Actress Blake Lively took a turn in the director’s chair when she directed Taylor Swift and her music video for “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version)” in 2021.
The “Gossip Girl” star shares three daughters with husband Ryan Reynolds since they got married in 2012. James, Betty, and Inez aren’t just the names of characters in the “All Too Well” singer’s “folklore” tracks… they’re all based on the name of her children!
Close friendship with Taylor Swift aside, Blake Lively is a super busy mom, but she always seems to look amazing. Longtime trainer Don Saladino, who also guides Reynolds, Sebastian Stan, Anne Hathaway, and many others, dished to E! News as to why Lively looks “so fantastic” lately.
Don Saladino Dishes On Blake Lively’s Secrets To Success!
Instagram / blakelivelyDuring the interview, Don revealed that one of the biggest ways to keep up your gains in the gym is to be consistent.
“I think the thing with Blake now is that she’s understanding the importance of trying to be consistent,” Saladino said. “She’s no different than any other person you know. She’s a mother, right? She’s a human being. Just because she’s a celebrity doesn’t mean that her tissue or muscle or bones are any different. She’s a human being.”
He admits that, just like with any other parent, it’s not always easy to make time for her own health when she’s trying to mother her three kids!
Instagram / blakelively“It’s not always easy, right?” Saladino asked. “As she’ll admit, like, some days her kids might be up all night or something’s going on just like a normal mom has to deal with, but I really believe that Blake’s success recently is an effort to make time and do the best that she can. Sometimes things could get in her way or sometimes things will pop up and she accepts it and she moves on. That’s really it.”
“She’s really trying to show that level of consistency and I think that’s what it comes down to,” he added. “That’s a good line that Blake and I have. If we’re gonna come into a session, it’s not about going into every session with a Rocky-type mentality.”
Don Saladino Reveals That Being Consistent In The Gym Is One Of Blake Lively’s Keys To Success
Instagram / blakelively“It’s just that most people out there have to understand that this isn’t about coming in and stepping on the gas and going as hard as you can every work out. That’s the biggest mistake that people make,” he explained. “The reality is, it’s never gonna be a perfect scenario, right? There’s always going to be things getting in your way. That’s just life. Just get in there and move.”
He revealed that Lively’s new goal is “just to get in and move everyday successfully, because rather than comparing it to your best workout, she’s now leaving and saying, ‘Great, I moved!’ That’s the big lesson here. Don’t feel like you have to get up off the couch and set this world record workout. Because if that’s the goal, no one’s ever going to be successful. We’re looking for this level of consistency.”
He also revealed that nutrition, not how hard you push in the gym, is going to determine muscle growth.
Instagram / blakelively“Our nutrition is what’s going to dictate whether they get bigger or not,” he explained. “Strength is having a specific level of mobility because mobility is combining flexibility, stability of strength. So if someone’s strong, it means that they’re functionally strong. I don’t mean powerlifting strong. I mean someone who can actually move and use their strength to just be better at life.”
He added that “cardiovascular is important for heart health,” and said that, combined with strength training, “we’re able to package something really special and we’re able to help improve someone’s life. So whether it’s Blake or anyone else, the goals are to get stronger and to be more mobile.”
Don Saladino Doubles Down On Nutrition: ‘Your Plate Should Look Colorful’
Instagram / blakelivelyConsidering how important eating healthy is to keeping fit, Don explained that “your plate should look colorful.”
“Your plate should have your protein on it. Your plate should have your vegetables on it,” he explained. “Your plate should have your slow-burning carbohydrates on it. And that’s not ever going to change.”
“I would use vegetables as one category, we need to be consuming as much vegetables as possible,” he explained. “They need to be cooked. They need to be raw, they need to be juiced. One’s not better than the other, we need to just rotate through. And we need to have many different colorful vegetables because this is going to help our micronutrient profile so the amount of vitamins and minerals and fiber that’s in our body. This is what helps detoxify our body and clean ourselves out.”
For muscle growth, he turns to proteins like “chicken and turkey and fish and even some of the fattier proteins like organ meats, or maybe eggs. These are things that our body needs to stay satiated and for hormone function and for hormone balance.”
‘It’s Not Diets, It’s Nutrition’
Instagram / blakelivelyHe also said that things like “white pasta or white flour… it’s not nutritious.” Instead, he recommends that “if you’re gonna have something like sweet potato or fruits, which are high in micronutrients and high in fiber, these are the foods that are going to help really fuel our bodies, and they’re powerful foods.”
He also recommends healthy fats, like olive oil, avocados, and nuts and seeds, which he says are “are all things our body needs to stay satiated” and help maintain blood sugar levels.
“It’s not diets, it’s nutrition, right?” Don added. “It’s making sure that the foods we’re eating, have high levels of nutrition, making sure the foods you’re eating are powerful, even if you’re having a dessert, make sure it’s made of quality ingredients, that it doesn’t have all these partially hydrogenated oils in it, which are terrible. You want to really start paying attention to the ingredients. The less ingredients are normally the better.”
