Written for Scars1 by Michelle Alford
Statistics tell us that 90% of women will develop stretch marks, so how do celebrities like Beyonce and Victoria Beckham manage to keep perfect bodies throughout their pregnancies and in the years following? Many work with a team of personal trainers, nutritionists, dermatologists, plastic surgeons, and make-up artists dedicated to keeping them flawless. Though the average person can't afford a personal health care team, the techniques used by celebrities are available to all.
From the very beginning of their pregnancy, celebrities start working with personal trainers and nutritionists to create and maintain fitness and diet pregnancy plans. The primary cause of stretch marks is sudden weight gain. The skin stretches too thin and breaks, leaving long lines across the expanded areas. These experts counsel celebrities on how to minimize unnecessary weight gain while still maintaining a healthy body and child.
Celebrity Fitness Tips:
Exercise is one of the most effective ways of fighting stretch marks. Gentle pregnancy fitness routines tighten the skin, making it more resistant to stretch marks, and help you to minimize your pregnancy weight gain. Consider the following simple fitness routine:
- Walk or Jog at least 30 minutes every day.
- Do 20-30 leg lifts 3 or 4 times a week. Lie on your side and slowly lift your upper leg, hold it in place for 4 seconds, and slowly lower it again. Repeat 20-30 times.
- Take a weekly yoga class specifically designed for pregnant women.
Celebrity Diet Tips:
Health professionals recommend gaining no more than 25 to 40 pounds, depending on your pre-pregnancy weight; however, 36% of women gain more weight than recommended by experts. Here are some things to consider when planning your pregnancy diet:
- You may be eating for two, but only one of you is full-grown. You don’t need to increase your calorie intake for the first trimester, and for the second and third trimester you only need to eat an additional 300 calories. Instead of unnecessarily increasing your calorie intake, you should be making sure that the food you consume contains all of the nutrients your baby needs.
- Keep healthy snacks with you at all time. While pregnant, your eating habits will change and you’re likely to find yourself hungry throughout the day. Keeping snacks with you will give you something healthy to munch on so that you don’t give in to your cravings for junk food.
- Drink at least 8 glasses of fluid a day. Nutrient rich drinks such as milk and juice are healthy alternatives to water, but avoid sugary drinks and anything that contains caffeine. When you exercise, you should increase your fluid intake. In addition to keeping you and your baby health, water nourishes skin and helps it to grow as needed so that it doesn’t break while stretching.
Laser Scar Removal
Even when using the best prevention techniques, it’s possible to end up with stretch marks. Celebrities have long been able to afford the best stretch mark removal options, but the price of laser scar removal is decreasing to more universally affordable rates.
If you’ve tried all of this without luck, keep in mind that there’s one more thing celebrities have that the average person doesn’t have access too—Hollywood magic. Make-up, clever camera angles, and Photoshop are great tools for hiding less than flawless skin.
more Feature Stories
