Jennifer Lawrence’s Personal Trainer Shares Her Oscar Prep Secrets
When it comes to Oscars night, everyone stepping on the red carpet wants to look their best, and everyone’s favorite Oscar nominee Jennifer Lawrence will likely be feelin’ it on Sunday night. Dalton Wong, the star’s personal trainer, has made sure of that. “We train for [the Oscars], just like a… movie,” he reveals to us. “We prep anywhere from three to four weeks ahead of time.”
As Jennifer’s personal trainer of six years (Dalton has been working with her since her X-Men: First Class days), and author of The Feelgood Plan: Happier and Slimmer in 15 Minutes a Day, Dalton has created a solid foundation for the Oscar nominee to prep with. “She’s very committed to her craft,” Dalton tells us. “She’s very good at balancing.” He doesn’t mean that in the physical sense (although anyone that can move like Katniss probably has great coordination too); when you train with Dalton, it’s about more than simply “working out.” It’s a lifestyle where diet and exercise are just part of it, and creating sustainable life skills is key.
Dalton gave us the scoop on four life-changing hacks he swears by to help his A-list clientele (which also includes Game of Thrones’ Gwendoline Christie) look and feel good on a crazy sched. And here’s the kicker: You can do every single one of them at home. Without the superstar budget.
1. You Don’t Need to Work Out Every Day: While working out is just one piece of the puzzle, Dalton says that physical activity is an extremely important one for whipping yourself into starlet shape. BUT that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to hit the gym every day. “It’s going for a walk, it’s riding a bike, it’s swimming, it’s playing a sport,” he says. “You need to do some physical exercise daily.” (Beer yoga, anyone?)
Use JLaw as your role model. Since “she never has an off season” and many of her roles require physical work, Dalton shares that Jennifer is always doing something and is a big fan of yoga mixed in with gym time.
2. Eat Carbs. (No Really.): Dalton says it’s how you execute the act of eating well that really counts. “You need to have proteins, fats and carbohydrates… You need to have a balance based on your needs,” Dalton explains. If you’re in your ’20s, for example, and are more physically active, you may need more carbs than someone who is older or more sedentary. The trick is to figure out the right mix of proteins, fats and carbohydrates for you and your lifestyle.
Dalton strongly discourages food banning. “With regard to diet, there is no banning of food,” he says. “[There’s] no banning sugar, no banning alcohol. Nothing is ‘bad.’ Not even sweets!” So eat the damn chocolate. “When you ban food, you just want it more,” he says. So instead, eat it in moderation. “Eat the thing you want, then go back to eating normally.”
Dalton points to Jennifer as an example. “She eats really healthy things, [but] you see her eating pizza and hamburgers,” he points out. “She’s very balanced.”
3. Don’t Let Your Diet + Exercise Plan Stress You Out: Another vital part of Dalton’s feel good plan is identifying your stress triggers and learning how to cope with them. Hint: It’s not pushing yourself harder on points one and two.
“If you’re really stressed out, doing exercise is another form of stress,” he says. And in that state, “going on a diet or exercising more is not going to help you lose weight or increase your energy.” In fact, while he instructs his clients to remain active for an event like the Oscars, two to three days before the event, he tells them to chill. Dalton says the best thing for his clients during that crunch time is to channel that stress into relaxing activities. “Exercising one or two days before the event is not going to make a huge difference. Find something enjoyable. Get your hair done. Go shopping with your girlfriends.” We like the sound of that!
4. Sleep Will Make You Stronger Than the Gym: Above all, Dalton says not to underestimate the value of a solid eight hours. “Make sure you get enough sleep,” he cautions. “I know it’s not cool, but when you sleep is when your body repairs itself. It’s essential that you get eight hours. You’re not getting stronger when you’re in the gym, you’re getting stronger when you sleep.” At least you know you’ll be in good company — Dalton says that you can bet that Jennifer is sleeping well too.
“When I worked with her several years ago, it wasn’t really like getting into shape for something. It was about getting in a healthy state of mind, and that’s really fantastic. When she goes out on Sunday, she’s going to look amazing.” We couldn’t agree more, Dalton.
What do you think of Dalton’s Feelgood plan? Let us know on Twitter at @britandco!
(Photos via Dalton Wong + Alison Buck + Jason Merritt/Getty)