StyleSpy with Katrina Szish

No point in working out like crazy in your hotel room if you're not planning on eating properly, so I thought I'd share Penny's travel tips (I received them one morning in my trusty Nu-Kitchen delivery bag):

1.    Pack a nutrition bar for each leg of a trip (e.g. one for each flight connection) to avoid making bad choices during delays or non-meal flights. Have a travel stash, including additional nutrition bars (Attune, Clif, Luna, or Nectar bars) and healthy pre-portioned snacks:

•    1/2 cup low-fat granola, 6-10 chopped nuts, 1/4 cup dried fruit (approx. 200 calories)
•    Single serving size (1/2 cup) canned fruit packed in water or light syrup (approx. 100 calories)
•    Fresh fruit that easily travels (i.e. banana, apple, pear, plum, etc): medium size (approx. 100 calories)
•    Single packets of peanut butter and jelly (all natural, i.e., Smuckers.com) with 6 graham crackers (approx. 250 calories)
•    1/2-3/4 cup of Your favorite dried whole grain cereal (approx. 200 calories)
•    BabyBel Cheese (approx. 100 calories)
•    Pre cut raw veggies 2 cup (approx. 50 calories)

STYLE SPY FUN TIP: Tote your travel stash in a cute custom lunchbox, like this one created by Reese Witherspoon for the New York City Food Bank auction.

2.    Local airports including JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark Liberty have common eateries that can help you stay on track. Remember to keep portions small and manageable. While we’re not endorsing fast food restaurants, we know that options may be limited so we want to provide the following guidelines:

•    Starbucks:
PENNY’S PICK: 1/2 whole grain bagel (any bagel will calorically be the same), 1 low fat yogurt, 1 piece of fresh fruit (or 1/2 cup fruit salad) with non-fat grande latte (approx. 300 calories)

Making the less healthy options work: reduced fat coffee cake with non-fat grande latte (approx 430 calories)

•    McDonalds:
PENNY’S PICK: grilled chicken snack wrap (variety) with a small yogurt and fruit parfait (approx. 430 calories) OR grilled chicken salad (variety) 1 serving of dressing variety (approx. 400 calories)

Making the less healthy options work: Hamburger, small French fries (approx. 500 calories, 30 grams fat)

•    Au Bon Pain:
PENNY’S PICK: Small vanilla yogurt with Granola and berries (approx. 300 calories) OR Large Chicken Florentine soup with a garden salad and fat free dressing (approx. 500 calories)

Making the less healthy options work: 1/2 sandwich (variety) with a garden salad and fat free dressing (approx. 500-600 calories)

Regardless of your mode of transportaion, Avoid the following: Fried foods and highly refined starches & carbohydrates, such as white bread, thick crust pizza, sugary desserts

3.   CALL AHEAD
•    Call airline and request low-fat/vegetarian meal
•    Research on eateries of destination
•    Call hotel and request a mini fridge if not already in the room

4.    BUY ESSENTIALS
Upon arrival, go to local store and stock up on items such as: low fat milk; cereal (Nature’s Path Optimum, Kashi Heart to Heart, Kellogs Organic Raisin Bran, Quaker instant oatmeal): low-fat snacks (example similar to travel stash); freshly prepared whole grain sandwiches (avoid pre-made versions)

5.    EXERCISE, EXERCISE, EXERCISE
•    Make sure place you are staying has a gym. If no gym call to see if you local gym has privileges at gyms in the area:
•    Focus on cardio to burn more calories to counter the potential extra calories from eating out.

RED CARPET COUNTDOWN TRAVEL WORKOUT (EXCLUSIVE!) FROM COMPLETE BODY DEVELOPMENT

I've done this and it isn't fun, which means it really works.  I will be doing a bit of jet-setting this weekend, and with the Globes just over one week away, you can bet I'll be sweating through this several times.  In addition to logging in my 200 weekly hours of cardio (who's idea was this??!!).

This workout comes straight from Alicia's mouth and is one for the record books.  You'll want to print this...


WARM UP

1. Squats With a Stretch (1 set, 20 reps)
Stand with feet hips width apart, squat by lowering your butt a few inches off the floor. Stand while reaching both hands to the ceiling. Use this opportunity to stretch and breathe deeply to warm up your core muscles. 

2. Lunge to Arabesque (1 set on each leg, 12 reps)
Stand on one foot while raising your arms at your sides for balance. Keep your standing leg bent, and lower the free leg into a lunge. Stand to balance on one leg in an arabesque position. Keep your arms outstretched to the side.

3. Toe Taps (1 set on each leg, 12 reps)
Stand on one foot, hands on hips, or outstretched. Bend your standing leg slightly. Tap your other toe behind you, reaching your leg out as far as you can to the right and left. Maintain a tight core, and concentrate on the standing leg.

4. Pilates Roll Up (10 slow/10 fast)
Lie flat on your back, arms outstretched overhead. Bring your chin close to your chest. Inhale deeply. As you exhale, roll your upper body up, bringing your finger tips to your toes. Hold the stretch; check your form while you are holding. Repeat, do the second ten reps quickly to warm the upper body and abdominal muscles.

5. Standing Torso Twist (1 set each arm, 20 reps)
This is a ballet-inspired movement. Stand in a shallow 2nd position, keeping your knees slightly bent, deep pelvic muscles flexed. Port de bras your arms over your head. Roll your torso side to side. Incorporate your breathing and abs. Inhaling as you open the arms, exhaling as you curve your spine. Allow your breath to freely flow in and out in coordination with your torso.

6. Plank on Forearms (hold for 1 min.)
While on your stomach, prop your body weight onto your elbows. Put your weight onto your toes and elbows. Keep your butt down, parallel to the floor. No cheating! Steady on your toes and forearms, TIGHT ABS, breathe deeply.

ABS SERIES

7. L Shaped Abs Contractions (1 set, 3 reps)
Lie on your back. Bring your feet up, making a 90 degree angle with your body. Flex your feet at your Ankles. Take three deep breaths while in this position; relaxing your abs as you inhale and squeezing them as you exhale. Concentrate on stretching the back of your legs and keeping the perfect L shape of your body.

8. L Shaped Leg Pulls (1 set 12 reps)
Return to the L shape on your back. Bring your chin to your chest, drop one leg at a time, one inch off the floor. Pull it back in line with your other foot. Alternate legs.

9. Bicycles (1 set 30 times)
Bring your knee to meet your opposite elbow. Concentrate on the abnominal twist and the breathing. Alternate sides.

10. Repeat #s 7-9 once

BACK SERIES

11. Oblique Lifts (12/side)
Lie on your side, stacking your hips and legs. Bring your elbow directly under you body, push up onto it. Lift your body off the floor, balancing weight on your feet and your elbow.  Keep your core tight as you lift and lower.

12. Torso Twists Laying Flat (20 times)
Lie face up, arms flat, palms down, knees tight together. Swing your knees side to side using your breath and your abs to carry the weight of your legs.

13. Bridge (10 full/10 pulsing)
Lie flat on your back. Keep your knees and ankles pressed tightly together. Lift your pelvis, squeeze your butt. Pull the pelvis into your spine as you raise your hips.

14. Repeat #s 11-13 once

AEROBIC INTERVALS (REST 1 min. between exercises)

Pay close attention to your heart rate. If you have a monitor, use it to make sure your bpm range from 120-180 during the intervals.

15. Walking Lunges (20 times alternating legs)
Do these slowly across the floor, warming up the legs as you go.

16. Jumping Jacks (1 min.) Burpies (10-15)
Jumping Jacks followed immediately by burpies. Bring your butt low to the floor. Jump your feet out behind you into a push-up position. Jump your feet back between your hands. Stand with a jump, arms pushed over head.

17. Squats, Arms Stretched (10 times quickly)
Squat down low. Get your butt close to the floor. Stand up and raise onto your toes, squeeze all muscles, butt, abs, and calves.

18. Squats, Knee Lift (10 times quickly)
Squat low to the floor. Raise your body up onto one foot. Alternate side to side. Squeeze the butt and abs with every rep.

19. Two Leg Jumps (10 times quickly)
Squat down low, butt to floor, finger tips to the ground. Jump up as high as you can, finger tips towards the sky. Lower yourself as you land into a controlled deep squat.

20. Skaters (20 times, as fast as you can!)
Leap side to side, alternating feet. Touch your hand to the opposite toe. Hand to toe on every rep. Get your heart rate up one last time. If you find this easy, add a hop on one leg between leaps.

21. Repeat #s 15-20, 3 times

COOL DOWN

22. Stretching and Breathing (30 seconds or more per stretch)
●hips ●quads ●hamstrings ●shoulders ●back ●abs ●neck ●butt ●calves

REPEAT DAILY!

If Reese can sweat a killer workout, so can I!

It's been about one month since I started the Red Carpet Countdown.  I've learned how to do "gorillas" -- squatting, and balancing, on a wobbly Bosu Ball (Jessica Alba does crunches using one) while holding two 8 pound dumbbells and doing rapid bicep curls. I've learned to love -- er, tolerate -- stairmaster intervals.  I've spent more time in workout clothes than I have combined during the past 4 years. And, I've started wearing miniskirts again.

Yesterday was my first "weigh-in" since day one.

According to my Complete Body training team, Alex, Alicia and RaMon: "The math looks good."

Check out these stats:

I have dropped a total of 8.9 inches.
My BMI improved 5.1%
My body fat mass dropped 8.94%

Here is Alicia's official synopsis:

"You should be very proud of these numbers. Some people work all year for these kinds of improvements. I’m also very happy that your pace is healthy. I was concerned that you would drop too fast. That would be horrible for long term metabolic improvements. As I see it, you have replaced fat with muscle which is the best scenario for long terms goals."

I'm rockin' the RCC, if I do say so myself.

Chatting with Lost's Josh Holloway on the red carpet at last year's Golden Globes.

Hollywood, here I come!

Score some celeb style and contribute to a good cause when you buy a WHATEVER IT TAKES t-shirt.

Each shirt features individually customized artwork by celebs such as Nicole Kidman (she created the design below).

Other megawatt artists include George Clooney, Gwen Stefani, Heidi Klum, Charlize Theron, Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand, Minnie Driver and Susan Sarandon. 

The Whatever it Takes group's goal is to raise a minimum of $3 million over three years to fund charitable projects in developing countries and to the protection of the environment.

Tees range from $20 to $40 and will be available end of January/early February at retrosportapparel.com.