If a change in season has prompted you to tighten up your training, then chances are you’ve googled quick-fix ways to shed lockdown pounds or signed up for a new workout regime.
But according to fitness entrepreneur Tracy Anderson, fitness trends are just as dangerous as those in the beauty and wellness industries. “You need to be wise about your exercise. You have to know what to say no to, and what to not pay attention to,” she warns.
She’s best known for putting celebrities through their paces using her eponymous training method, but Tracy says she’s growing tired of fitness fads created by under-qualified individuals that promise a quick fix solution, or to change the body to look like someone famous.
“There are a lot of trends that are harmful to your health. There are fitness trends out there now where people are swinging ropes or pushing heavyweights across the room, or pounding on treadmills or cycling to the ends of the earth. It’s not a very thoughtful way to treat your body or train,” she says.
“Anything that promises to get you fit in five moves, or four minutes, or involve you sitting in hot or cold chambers are absurd.”
Hers isn’t a trend-led regime but rather a balanced approach to movement, with thousands of devotees having signed up for her method since its inception 20 years ago.
“My work is rooted in customisation and recognising that every single person is different. You are how you move,” she explains. “There’s no ‘one size fits all’ approach to fitness.”
This philosophy also flows through to her new virtual studio, Tracyanderson.com, which launched on August 20. Tracy and her team were already in the throes of creating the online platform long before Covid-19 put an abrupt halt to training in the gym.
The platform offers a weekly workout subscription program based on Tracy’s method, with classes suitable for everyone from beginners to advanced gym goers.
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Advertise with NZME.Tracy says the benefits of regular exercise are far-reaching, and go beyond aesthetics. “Exercise is really vital to our overall health in terms of preventing disease, processing stress, feeling and living our most optimised healthy life,” she says.
“The ‘looking different’ is such a small, superficial by-product to how vital it is to exercise. Of course you’re going to look better, but exercise really is the most life-giving thing we can do for ourselves.”
While her clientele is largely skewed towards the rich and famous, Tracy says she never set out to become a celebrity trainer.
“Just because I’ve trained a lot of notable people, either in or out of the studio, I certainly didn’t make it my mission to train with celebrities. In fact, that wasn’t even anything that was on my radar,” she explains.
Her regulars include the likes of Jennifer Lopez and Victoria Beckham, who has trained with Tracy for the last eight years.
“I love training self-made women. Victoria has trained with a lot of my trainers, but I’ve had the pleasure of training her too. Training consistently for eight years is a strong signal of somebody who is committed to designing their dream body from the ground up,” she says.
Outside of the gym, the 44-year-old MitoQ ambassador says training and proper supplementation go hand in hand.
“You can’t just take a supplement and have the body of your dreams. It’s a full-circle approach,” she says.
MitoQ is a CoQ10 supplement that claims to support the function of the body’s mitochondria, or the energy sources that live inside our cells. CoQ10 is an antioxidant that is made within the mitochondria to protect against free radical damage.
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Advertise with NZME.Free radicals have a lot to answer for. In addition to damaging cell structure, they’re also responsible for accelerating the ageing process. And surprisingly, exercise can too.
“When you exercise properly to extend your health, you have a certain amount of oxidative stress damage that occurs. So making sure you are eating antioxidant-rich food and supplementing properly helps to balance this damage out,” she says.
“It’s not about anti-ageing - it’s about ageing the best we can.”
MitoQ claims to restore balance to the body’s CoQ10 levels, meaning your cells spend less time fixing free radical damage, and more time generating energy and promoting recovery. (For more information on how healthy mitochondria can promote a glowing complexion, check out our Future Beauty feature in Viva Volume One, out now).
“I take very few supplements. I take MitoQ for its energy-boosting benefits. I’ve built a very simple routine that’s clear, consistent and scientifically checks out,” Tracy says.
Simplicity is key for Tracy, with her personal approach to fitness having evolved over the years. Between her demanding schedule and raising her two children, time is precious. She says she no longer trains for hours on end, and her clients shouldn’t need to either.
Tracy regularly checks in with her clients to promote leading a focused, balanced, and consistent lifestyle. “It’s so important to be honest with yourself. How are you are really eating and training? Are you part of a program that’s strategic or are you just trend-hopping? Are you taking supplements backed by scientists?” she says.
All good questions for us to ask ourselves ahead of our spring Warrant Of Fitness, too.
