Picture perfect

Cindy Crawford by Marc Hauser (thanks, Renata!)

NEXT Model Competition

 

Naomi and Gisele were discovered in a shopping mall. Claudia was a dancing queen when a talent scout saw her in a night club. Christy was riding a horse, Nadja Auermann was in a cafe and Elle Macpherson had to go on holiday to be discovered.

As you can see, if you wanted to become a supermodel you had to get out there. Things changed a lot since then because now you can be discovered in a comfort of your own home! So if you dream of becoming a model, NEXT and SELECT model agency are giving you a chance here and now.

IMPORTANT:

The competition is open to girls and guys aged 18 or over who permanently live in the UK. There will be TWO winners. They will each enjoy a £2000 spree at NEXT, the chance to start in the NEXT photo shoot, plus an introduction to the leading model agency, SELECT.

To enter, you need to complete an entry form at facebook.com/next and upload a recent fully clothed and un-retouched photo of yourself. The deadline for the entry is 6 July 2010.

The top 100 will be chosen by public vote and treated to a glamorous party on 30 July 2010.

Super Model

Cindy C

Fashion fitness

I don't do gyms. Ever. Once I made an attempt to join one, but couldn't make myself go and use it. I think I am mentally allergic to them. I just don't like the whole getting-ready-to-go-to-gym thing when you have to look nice (read: wear make up, have your hair done and choose your clothes appropriately), spend time travelling to and from gym (read: time as it is, petrol, traffic, bus tickets, taxi fare, packing your fitness bag, caring it if you decide to walk or have no car or money for petrol, ticket or fare and a tip), undress in front of many other half-naked women you don't even know, use a gym shower, then dry your hair, make your face look suitable for the outside world, dress appropriately (again) and go home. No, definitely not something I would be prepared to do on a regular basis.

So I choose to workout at home and have been doing so for the last ten years or something like that. See, this is all about pleasures: you don't need to wear make-up and your skin can breathe and get rid of toxins while you exercise, your clothes can be cute, but don't have to be the latest fashion trend created by Stella, you don't waste time on travelling and you can choose when you want to workout - at 5 am or midnight, your "gym" will always be available for you. And the most important thing is that you get to use your own beautiful cosy bathroom and then emerge and face the outside world looking like a fitness goddess.

Now I am going to tell you what videos you could use at home to achieve really good results because although articles and pictures in fitness magazines look good and may inspire you to lift dumbbells or do a few push-ups, they are not really that motivating long-term. So trust me, you will need some good videos, and not just any fitness videos, but the best of the best.

When I first started working out at home, I didn't have many choices, but I was lucky to find what I consider to be one of the best videos for beginners who want to progress, change their figure, lose weight and feel stronger and toned. I am talking about Cindy Crawford. Cindy was the very first model who decided to made a fitness video. Others like Claudia and Elle followed her, which annoyed Cindy, but I think was better for us because who would complain about having a choice of top models as personal trainers.

What happens when a fashion top model decides to create a fitness video? Well, sometimes it actually works quite well.

First Cindy's video was called "Cindy Crawford: Shape Your Body Workout" and included three routines she filmed with her personal trainer, Radu. First two 45-minute workouts should be done on separate days. I'd suggest that you do one on, say, Monday, and the other one on Tuesday, then have a day off to let your muscles rest or do a light low-intensity cardio, and then repeat the workouts on Thursday and Friday. They are total-body workouts, however, one is more intense for the upper body and the other one is for the lower body. The third workout is a short 10-minute exercise routine that you can easily do any time. It's actually quite good to learn it and use as a quick option when you are travelling or really-really short of time.

Some fitness experts say that some of the exercises can be dangerous for the back and legs, however, all I can say is that I used this video for months and months and never had any problems. Cindy has included a tutorial part where she explains how to perform each exercise and if you are new to fitness, then watch it before you workout. If you have any health problems or doubts - ask your doctor.

Personally, I used this video for about 8 weeks and then felt that I needed to change something as I got stronger. First of all, I added some extra weight and then eventually, moved to the next video called "The Next Challenge Workout".

If you are new to strength training, please don't start with this video. It really is challenging and includes cardio bursts, which can increase your metabolism and speed up weight and fat loss. It's also longer and takes about an hour and 10-15 minutes. It works every muscle in your body and I particularly adore the upper body section as it really made a difference to my shoulders and arms. Make sure, you pick the right weight, though, don't go too heavy.

The last video, New Dimension, was made after Cindy had her babies and wanted to get in shape. She chose a different trainer, Kathy Kaehler, who designed three exercise routines. Workout A is a light intensity 10-minute routine that includes some toning exercises without any weights and plenty of stretching. Workout B is 5 minutes longer than A and includes light cardio, strength work with weights and targets all muscle groups. You can easily combine A and B to have a longer 25-minute session if you like. Workout C lasts for 40 minutes and is also a full body workout with some cardio elements.

I got this video after I used the first two and it felt very easy for me, so I didn't use it much. However, it's perfect for a complete beginner or a mum who just gave birth or for somebody who cannot use high intensity strength training workouts due to injuries or while recovering from illness, but still wants to stay in shape. The video itself is very beautiful and stylish and a pleasure to watch and follow.

Unfortunately, I've never got a chance to use Claudia's fitness video, "Perfectly Fit", as it was never released on DVD, but the preview looked very good.

Elle's workout, "The Body" was created in partnership with Karen Voight, so it is very good and will help you get into shape within weeks. And how could you not find motivation to workout when you look at Elle? The combination of strength training and cardio is really good for weight loss and toning at the same time. Plus, you burn a lot more calories this way and the effect lasts for several hours after your workout. Not for the advanced, but great for beginners and intermediate level home workout bunnies.

Bon Jovi & Cindy C.

I am in a Christmas mood today, so decided to add this very special video to my blog... Why is it so special? Well, because first of all I simply adore Bon Jovi. And Cindy has always been one of my favourite fashion models, one of the true top models. And since this is Christmas (almost) what could be better than this perfect combination of fashion and music?