Britney Spear's ex goes for buff...

Kevin Federline has turned his hand to most things. He's been a rapper, a backing dancer, clothes designer and now fitness expert. After the 30-year old was left looking like the re-incarnation of Homer Simpson, Kevin decided it was time to shape up...and he's planning to impart his wisdom with an exercise DVD early next year. 'I plan to get back to looking ripped and sexy again,' he says. 'I know I have let it all go but watch me fly this year.'
But does anyone feel like there's a conspiracy going on? How much money is there to be made in porking up, and then losing it for a fitness DVD? EastEnder's star, Natalie Cassidy, 25 lost two and a half stone for her DVD, The Then and Now Workout,(www.play.com) which became the fastest selling title of all time in the UK. Now she's put on weight, might we see a Fight the Rebound Pounds DVD hitting our shelves come Christmas?

Pedal power

If you want to get fit and toned, you don't necessarily have to force yourself to go to the gym every day. Here at Fitbitch, we're big believers in fitness being fun - if you like it, you're more likely to stick at it. It's something that Elle MacPherson, Jennifer Aniston and Sheryl Crowe have all taken to heart by investing in a bike.
Not only is cycling great for fat loss, helping to burn up to 500 calories an hour just cycling at a moderate pace, they also help shape and tone and the bum, legs and activate the core muscles.
If you're not sure what kind of bike to buy - or whether cycling is even for you - go along to one of Evans Cycles Ride It! events (www.evanscyles.com). They're only £10 and you can book into an off road or road cycle, as well as pre-book a bike to try out.

Jennifer Lopez wonder workout

What is it with women criticising other women's bodies? After giving birth to her twins, Emme and Max just five months ago, Jennifer Lopez was snapped pinned into a Oscar Del a Renta dress for a fashion shoot for Elle Magazine (icydk.com/2008/07/14/jennifer-lopez-on-the-set-of-a-fashion-shoot-for-elle-magazine-in-manhattan ) She looks great yet everyone seems to be delighting in the fact that she's not quite lost all of her baby weight yet! (Tell me what you think - should us women give each other a break or have we all become a victim of the Daily Mail fat-cists?)
Still, now that she's given her body time to recover, Jennifer is working out again and we like her style. Rather than just sweating it out in a gym for the sake of the body beautiful, the 39-year old singer has enlisted the help of celebrity trainer Gunnar Peterson (check out workoutwith gunar.com for free tips) to train for a triathalon. One of the biggest growing sports for women in the UK, triathlons are a multi-discipline sport consisting of a swim, cycle and run. Brilliant for helping you get into shape quick, you're also less likely to get injuries through overdevelopment of any one muscle group because of the three different disciplines. But don't be put off by the professional sounding 'athleticness' of it. There are triathalon events for novices, right the way through to Ironman competitions involving 13.8km swim, 180K cycle and 42K run. I reckon Jennifer won't be doing that one! For more information check out www.britishtriathalon.org.

Buy of the week

These nifty little bathroom scales are one of the best bit of motivational diet/fitness kit that Fitbitch has seen in a while. Not only does the Salter MiBody Analyser Scale measure your body fat and lean muscle mass, it also calculates your Basal metabolic rate - how many calories your body burns while at rest. All of this is crucial if you're on a diet or fitness campaign. Too many people, women in particular, get hung up about losing pounds. In reality, it's better to take tape measurements and keep your eye on your ratio of lean muscle to body fat. The higher this ratio, the more toned and fitastic you'll look. Plus, muscle burns more calories than fat so you'll be losing without even doing anything! The scales cost £59.99 and are available at www.salterhousewares.com.

Madonna's fitness perfection

While you hear about all sorts of mad diets and strange exercise fads coming from the world of showbusiness, when it comes to Madge she is at the forefront of some of the best and most innovative fitness programmes.
She was one of the first celebrities to practise Ashtanga yoga - and is reported to be on the Third Series of this dynamic form of yoga making her one of the most advanced practitioners in the world. She's also practised Pilates and Gyrotonic Expansion System. This employs a 'torture rack' type device that strengthens the muscles and tendons while articulating the joints. But the latest technique credited with helping keep her fantastic figure is the Hybrid Body Reformer.
Invented by former dancer, Tracy Anderson is a similar to a Pilates involving a moving pulley system that works muscles from different angles. It works on the principle of challenging muscles and elongating them, rather than bulking.
'I can give anyone the body of a teeny tiny, New York dancer,' says Tracy. If I'm training a pear shaped woman, I have to figure out how to wake up those muscles at are weak instead of overusing major muscles.' While Tracy is currently based in America, she is planning on opening a studio in the UK. Watch this space! www.tracyandersonmethod.com

How to diet - successfully!

istockphoto.com/Lim Beng Chee

Forget slimming pills, patches and potions, latest research shows that the humble egg could prove the answer to your diet dreams. US researchers found that those women who ate a breakfast of eggs lost more weight than those eating a carbohydrate based breakfast. Despite both meals containting the same amount of calories, those on the eggy breakfast lost 65% more than the other group. Much as I'm a porridge kind of gal, I may just have to try this one!

Best gift for healthy girls...or those on a diet!

I don't know about you, but I always remember someone's birthday at the last minute -and we're talking about people whose birthdays I should really know...mum, best friend, sister. But the only option is flowers or delivery chocolates which get a bit dull after a while. Now, a company called Passionleaf have come up with a fantastic new idea ...edible fruit 'flower' bouquets.
Starting at £35 for six people, the bouquets are made up of a delicious range of juicy tropical and seasonal fruits which you can gorge on without feeling guilty! find out more at www.passionleaf.com or call 0870 8500 765

Top Three Fitness tools...by celeb trainers

Nowadays, you don't need to spend a fortune on a gym membership to get fit because there's a fantastic range of affordable equipment you can use at home or outdoors. I asked some of the best personal trainers, responsible for honing the bodies of everyone from Dido to Kate Beckinsale, for their pick of the top training tools...


David Kirsch, who trains Heidi Klum, Linda Evangelista and a host of others recommends a stability ball which are fantastic for training the core muscles. 'Try holding the ball with both hands over your head, knees bent. Bending at the hip, keep your arms cose to your head until your body's paralell to the floor. Lift your right shoulder towards the ceiling, keeping your core engaged. Hold for 15 seconds and repeat on the other side.' For more tips read The Ultimate New York Body Plan, £9.99.



Jamie Baird who trains Kate Beckinsale recommends the Activa Air Disc, £18.95 (www.physicalcompany.co.uk) 'Lie with knees bent, right foot on the disk. Left your left leg in the air keeping your hips level. Now lift both hips off the floor maintaining level hips. Hold for a beat and then lower. Repeat 20 times on both sides.'

Kathryn Freeland who has trained Oscar award winner Cate Blanchett recommends dumb bells.
'They're versatile, simple to use and easy to store. A good exericise to banish bingo wings is to stand with feet hip width apart, hands over head and elbows bent so the weights are behind your head. Now keeping your elbows tucked in close to your head, lift the weights up toward the ceiling squeezing the triceps.' Do three sets of 12.
Fitbitch special tip - invest in Bowflex Select Dumbells, £239.99 (www.gymworld.co.uk) which are one set of dumbells that sit in a cradle that has a dial which you can use to pick up varying weights. It's far better than buying lots of different single dumbells - or only buying light ones that your body will soon get used to which will prevent you toning up.

All calories are not created equal

On planet Fitbitch, I've heard so much about the evil of bread (god, give me a stick of French bread over chocolate anyday!) and the need to cut carbs, that I'd got to the point of ignoring it. "Surely, it's a conspiracy by the Protein Promotion Board?" I convinced myself. Then, I studied to become a personal trainer and during my lessons in weight management I discovered the truth.
Simply put, the carbohydrates we eat are converted to glycogen and stored in the muscles where they are used up by the body for energy. Eat more than you need though and the body converts the excess to fat stores. Simply put then, the trick to losing weight - and crucially melting away those fat stores - is to cut back on your carbohydrate intake so that the body is forced to convert energy stored in fat. Now, that's not to say give up carbohydrates completely as you need some but just don't snack on bread all day. And exercise! For guaranteed weight loss it's as simple as that. If anyone wants more information on exact proportions for a kickstart weightloss plan let me know.

Only in La-La Land

©istockphoto.com/Ethan Myerson

As if the baby food diet wasn't bad enough (yes, some celebs including Desperate Housewives Marcia Cross and Reese Witherspoon were alleged to only be eating jars of baby food to help them lose weight), we've now got the Five Bites Plan.
Devised by Dr Alwin Lewis, he advocates eating five bites a meal and claims it can help you shed a stone in a week. No kidding Sherlock! While he warns you should only stick to it for a week, trainer to the stars Patrick Murphy who works with Eva Longoria says: 'If you eat five bites of healthy food six or seven times a day,. you'll lose weight,' he says. 'It's the way A-listers eat in LA.'
What fun eh?

Buy of the week

If you spend most of your day in an office chair, it might be worth investing in a Balanceball chair, £30 (www.habdirect.co.uk). Usually, most of us slouch when we're sitting down (if not slide off the chair under the desk in boredom!) and so our core muscles become lazy. Added to this, our hip flexor muscles can become shortened causing our pelvis to tilt putting more pressure on the lower back. But sitting on this adult version of a Spacehopper forces your core muscles to engage, helping to prevent backache. And if that's not reason enough, the core muscles also work to compress the stomach - so it could help hide those muffins and lattes you eat midmorning!

Fit tip of the day

If you want your cardiovascular workout to burn more calories, the best thing you can do is interval training. Now, this might sound scary to those of you who are probably picturing an athlete sprinting round a track, but this type of training can be done by anyone irrespective of fitness levels.
All interval training means is that, for instance, you work out at a slightly easier level for one minute slow followed by harder pace for the next. If you're fit this could be a fast run, followed by a sprint. If you're a beginner though, it could mean walking slowly, followed by a brisk walk or putting the treadmill on an incline. The benefits of this type of exercise is that you continue to burn calories even after you've stopped exercising. Bonus!
If you're looking for weight loss though it's best to combine interval work with continous CV - running at the same pace - in your weekly workout.

Donkey, carrott, stick...

©istockphoto/Skip O'Donnell

Are you one of those people who struggle with the motivation to stick to a diet or go for a run? (the run that you've talked about for so much you've almost convinced yourself you've done it) Well, a new web and text service www.weightnags.com which bullies you into taking action could be the answer.
Fresh from America (where else?) it's a free service that sends you nagging messages such as, 'Hi Tubbo! OK, we know it's tempting to eat at the Hungry Heifer every night of the week. After all, they have everything. Or at least they did before you licked every pan in that buffet clean. Did you bother to look at your reflection, though?
'Obviously not - yikes! You oughta lay off the buffet. Take care of your own beefy carcass before you eat a few pounds of someone else's."
Either it will work or you'll cure your addiction to your mobile phone!

Kate's boat bloat

I don't usually believe in highlighting women's figure flaws but on this occasion I couldn't resist. For years, Kate Moss has managed to retain her waif-like figure despite her rather hedonistic lifestlye. Now, the latest pictures of the 34-year old model on a yacht in the Med (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/topstories/2008/07/07/fun-in-sun-kate-waifs-goodbye-89520-20634597/)show that she is in fact subject to the dreaded middle aged spread. And, just like the rest of us she's doing something about it...although in a much more exclusive way.
The former Croydon school girl has splashed out £3000 on membership to the 25 Club, one of most exclusive private gyms in Mayfair, London. In fact, it's so chi-chi even their website - www.the25club.com rebuffs attempts to check out what it's like.
However, a little digging reveals that the 2000 square foot gym has only 250 members and offers an individually tailored approach to health, wellbeing and performance that will balance their body's chakra and energy fields. Not quite the same as going to WeightWatchers is it?

Are you diet bipolar?

Do you suffer a split personality when it comes to your diet? That is, you eat porridge with water for breakfast, spend a fortune on a foul tasting wheat grass juice and then binge on pizza and a bottle of Rioja later that night? Well, you're not alone as a cursory glance at most women in their thirties and forties show most of us suffer from a binge bipolar disorder.
But instead of suffering all day, only to eat twice your daily calories in the space of a few hours at night, why not treat yourself to a few treats throughout the day even if it's just a few squares of Green & Blacks dark chocolate? That way you're far more likely to stick to your diet - and not suffer guilt pangs.