Kate Upton has a new on-demand workout service that she’s started with her trainer, Ben Bruno. (It’s called “Strong 4 Me” and it’s a 12 week program that costs $65. This is not an advertisement for it, it’s not an affiliate post either, I just wanted to cover this interview and thought that the cost should be upfront.) Kate just had her first baby less than a month ago, so she’s really hitting the ground running with this program. She talked to People Magazine about the fact that she’s working out to feel healthy and not to fit into a certain dress size. Kate, 26, got her start as a more “voluptuous” model (I put that in quotes because that term is extremely relative in her industry) so I believe her. She also said that her trainer isn’t so punishing that she can’t walk the next day. I work out on my own so I forget how hard it can be to work out with a trainer, but they can really wreck you if they go hard.
“My perspective on working out has changed from wanting to fit into a certain dress size and hit certain measurements, to working out to feel healthy, strong, and energized for my lifestyle,” Upton, 26, tells PEOPLE. “It is rewarding to have a routine that I can keep up consistently and something that is not a quick fix or fad.”
“My favorite thing about Ben is his practical attitude towards fitness,” Upton says. “He doesn’t make workouts so hard that I can’t walk the next day or don’t have enough energy to make it through the day. But, they’re extremely effective and have amazing results! I think that’s key to keeping up a consistent workout routine.”
“When I started strength training with Ben, it was easy to commit to our program because of its balance of strength training, cardio, and rest,” she says.
“For me, it’s all about feeling good,” she says. “When I’m eating healthy and staying active, I feel the best about myself and my body. That’s why consistency through a sustainable, practical program is key for me.”
I only get very sore every two to three months, when I try to switch up my workouts and realize that my muscles aren’t up to it. I try to take it as a positive thing, but it’s annoying and it can keep you from doing your regular workouts for a few days. The last time I couldn’t walk was years ago, and it was so bad I was wincing going down stairs. As for working out to fit into a certain dress size, there’s nothing wrong with that, or with having a specific number in mind for your weight. I am a numbers person, I weigh myself every day and I try to stay at a certain weight. Some people call that disordered, and it can be I have to watch it, but it helps me stay where I want to be. It can be a marketing strategy for fitness companies to say “just be healthy for you, embrace who you are,” but it’s a welcome change from some of the shaming and conformist trends of the past. Kate’s program is focusing on the right things. Working out should be rewarding and affirming, not punishing and punitive.
I haven’t worked out for years. I’ve always been petite and naturally thin so I never felt the need to do it. However, yesterday I started a workout that I found on Amazon Prime and wow! I now realize that having a nice figure means absolutely nothing if you are not healthy and strong. I only tried a 15 minute workout and made it for eight minutes and today I am so sore. I’m going to continue these workouts to be fit and live a long, healthy life for myself and for my daughter. I totally understand Kate’s message here.
Thank you for mentioning this. I have Prime but didn’t even think about using it to find workouts!
I just googled “workout videos on Amazon Prime” and all kinds of good stuff popped up. It makes working out so much easier!
I think it’s such a positive message! I’ve involuntarily lost a ton of weight (and I started at the mid range for my height) due to a health issue, and it’s kind of disturbing how many compliments I get. It probably sounds obnoxious to call this a problem but acquaintances who don’t know the back story don’t realize when they say those things it just reminds me that I can’t keep weight on and hopefully it’s going to reverse itself but in the meantime it’s scary and difficult. I’d rather have back my energy and my muscle and be at my old weight. Fitness should always be prioritized over weight.
there are workouts on prime??? thanks for letting us know. im going to check them out now 🙂
I HATE working out. That being said, I do it, with a trainer too. I am undisciplined so I need the structure and someone standing over. It does work weight training. It sucks but it works. I’ve lost 20 pounds this year with not much change to my diet. It’s been the weight training and cardio.
I too agree that there is nothing wrong with focusing on a number. I recently heard that people who weigh themselves regularly are better at maintaining their weight. I bought a scale for this reason and it does help me. I was once over 200 pounds and that just didn’t work for me. Weighing myself regularly keeps me in check.
I think as long as it’s not disordered, people should tackle it whichever way they want. I had heard that weighing yourself everyday is ineffective because of typical fluctuations, and that once a week at the same time every week made more sense. But it’s quite possible/likely that I’m wrong.
One thing that’s worked for me is focusing more on body composition than strict numbers, especially if I’m gaining more muscle. Personally, I look better at 140 than 136, but it took time to accept that.
I stopped weighing myself regularly about a year ago and honestly, it was a really good decision FOR ME. I definitely let the number influence my eating choices–if I was at a “good” weight then that meant I could afford to eat some junk…which often turned into too much. If I was at a “bad” weight I would resolve to restrict and then that would backfire and lead to overeating too. I was desperate to lose about 10 lbs of baby weight but instead was constantly fighting not to GAIN 5 lbs! I stopped weighing myself and started just logging my food with MyFitnessPal. After about 6 months, I actually stopped logging my food and instead decided to just pay attention to whether or not I was really hungry, or in the case of junk food, think about whether or not a cookie, cake, chips, etc. would make me satisfied. If I ate some junk and didn’t enjoy it or felt physically not great after, I would tell myself to remember for next time. Honestly, I now rarely find myself craving crap food and if I do I am generally able to stop after having a reasonable portion. I’ve definitely gotten thinner (based on how my clothes fit) and my size feels more stable overall. Obviously won’t be the same for everyone but if you have a good handle on what healthy eating should look like I think you can see better results if you stop weighing yourself.
I agree -it’s bad for me and my daughter too, to weigh ourselves very often.I am on the thinner side of average,but the scale fluctuations drive me insane-High number less food,even if I am hungry.I have come to the realization that I retain fluid very easily,and water weight isn’t the same as fat.I prefer to try on my jeans every week,and go from there.
Well, fitting into a certain size dress is literally her career, so there’s that.
I use Fitness Blender. All their workouts are free, but you can pay between $10-20 for a 4-8 week program that’s pre-organized. They are very body positive and encouraging (health over image, not everyone can be a healthy weight and have six pack abs, etc).