How to Train Like Ashlee Simpson

Ashlee Simpson is a singer and television personality who has spoken candidly about the pressures of fame and beauty throughout her career. After admitting to overcoming a dance-related eating disorder from her past (and plastic surgery in her present), she found balance with a healthy fitness and nutrition regimen…and has the body to prove it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

• Different cardiovascular machines like treadmills and ellipticals.
• Light weights or dumbbells.
• Jump rope or set of stairs.

Get Her Body

1. Stay active at all times, like Ashlee who credits her history of ballet and hectic touring schedules with keeping her naturally slim. Try to move around every day by joining a local sports league, finding an active hobby or simply running daily errands on foot.
2. Listen to your body’s signals and hunger level when fueling yourself before a workout. Ashlee strives to listen to what she is craving and simply eats in moderation. This kind of intuitive eating has been shown to slim down the most veteran of dieters, and is especially helpful for anyone with a history of disordered eating.
3. Know when to kick it up a notch by varying workouts and challenging your body. Ashlee’s newly toned physique is the result of intense workout sessions with celebrity trainer Mike Alexander, for three 60 minute sessions per week. They typically alternate between exercise machines in her home gym like the treadmill, elliptical or using small dumbbells.
4. Utilize all of your surroundings by creating workouts that do not require fancy machines or tools. To create diversity in her routine, Ashlee and her trainer often skip the light weights (bicep curls and lunges are favorites) in favor of backyard workouts. Her backyard circuit includes running down a flight of stairs, doing lunges, running back upstairs and finishing with squats.
5. Create a fast paced circuit routine that uses a variety of tools. Ashlee’s trainer targets her coordination and balance by incorporating a wide range of exercise equipment into her workouts, like jump ropes, 5 to 7 pound weights and steps. Get fit like Ashlee by alternating strength training and resistance movements, cardiovascular exercises and stretching during each workout.

Tips & Warnings

• Try seeking out a personal trainer of your own to create an intense routine like Ashlee's... or simply use a circuit training video at home.
• If working out three times per week like Ashlee, keep the intensity high throughout the entire workout to see results (but be careful to begin any exercise regimen slowly.)