When A-listers like Jennifer Aniston, Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Beckinsale need to chill out, they call Mandy Ingber. A celebrity fitness and wellness expert, Mandy has been teaching yoga for over 20 years and her expertise has earned her an accolade of Hollywood clients. But as the yoga guru explains in her new book, Yogalosophy for Inner Strength: 12 Weeks to Heal Your Heart and Embrace Joy, which is endorsed by Jennifer Aniston, the practise of yoga is far more than a workout.
It’s a well-known fact that Miss Aniston has an amazing body. But, according to Mandy, the star’s radiant glow comes from more than her morning workout. Mandy talks exclusively to Beauty Expert about how to stay both both toned and mindful…
Stop wishing you were someone else
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We all dream of having a physique a la Miss Aniston, but Mandy says the first step to changing your body comes by changing your mind. She says: “We have to first begin by loving the body we have. We always talk about where we want to be, but the truth is, where we are starting from is the perfect place. If we change our attitude you can make healthy choices from exactly where you are.”
“Even with my own body, right now I have six or seven extra pounds on me, but I find that if I put on clothes that show my body I instantly feel better – which means I’m already 80% there.”
Being active can change your emotions
Tough day in the office? Suffering from heart break? Mandy says that being physically active can shift your mental emotions, helping to rebalance your mind and making you to feel mentally stronger.
Mandy says: “Part of coming back in to balance is about acting your way to feeling better. 40% of happiness is intentional action and 60% is what you’re genetically born with or circumstance - so that’s almost half of your happiness that you can control yourself.”
Schedule time with yourself
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Long commutes, long hours and a hectic lifestyle means that the gym is often the first thing that’s scrapped when we’re busy. But Mandy advises to schedule time for yourself no matter how busy you are.
“We always make time to pick the kids up from school, or schedule time with our partner – we write that stuff down. But we need to make that time for ourselves too and that’s exactly what celebrities do. Celebrities like Jen are very busy but they schedule in time for themselves and make it a priority.”
Don’t work long hours
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Leaving the office on time is easier said than done, especially if you’ve got that presentation to prepare for or a deadline to meet. But Mandy says that working fewer hours can actually increase your productivity.
“There’s such a thing as the law of diminishing return. Say you were working a 12 hour day and you carried on working through the night, would you be more productive doing that or would you be more productive going home and going to sleep, resting and starting again the next day? The truth is, we need to step away from what we’re doing in order to actually be productive. Thinking that we can be productive by just keeping pushing through is actually a myth.”
Mandy says that even if you can’t get a major workout in, aim to do something every day. Whether that be a 20 minute walk on your lunch break or a group exercise class.
“Some people are more committed to things if they’re in a group, so why not have a work out date instead of a lunch date with one of your clients. Or instead of going out for drinks with your friends make it a work out date.”
