How Gemma stays ahead of the curve

BOND GIRL Gemma Arterton, left, has criticised the pressure put on actresses to get thin, and she proudly showed off her phenomenal curves as she walked the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival last week. However, a lean-yet-hourglass shape such as hers does take hard work to maintain, and this is one of the things I am often asked about by women who are worried that a gym routine will give them a mannish, muscular figure. To achieve impeccable curves, it is important to get the blend of cardio and resistance training just right. If you wish to lose a lot of fat, long cardio sessions are effective, but this also reduces the ability to retain muscle mass. If you don’t have much weight to shed but want to hone your body, try shorter, intense sessions of 15 to 20 minutes, two or three times a week. You should also be lifting weights – heavy, with fewer reps, and lighter weights with more reps, twice a week each. You can combine cardio and weights sessions. Finally: eat, and eat right. Go for protein directly after training as you need to take on amino acids to rebuild the muscle structures. Eat eggs, fish, chicken, nuts, seeds or tofu to allow the body to repair.