Sports are LA a big thing in LA and almost everyone wants to get fit. This week I was exposed to a real big sports experience: the NBA. I went to a basketball game of the LA Lakers in the Staples Centre. It was a great experience! Even though I didn’t know much about the game, it was thrilling till the very last second. During the first part of the game, it seemed the Lakers were winning. But sadly they lost by only two points.
Not only does almost everyone watch sports in LA, people also practice a lot of sports to get fit and healthy. I guess that’s the extreme opposite of the rest of the US ;)
Acting to get fit
As an actress it’s very important to get fit. That’s why we have two (long!) physically active classes during the week: stage combat and voice and movement. Here we do a lot of stretching, yoga, pilates and martial arts.
There are several reasons why actors must get fit. First, your body needs endurance. Shooting days can be very long and active, like a running scene. This weekend I shot a movie where I was running down the stairs to the street and ran up back again in one scene. And since one scene is shot in multiple takes and angles, I had to do it over and over again. And running up and down the stairs requires a good stamina.
Communication is 55% body language and actors work a lot with their bodies to give life to their character. So you have to be flexible and adapt to many physical situations and characters’ body language. Your body also has to be flexible for stunts, fights, dances, etc.
Last, but definitely not least, your body must look good. As an actress your appearance is an important part of the job, so you always have to get fit and look at your best.
Work out program
So there are many reasons to work out as an actress. Unfortunately I haven’t worked out a lot these days because I was so busy with school, shooting and a little flu. Back in Holland I worked out at least five days a week. I did many things at the gym like the regular fitness, jogging, zumba, pilates and kick boxing.
Here in LA I don’t find the time to go to a gym, so I figured out other ways to get my workouts done. Thankfully we have these two physically active classes during the week. Each of them last 2.5 hours, so it’s a pretty good work out. Besides these classes I try to work-out five times a week on my own.
– HIT Running
At the Niketown in Beverly Hills I bought new running shoes that makes the running more fun because I love to wear them! <3 And they are so comfortable.
When I’m running I do HIT (High Intensity Interval) training. So I run for 3-5 minutes and then walk for 1 minute and repeat this for 30 minutes. This works the best for me because you work harder in a shorter amount of time as if you would run at the same pace the whole work out. So it’s efficient because my lack of time here in LA. I read that it also burns more calories and your heart gets stronger compared to a regular run. The good thing about LA is there are countless places to run. It depends on your mood what you want as your running environment today: city, hills, mountains, beach, suburbs, parks, etc.
– Nike Training Club
NTC is an app especially for woman. I think it’s an amazing app! It’s a personal trainer in your phone and you can do your work outs everywhere. You can choose between get lean, get fit and get toned and work with or without weights. There’s also a reward system that motivates you to get your next work out done. And don’t underestimate an app… I get the worst sore muscles due to NTC! So it really works :)
NTC get fit
– Quick work out
If I don’t find the time during busy weeks like these to do a full work out, I put some exercises together to do a very quick all body work out. It doesn’t take more than 15 minutes so I can easily do it in the morning or before going to bed.
100 jumping jacks
30 lunges each leg
30 squats
30 push ups
50 mountain climbers
100 crunches
100 bicycle crunches
1 minute plank
5 minute stretching
Get fit! :)
XOXO Mariella KvO
