The Biggest Loser Trainer Jen Widerstrom in Workout Gear is “Strong Over 40”

1. Diet Advice

Widerstrom believes 70% of your diet should come from plant-based sources, and the other 30% from animal sources. “Your body works on two fuel tanks: carb-protein and fat-protein,” she told Muscle & Fitness. “Choose fat-protein combos, which help muscle growth and burn fat. Having a fat-carb meal like avocado toast is terrible for training your body to burn fat, because carbs usually get used first, so then the fat is stored.”

2. Workout Accountability

Widerstrom does whatever she can to motivate herself for workouts. “I am honest with myself on what I need to get there,” she told Condition One Nutrition. “This means I always have a training partner, always go to a class, or sign up in advance. I need accountability. If it’s just me going to an empty gym by myself, chances are I’m not going to go. It’s just who I am. I’ve got friends like Gunnar Peterson; he gets up every day at 4 am! He’s at the gym by himself, and he crushes. The buddy system works for me, so that’s what I do.”

3. Understand Hunger Cues

Widerstrom says to eat within 30 minutes of a workout. “Put the portions on your plate that make sense, sit down, eat the meal,” she told Women’s Running. “If in an hour, you’re like, Whoa, I’m ravenous, I need to eat more, well then that’s okay, eat more, but nine times out of 10 you’re not going to still be hungry. Give yourself a little time to digest.”

4. She Tried Keto

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Widerstrom tried the Keto diet in 2018, but doesn’t want to do it long term. I’ll stand by what I said in the beginning: One size does not fit all,” she said on Instagram. “You need to do what works for your body. I really don’t like to advocate nutritional programs that aren’t sustainable for your life. Some people can live in that extreme, but I’m not built for that, so I chose not to. If you feel like you could do it, go for it, and listen to how your body responds.”

5. Slow Your Roll

Widerstrom refuses to put pressure on herself to always be “on”, allowing proper down time and a less intense schedule when needed. “So I kind of created a system where I have my crank days and my off days,” she told Condition One Nutrition. “So I have days where I just crush, and I LOVE waking up having a full day, I work out, I cook every meal, I’ve got meetings. I do the Zoom calls; I’m doing all the stuff. Then the next day, I wake up without an alarm. I wake up slow. I’m in my PJs till 11, and I might get some work done, but I allow myself to be in that different flow.”

Jill Wagner is an actress and TV host. She was one of the hosts on the ABC version of Wipeout. Wagner also appeared in the TV series, Lioness, and in Hallmark movies. Wagner shared a workout photo on Instagram last month. In it, she wore a black tank top and hat, and carried weights. She captioned the post, “Thank you to my friend and coach @everydaywithshay for pushing me and my body to stay strong !!!” How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Jill Wagner stays in shape and the photos that prove they work.

1. She Works Hard

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Wagner shares a lot of her fitness journey on Facebook. In this post, she talked about the importance of working hard in the gym. “Some of you ask me why I am pushing myself so hard in the gym. Here’s the reason why. I am an actor. It is my job to portray a character to the best of my ability. I have the opportunity of a lifetime coming up next year with my project ‘Lioness’. I believe that I have a lot to prove to the people running the show. I am not a major famous actor that can just walk in the room and impress people with my credits. I feel as if I need to work harder to show the people in charge that I want this and I am serious about the role that I’ve been given. I also believe that there is no luck in life and it all amounts to being prepared when you have the opportunity thrown your way. I am not about to let this moment in time slide by without giving it 100% of my effort. I realize I just had a baby and I am going about this in the safest way I know how. But I also believe that as a mother you don’t have to give up who you are and what your dreams are just because you have children. I want to be an example for my girls to let them know that anything is possible if you’re willing to bust your ass to get it.”

2. She Does Pull-Ups

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A workout that Wagner likes to do is pull-ups. She shared this video on Facebook of herself doing pull-ups at the gym. Wagner captioned the post, “4 pull ups may not seem like a lot , but for me it’s a huge accomplishment. When @everydaywithshay and I began Operation Lioness I couldn’t do one pull up . I am stronger not only physically but mentally . Thank you @everydaywithshay for pushing me to be my best self!”

3. She Does Lunges

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Wagner shared some of her favorite exercises in an interview with SELF. She revealed that she loves to do lunges. ACE Fitness states that lunges are a great workout. “They’re a form of unilateral training, which means you’re working only one limb or side of the body at a time. And unilateral training is a more effective way to build functional strength (than using both legs) because these types of movement mimic other everyday motions, like walking and climbing stairs — and not just to the working leg. Research suggests the strength gains to the nonworking side are about half of the strength gains of the working side.”

4. She Does Push-Ups

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In her SELF interview, Wagner revealed that she does push-ups. Harvard Health states that the exercise has a lot of benefits. “The push-up engages your body from top to bottom. It works several muscle groups at once: the arms, chest, abdomen (core), hips, and legs. Push-ups also can be modified as needed. ‘By adjusting the speed you perform a push-up, the angle of your body, and even hand placement, you can add more or less intensity, or focus on specific muscles,’ says Dr. Dr. Edward Phillips, assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Harvard Medical School.”

5. She Works With A Trainer

As you can see in her Instagram post, Wagner works with a personal trainer. ACE Fitness states that this has a lot of health benefits. “Most of us work harder in the presence of others. Having a trainer by your side can provide the encouragement, energy and motivation you need to jumpstart your routine. A trainer can also help you set goals, create a plan to accomplish them and celebrate the day you reach them.”

Jen Widerstrom is a renowned fitness trainer and author, best known for her work on The Biggest Loser. She frequently shares wellness advice on Instagram, including tips for staying consistent with workouts. In a recent selfie caption, she reminded her followers to prioritize movement, saying, “All you need is 20 minutes to change your mood and upgrade your health.”

1. She Values Digestions

Widerstrom shared some of her diet tips in an interview with Women’s Running. She says that digestion and spacing out eating is extremely important. “Put the portions on your plate that make sense, sit down, eat the meal. If in an hour, you’re like, ‘Whoa, I’m ravenous, I need to eat more’, well then that’s okay, eat more, but nine times out of 10 you’re not going to still be hungry. Give yourself a little time to digest.”

2. She Likes One Ingredient Foods

When it comes to Widerstrom’s diet, the simpler a food is, the better. “Your body metabolizing at its best is key to losing weight, but also for building lean muscle,” she explained to Laura’s Lean Beef. “Therefore, I am a huge advocate of one ingredient foods because they are easily recognizable and digestible in your body. This is critical when it comes to absorbing all the nutritional value of your meals, but also for completing that exchange of unwanted pounds for lean muscle tissue. What is a one ingredient food you ask? A one ingredient food is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a food with one single ingredient. For example, when you hold an apple in your hand, or a sweet potato, or a blueberry, it only has one name to describe it. Nothing added. It just is what it is. They're right in front of you…. everywhere! In getting more comfortable with this concept, simply look at the nutrition facts of the foods already in your home. By law, every ingredient must be listed so read up on what you’ve been ingesting. If there is a long ingredient list or if there are items there that you don’t even recognize let alone can pronounce, then I would urge you to change out that item in your meal plan for something with as few ingredients as possible.”

3. She Enjoys Her Wellness Routine

Widerstrom opened up about her wellness journey and body transformation in the caption of this Instagram post. She says that enjoying her diet and exercise was a big help for her. “I finally snapped out of it, realizing I would never feel complete if I didn’t make myself responsible for my own health and happiness. I chose workouts that I enjoyed vs. ones that I felt were like punishment. There are foods that I knew were healthy that I hated so I just avoided those. But I did focus on eating more vegetables, higher quality proteins and less food on the go/eating out.🙅🏻”

4. She Doesn’t Care About What She Looks Like

Widerstrom also revealed in her Instagram caption that she doesn’t care about what she looks like. “The biggest mental shift happened when I finally stopped working out just for my waistline and really began to make these decisions because I felt at my best when I did so. I own my #health now because I love who I am when I am connected to it. That’s what makes it stick for me, it’s never about fitting in a dress.”

5. She Weight Trains

Widerstrom shared some of her favorite foods and exercises in the caption of the Instagram post. She says that she loves to strength train to keep herself in shape. “By far my favorite is interval based weight training.🏋🏻‍♀️Moderate weight moved efficiently under shorter time caps. The work is hard, explosive and athletic, but there’s always rest waiting for you.”

Jen Thompson is a powerlifter and fitness expert. She has her own program, and shares a lot of her tips and workouts on Instagram. Recently, Thompson shared a video of herself lifting a barbell with a wrist wrap. She captioned the post, “Oddly, I was the only one to show up for lifting today…. Thanks to @jeffsnyder671 for coming to cheer and laugh at my misery! Trying hook grip with straps. Last training I suffered from some bicep tendinitis. So I’m trying to stave that off before I hit the heavy sets and go back to mixed grip. Doesn’t this look like fun. You can do my Speed Strength Program with me!!”

1. She Lifts Weights

Naturally, lifting weights is the main way Thompson keeps herself in shape. ACE Fitness states that doing exercises with weights has a lot of benefits. “Lifting heavy weights elevates levels of anabolic hormones—specifically testosterone, growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1)—which are used to repair muscle fibers damaged during exercise. This helps the muscle fibers to become thicker and capable of generating higher levels of force.”

2. She Does Declines

One exercise with weights that Thompson likes to do is using the decline bench. She shared this video on Instagram of herself doing them. Thompson captioned the post, “I have always loved decline. They are one of the most underrated exercise?? Join my thompsonsgym.programs.app and get access to all my programs, Instructional videos, metrics and an invite into my private community! Link in bio.”

3. She Uses Wrist Wraps

Thompson likes to use wrist wraps when she lifts weights. She explained the benefits of using them in the caption of this Instagram video. “I see people roll the bar back in their wrists all the time. You lose power this way. Wrist wraps can help you lock in the bar position in your hand. I LOVE the @a7intl ZEBRA FLEXI 77cm. They are form fitting and never pop off. Join my thompsonsgym.programs.app and get access to all my programs, Instructional videos, metrics and an invite into my private community! Link in bio.”

4. She Has Rest Days

Thompson makes sure to work out on a regular basis. However, she makes sure to have rest days. Thompson talked about this in the caption of this Instagram video. “I find 3 days rest does it for me. Anything longer than that makes me feel too removed from it. You?? Join my thompsonsgym.programs.app and get access to all my programs, Instructional videos, metrics and an invite into my private community! Link in bio.”

5. She Loves Working Out

Thompson loves to work out, and this is what helps her stay consistent. She talked about this in the caption of this Instagram video. “What keeps you going to the gym??? After 25 years of training, I still love working out. It’s the opportunity to improve every time you enter the gym. But it’s also understanding some days you will have to celebrate the small wins. And that is all right, because eventually it will lead to big wins !!💪 Join my thompsonsgym.programs.app and get access to all my programs, Instructional videos, metrics and an invite into my private community! Link in bio.”

Janet Layug is modeling exercise clothes and driving her followers wild. In a new social media post the Ms Olympia champion shows off her trophy winning body in a pink workout set. She shared the video via Instagram. “Super cute,” commented one of her followers. “Pretty in pink😍💓🌸,” added another. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her lifestyle habits.

1. How She Got Into Bodybuilding

In an interview with Goss, Janet explained how she got into bodybuilding. “I’ve always been very active since a young age. When I first started [training] I didn’t know much about training. I had the mindset that you had to look skinny, and to achieve it do intense cardio and eat light is how to lose weight and to stay fit. I think we all know that that’s far from the truth. I also went to school for nursing. I was definitely intrigued by nutrition, the body, and things related to physiology. Beginning to learn how to train and be on a healthier diet was already something along the lines of what I was interested in in my career,” she explained. However, one day on social media she saw this division within bodybuilding called Bikini, “and I looked at their bodies and they had muscle,” she said. “They were tone and lean. I really admired that look and thought to myself, “I want to set a goal and train like a bikini athlete.” I got a trainer and I started doing research on my own about training and learning about dieting. I didn’t know any of it. It was a lot of work to learn all that.”

2. She Takes the “Holistic” Approach

“I believe the holistic approach is everything. You will not be successful if you don’t have a mental balance along with that physical training. If you don’t have a support system with you. It’s a process to teach people what you’re doing. Not everyone will get it at first, but you give people the chance and be like, ‘Hey, this is what I’m doing.’ Not everyone will support it or your goals. Sometimes you have to just focus on yourself and do what you have to do to get there,” she says.

3. She Educated Herself

“I think it’s important that everyone educates themselves on health and wellness and training and eating better. That’s what began my journey. I learned so much about myself and about my health during my prep along the way. Beyond that, I learned so much about my work ethic and staying persistent and resilient. When people talk about competing at bikini or any other division, you learn so much more than anything physical. There’s so much mental that you can apply in your daily life as well,” she says.

4. She Recommends Working with a Trainer

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Janet recommends working with a professional to achieve your goals in the gym. “I didn’t know anything about training or about nutrition but I took it upon myself to do research to educate myself. If you really want to take it to the next level, you want to take it to someone who has the certified training and knowledge to teach you the proper ways because sometimes you can end up teaching yourself bad habits that aren’t good for you and you wouldn’t even know it. That’s why it’s important to get someone who is certified. Sometimes you don’t see exactly what you’re doing and you teach yourself wrong moves. When you have a pair of eyes on you to help you do things properly, that’s the way to go,” she says.

5. Strength Training

Janet is a big advocate of strength training. “I never lifted a weight. I only ran on the treadmill and I had to learn and teach myself how important it is to do weight training. You burn more fat that way. Your metabolism goes up. You need resistance training. It’s good for your bones and your muscles. It’s hard for some people to understand that it does increase the fat burning process as opposed to just cardio,” she says. “Sometimes there’s this misconception that if you train hard then you’re going to gain all of this muscle. Honestly, it’s so far from the truth. There’s so much that’s involved with building muscles. You’d have to eat a lot of protein and a lot of calories, and that’s not really in our frame in our daily lives. Lifting is how we get that nice sculpted body. It’s how we shred the pounds. I really advocate that you have to do both cardio and weight training in order to reach your fitness goals optimally.”