If you’re like me and 99.9% of the population, you’ve packed on a few pounds from your Independence Day festivities. How exactly are you going to push yourself to work out when you’ve got a million things going on and you want to be at your goal weight, pronto?
Well, that’s where celebrity fitness and health professional Andrea Orbeck steps in and, as she explains, the answers start with your mindset.
Orbeck’s highly sought after in her field – just ask her celebrity roster of clients, like Julia Roberts and Gigi Hadid.
She’s been featured in Us Weekly, Vogue, Elle, Marie Claire, and more – and she’s known among these coveted circles as “The Muscle Whisperer.” Her personalized workouts are built on a multi-faceted approach involving the mechanisms of kinesiology, aerobic and anaerobic conditioning, and nutrition and supplementation plans.
What’s this mean in plain speak? Orbeck knows what works and taps into her clients’ psyche to overcome fears and factors that sabotage goals.
Orbeck also makes her workouts accessible to all, not just to her celebrity clientele. She’s the creator of the DVDs, Supermodel Series and Pregnancy Sculpt, and inventor of the Hipster, a specially designed elastic fitness aid to amplify workout results. Catch her online, too – Orbeck co-hosts fitness segments with Heidi Klum on AOL. Right now, she’s working on content for future DVDs and books to help us tweak our bodies – and our mindsets.
I chatted with Orbeck, who shares her tips for getting through The Midsummer Slump – read on:
Q: You’ve worked with top celebrities in the industry, including Kourtney Kardashian, Gigi Hadid, Julia and Emma Roberts – as well as Victoria’s Secret supermodels like Heidi Klum and Karolina Kurkova. What obstacles do you help celebrities overcome with regard to fitness?
The biggest obstacle that is very common to people…is time. Finding the time to fit it in with all the other responsibilities of a person’s schedule. All the money, fame, and personal assistance in the world cannot give you another hour in the day to meet obligations, as well as make time for fitness and wellness!
Q: Oftentimes, as females, we’re our own worst critics and scrutinize our bodies. How can we tweak our mentalities to look at workouts in a more positive manner?
I think over the years what I’ve learned to apply to myself and to teach others is learning your agreements. We make agreements with the world around us about how we should feel and what we should get, depending on how we appear.
I have noticed the happiest people are the ones who disagree with a system that connects happiness and peace to a size or scale number. Sourcing is also very important. If we are using the glossy front covers, touched up magazines, and Instagram filters as a standard for our own motivation to exist, we will continually set ourselves up for failure and low self-esteem.
Q: What mindset strengthening tips do you employ during a workout to push yourself harder?
Small goals always. I have never told anyone they will lose 20 pounds in a certain amount of time or lift a certain rep number. I encourage people to step up to the plate and do what you accomplish that day, and use it as a barometer to launch from a next time. Looking ahead three months will always make you feel like you are falling down within the hour.
Q: …how about after you’ve had a mentally exhausting day, and are on the fence about a workout?
I use an earn it and pay for it philosophy. If you skip a workout, you have to pay for it by doing extra the next day or justify the rest day, knowing you earned it from working so hard up until that point.
And for the personalities who cannot skip but feel torn, it’s about compromise. A very intense 15 minutes can sometimes trump a regularly scheduled hour duration.
Q: What’s your most important tip in establishing fitness goals, particularly when juggling family, kids, work – and more? How do you fit your workouts into your own busy routine?
You have to fulfill the requirements that permit you to balance it all.
Sleep is one of the most important components of wellness, as well as hydration and 80% clean eating. If you have those three variables, you will always be able to find the strength and the time to be fit.
Q: Finally, what are your Top 3 workout songs?
For cardio: Lizzo, “Truth Hurts” For lifting: Anything AC/DC For stretching: Jamestown Revival
