Tracy Anderson Workout and Diet

Fitness Expert
Born: 1975

Originally from Indiana, Tracy Anderson hoped to become a dancer like her mother when she grew up and moved to New York City to pursue her dream of becoming a ballerina. But she gained a lot of weight the first year she lived there, which prompted her to want to become a fitness instructor instead. Anderson is widely regarded as a fitness guru and is perhaps most famous for her Tracy Anderson Method. She owns multiple gyms in New York, LA, and London. Anderson has written books on diet and exerciseand has DVDs for just about everyone in every stage of life, including pregnancy. She has sculpted the bodies of celebrities such as Victoria Beckham, Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lopez and Jake Gyllenhaal. Anderson is 5 feet tall and weighs 95 lbs.

Known For:

Entrepreneur

Tracy Anderson’s Diet

Summary

Even though Anderson has an exercise empire, she stresses the importance of a healthy diet. She avoids processed foods and eats organic vegetables, fruit, and protein. She says she only eats lean protein, such as chicken and eggs. Her carbs are whole and full of fiber, such as brown rice and quinoa. Dark chocolate is her go-to dessert and après-workout snack, although she admits to having a sweet tooth.

Estimated Macros

Low-Medium Carb 25% 25%

Medium Protein 40% 40%

Low Fat 20% 20%

Diet Details

A K.I.S.S. Diet

Anderson is all about keeping things simple. She advocates eating fresh, organic food. She has created a diet plan that she says will help you lose 3-5 lbs. a week.

Lifestyle Menus

Anderson offers a weight-loss meal plan that is high in veggies, fresh fruit and lean protein, and low in starches and grains, but are still easy to prepare and delicious.

Lean Protein

Anderson says organic chicken is the only meat she eats (although she does also eat fish and eggs).

Cut the Caffeine (and Alcohol)

Anderson recommends ditching caffeine and alcohol if you’re trying to lose weight.

Sweet Treat

Anderson cuts loose sometimes. Her favorite cheats? Ice cream and French fries. She also keeps a bar of organic dark chocolate in her gym bag for a post-workout refuel.

What to Eat

Organic Chicken

Lean Meat

Wild-caught Fish

Eggs

Organic Fruit

Organic Vegetables

Avocados

Quinoa

Brown Rice

Coconut Water

Coffee

Dark Chocolate

Yacon Syrup

Pumpkin Seeds

What to Avoid

Processed Foods

Sugar

Gluten

Farmed Fish

Junk Food

Fatty Foods

Caffeine

Alcohol

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Anderson on Clean Eating

‘I don’t like processed foods.’

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Anderson on Restricted Eating

‘I like for people to not be in their heads about eating. Food restriction can become a real mental game and I’m not a fan.’

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Anderson on Alcohol

‘I drink wine very rarely. Alcohol slows your metabolism for 3 days after you drink.’

Tracy Anderson’s Workout Routine

Weekly Routine

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60 x 6

Anderson advocates working out for 60 minutes, 6 days per week. This should include 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of a combination of weights and stretches.

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Skip The Crunch

Anderson isn’t a fan of crunches or sit-ups. She says they don’t really burn calories, so you can do them for years without seeing results.

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HIIT It

Unsurprisingly, Anderson is a fan of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) because it builds lean muscle and burns more calories. HIIT exercises also develop your abs faster because intense exercise activates your core muscles.

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Keep It Fun

Anderson swears working out can and should be fun. She suggests starting slowly with fewer reps, and building up steadily. The key is finding what you love and making that the core of your exercise routine.

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Daily Dose of Cardio

Cardio should be done six days a week for 30-60 minutes. This means sweating. A light stroll doesn’t cut it with Anderson.

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Minimal Equipment

Many of Anderson’s routines require no more than a yoga mat. She believes you can get a great full-body workout using just bodyweight.

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Dial Down the Distraction

Anderson is not a fan of looking at a TV, a phone, or even a magazine while you’re exercising — although music is okay. She says you’ll get a better workout with music only.

Exercise Style

A Tracy Anderson 8 Exercise Full-Body Routine

You will want a yoga mat for these exercises. Anderson recommends doing all these exercises on the right side, then repeating on the left for maximum results. You can do these exercises every day. Start with 5 reps, working your way up to 30 per side.

Single-leg lift: Get down on hands and knees, then stack hands on top of one another. Keeping knees in line with hips, push toes as far apart as possible. Then lift right leg. Return to starting position and repeat.
Mini-squat with leg extension: Start in a push-up position. With the ball of the left foot on mat, pull the right knee into chest (both knees bend). Lift right leg straight up behind you as far as you can go without twisting hips to side, like a 3-legged dog yoga pose. Return to starting position and repeat.
Plank with arm/leg lift: Plank position, feet slightly separated. Lift leg out on diagonal and opposite arm out to the side at the same time in a slow, controlled movement. Lower still in control and repeat.
Stretch, bend & kick: On all fours, extend right leg across body, behind left leg. Next, bend right knee in, then lift it straight up as high as you can as you bend your elbows as if doing a push-up. Return to starting position and repeat.
Side hip drop: Kneel, but with torso raised (hips not bent). Lean on right arm, lower right hip as close as you can to the floor, then raise hip again. Extend left leg out to the side (off the floor). Keep left knee facing forward. Bring left knee back in line with right as you lower right hip again to repeat move.
Army crawl leg extension: Lay on stomach on mat. Pull right knee up as far forward toward your right shoulder as you can. Hands positioned under armpits, push up with arms, then kick right leg out behind you, pointing toe. Return to starting position; repeat.
All-fours leg swing: Start on all fours, but leaning on left elbow. Extend right leg out to side. Swing right leg back in line with hip and then up as you press up from elbow to leaning on both palms. Return to starting position.
Grand plié with kick: Start with heels together, toes apart, knees deeply bent and pulling away from each other, chest open (don’t hunch your shoulders). Drop into push-up position, bend elbows, bring knees together on the mat and lift right leg. Lower leg and return to start position of grand plié by pushing up using abs. Repeat.

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Anderson on Skipping a Workout

‘Every day that you don’t work out, you are gaining weight or staying the same.’

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Anderson on Filling up The Tank Before Hitting the Gym

‘Exercising on an empty stomach makes your workout far less effective because you’ll be sluggish and won’t be able to go the distance.’

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Anderson on Sit-ups & Crunches

‘Moves such as crunches which concentrate on the one area create an imbalance in the body and encourage bulk.’

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Anderson’s Advice to Exercise Newbies

‘Start with a couple of days a week. After you’ve been [working out] 3-4 days a week for a month or so, you’ll be able to add a 5th day — and it’s not going to be hell!’

Tracy Anderson’s Supplements

Protein Powder

While Anderson believes we tend to be ‘over-protein-ed’ as a society, protein is still important. She says it’s important to find one from a clean source, such as her own ResTArt protein shake, made from all natural, non-GMO vegetarian sources.

Collagen

All connective tissue, including hair, skin and nails, is made of collagen. Taking a collagen supplement can keep your joints moving freely and your skin looking youthful.

Tracy Anderson’s Lifestyle

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Friends In High Places

Not that Anderson isn’t famous in her own right, but she is friends and business partners with Gwyneth Paltrow.

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Journal For the Win

Anderson recommends keeping a journal to help de-stress. She says that when your thoughts and emotions are in order, it is easier to get your health in order.

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Fate Factors In

Anderson gained 40 lbs. in her first year in NYC while she was training to be a ballerina, which was what made her decide to switch to fitness.

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Non-Stop Show

Anderson produces 3 brand-new classes every single week and has produced over 170 DVDs.

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Anderson on Stress

‘When people are stressed, it clouds their minds and makes them less productive.’

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Anderson on Teaching Kids Right

‘You need to show [your kids] that…just like brushing their teeth, they have to get their exercise in.’

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Anderson on Walking

‘Going for a walk is not exercise, that’s daily activity.’