Jump rope 100 times
“This workout is high-intensity and gets that peripheral heart action going,” Peterson tells us. “That means it works your upper body, then your lower body, then your upper body and so on. That creates a lot of blood flow, from your shoulders to your quads to your core, activating all of those muscles.”

4. Deflate Your Body
When you eat salty foods, your body responds by retaining water to dilute all the sodium you’ve taken in. That means you start to look more like Wedding Crashers Vince Vaughn than Swingers Vince Vaughn. To combat that unfortunate bloat, chow down on bananas; they’re loaded with potassium, which extracts sodium from the body. In addition, nutritionists recommend eating fruits and vegetables that are high in water content, such as celery and watermelon, since they act as diuretics.

5. Cut Your Hair
Clothing isn’t the only thing that camouflages pudge. The right hairstyle can make your face appear longer and slimmer too. Ask your barber to help you create volume on the crown of your head — some styling product may be in order — and to leave the hair on your neck a little longer (without giving you a mullet). The overall look will reduce roundness in your face and create an egg-shaped silhouette. A goatee can also add length to your face, but they can be hard to pull off unless you’re a billionaire industrialist who flies around in a high-tech suit of armor.

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