Every month, The Sweaty Guinea Pig will share a male and female celebrity’s experiences on fitness and healthy living.

Jessica Biel has become a fitness icon in Hollywood because of her toned body and ass kicking moves in Blade: Trinity. Here’s a list of ten Jessica’s lifestyle principles.

1. Change is good - always try different workouts and get involved with recreational or outdoor activities.
2. Hard work is ever better - all workouts are full body movements, there are minimal isolated movements.
3. Food is not enemy - snack on whole foods, such as nuts, to provide energy
4. Everything old is new again - do lunges in different directions; working muscles stay the same but they work under different amount of stress
5. Healthy meals can be tasty - cook for yourself and use healthy ingredients as substitutes; regular French toast can be made with whole wheat bread, and meatballs can be made with lean poultry.
6. Just because it’s trendy doesn’t mean it works - pilates and yoga are great, but nothing works better than lifting weights to get toned
7. The “F” word is not all bad - we need healthy fats in our diet; omega-3 fatty acids are espesically important, contained in walnuts, salmon, olive oil, etc.
8. Focus on your whole body, not just problem areas - workout the whole body will minimize muscle imbalance
9. All cardio and no lifting makes a bad workout - too many people spend too much time on elliptical machines and their heart rate stays the same as if they were shopping in the mall; hit up the weights and put some stress on muscles to improve overall fitness
10. Everybody needs a break - a day or two of rest every week will help regroup mentally and physically

Every Wednesday, The Sweaty Guinea Pig will feature a fresh individual who will share his or her thoughts and experiences on fitness and healthy living.

Name: Alice Yeung
Age: 23
Location: New York, NY
Occupation: Real Estate Consultant

What is your current routine? How many days do you dedicate to exercising every week?
My usual routine would require me to get up in the morning before work around 6am and hit the gym. I would run 1.5 to 2 miles, sometimes bike for about 15 to 20 minutes, and do various exercises to work on my abs and help tone. When I had an accessible gym in my apartment building, I would work out at least 6 days a week. Since I moved, I took up Pilates instead for a bit and now am planning to get back into my usual routine.

How did you come up with your current routine?
I talked to my sister, who works out often, about different routines that better help tone since we have similar body types and diets.

What are your short term (within 6 weeks) and long term (3 months and beyond) goals?
It has been a while since I’ve gotten back into my usual routine, my short term goal would be to fit this into my schedule again and build up my running stamina. Long term, I would like to test different routines, see results and decide which one works the best for me.

What are other types of training that you’d like to try?
I would like to try different methods of toning, in terms of my abs and my arms, since I don’t think I have found a routine that works most effectively for me yet.

What is your favorite post-workout meal?
I usually eat a slice of whole wheat bread with reduced fat peanut butter and a banana to restore protein and glycogen after my work out.

What is your ideal “cheat” meal or favorite guilty indulgence?
I’m a sucker for anything sweet.

Any advice or words of encouragement for other Sweaty Guinea Pig readers?
I think that the hardest part of starting a daily routine you can stick to is actually starting. Once you make it part of your daily schedule, it becomes a natural part of your day and it makes you feel a lot better about yourself that you’re treating your body right.

Ingredients:

1. 1 slice chicken breast
2. 1 link of turkey sausage
3. 1 palmful of chopped parsley
4. several pinch of fresh thyme leaves, depends on your palate preference
5. 5 slices of turkey bacon, depends on the size of the chicken breast
6. a handful of chopped spinach
7. 1 cup of sweet peas
8. 1 tbsp of sesame seeds

To Make the Stuffing:
Simply stir turkey sausage meat (taken out of the sausage casing) with chopped parsley, fresh thyme leaves, and sesame seeds.

Cooking Direction:
Put the stuffing in the middle of the chicken breast, then roll up the breast with stuffing inside. Season a piece of tin foil with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. Line up the turkey bacons on the seasoned tin foil, then place the chicken breast roll-up on the turkey bacon. Roll up the tin foil and twist both sides of the tin foil tight. Place the roll-up chicken breast into a pot of hot water for poaching 25 minutes.

25 minutes later, place the roll up into the refrigerator for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take the tin foil off and pan fry the chicken breast roll up. Pan fry the roll up until turkey bacon is crispy.

Finally, slice chicken in an angle to show off the stuffing. I also puréed some sweet peas and place the purée with choppd spinach in the dish.

Fine dining - healthy and full of flavor!

Every month, The Sweaty Guinea Pig will share a male and female celebrity’s experiences on fitness and healthy living.

Matthew McConaughey is known for his athletic physique - toned and built. To stay in shape on and off the film, he has followed a routine created by Gunner Peterson, a Strength and Conditioning Specialist. Here’s a sample Matthew’s Protocol:

Monday: Strength and Conditioning - A (presented below)
Tuesday: Cardio workout or playing a sport*
Wednesday: Strength and Conditioning - B
Thursday: Cardio workout or playing a sport*
Friday: Strength and Conditioning - A

Strength and Conditioning - A

Set 1: Repeat this set 2 to 4 times

1. Dumbbell fly
2. Chest Press/Incline
3. Swiss-ball crunches

Set 2:

1. Pull-ups
2. Elliptical (1 minute forward, 1 minute backward)

Set 3: Repeat this set 2 to 4 times

1. Bench dips
2. Single arm triceps extension
3. Reaching medicine ball lunges: start with holding a medicine ball above your right shoulder and lower the ball to the outside of left foot when lunging forward, then do the opposite on the other side.

Set 4: Repeat this set 2 to 4 times

1. Medicine ball slams
2. Any cardio machine for 2 minutes (Matthew climbs artificial wall for 2 minutes.)
3. Sprints or ladder drills

Set 5: Repeat this set 2 to 4 times

1. Stagger-stance squat with calf raises: step forward and squat down until thighs are parallel to the ground, then push yourself up with your legs and go on to your toes and back to the starting position.
2. Twisting dumbbell shoulder press: Rotate your torso as you press up and rotate back as you lower the weight.
3. Lying medicine-ball woodchop: do bicycle abdominal exercise while bringing the medicine ball to the opposite side of your body.

Set 6:

1. Stationary bike: 1 minute sitting and 1 minute standing
2. Stairmaster: 1 minute

* On cardio days, you may simply choose any sports to participate, such as basketball, swimming, tennis, etc. If you wish to workout with cardio machines, make sure you challenge yourself by doing crossing training and vary the resistance.

I craved for something warm and sweet this morning after an intense workout session that consisted of biking, endurance running, sprinting, and jumping rope.  I sliced up a piece of stale bread (rosemary flavored) into sticks and dipped them into an egg flavored with vanilla extract, cinnamon powder, and skim milk. I used fat-free Greek yogurt as the dip with some black pearl grapes, tangerines, and dried cranberries placed on the side.

Stretch cord squat helps you build leg strength and core stability.

Every Wednesday, The Sweaty Guinea Pig will feature a fresh individual who will share his or her thoughts and experiences on fitness and healthy living.

Name: Andy Ni
Age: 24
Location: New York City, NY
Occupation: IT/Strategy Consultant

What is your current routine? How many days do you dedicate to exercising every week?
I work out 2 to 3 times a week with a session of basketball thrown in on Sundays.

How did you come up with your current routine?
My routine is driven by my work schedule.

What are your short term (within 6 weeks) and long term (3 months and beyond) goals?
My 6 week goal is to be able to finish a 5-mile run under 35 minutes. I’m going to be running in a race with some of my friends, and I can’t lose! My long term goal is to strengthen my core muscles and increase my flexibility. I still need to find a measurable long term goal to work towards.

What are other types of training that you’d like to try?
I’m up for anything as long it works. I tried yoga a while back and would like to start that back up again to increase my strength and flexibility.

What is your favorite post-workout meal?
Reggie introduced me to the miracle of non-fat yogurt. I love mixing the yogurt with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and some granola. The yogurt is a little sour, but the berries sweeten it up, and the granola adds some nice texture. I’ve actually grown to crave this concoction after workouts.

What is your ideal “cheat” meal or favorite guilty indulgence?
I love chicken/lamb and rice from those carts on the streets.

Any advice or words of encouragement for other Sweaty Guinea Pig readers?
Push yourself as hard as you can! Walking around the day after like I just got beat up puts a smile on my face because I know it’s working.

It’s snowing outside. I need something warm, hearty, and healthy. So, I decided to make broccoli soup, which has large amount of fibers and vitamin C to help me fight cold. I first purèed some boiled broccoli. Then on top of the broccoli soup, I put some poached chicken and sun-dried tomatoes. Finally, I sprinkled toasted sesame seeds and drizzled extra virgin olive oil around the bowl to finish the dish.

Total time: 15 minutes

I was craving a spicy pasta dish last night; therefore, I puréed a jalapeño pepper with some fresh tomatoes to make my pasta sauce. Alongside my pasta dish, I grilled some chicken that was marinated with extra virgin olive oil, cracked black peppers, and red pepper flakes. Simple dish, done within 30 minutes.

We cannot overlook the importance of replenishing ourselves after training. Our body runs on low glycogen level after exercising (at moderate intensity at least), which causes fatigue. In order to gain energy instantly, studies have recommended that we eat within 45 minutes after working out. Here’s a list of my favorite foods after I train in the morning:

1. Hot cereals - oatmeal
2. Dried cereals with low-fat or skim milk - Kashi’s Autumn Wheat or GoLean
3. Boiled eggs
4. Whole grain bread with low-fat cheese spread
5. Bananas
6. Citrus
7. Cantaloupe
8. Grapes
9. Low-fat or fat-free yogurt (plain flavor, I add my own fresh fruits.)
10. Dried fruits (to go with yogurt) - raisins,  craisins, apricots