Get a Bond Girl Body
Calling all James Bond fans: the latest film, Skyfall, hits cinemas next week and while men want to be like the Secret Agent Bond, James Bond, we women want to look like those iconic Bond Girls.
ELLE tasked Personal Trainer Tim Weeks with his own secret mission: to decipher just how those Bond Girls look so healthy and toned.
Secret mission accomplished, it’s time to put down that shaken Martini (think of the saved calories) because here’s his fitness mission for us, if we choose to accept it...
Be sure to warm-up with a little cardio first, work your way through each exercise and be sure to stretch properly after.
Follow Tim on Twitter for daily health and fitness tips @tim_weeks
Bond Girl: Mary Goodnight (Britt Ekland)
James Bond Film: The Man with the Golden Gun
Exercise Tip: ‘Bored of endless squats? Get a lifted, shapely bum with this unusual exercise’ explains Tim.
Alphabet Bum: ‘Get on all fours with your hands and knees making a rectangle on the floor. Keep your back flat at all times and keep your weight distribution equal through your shoulders and arms. Take one leg out straight behind you. Write the alphabet in giant capital letters with the heel of your foot in the air. Keep your leg straight. ALL the movement should come from your bum’.
Reps: Repeat the A to Z on both legs
Diet Tip: ‘Don’t snack (except on fruit). If you grab that 'healthy handful of nuts' you end up eating the whole bag as you get your taste buds going. Don't put yourself in the situation to go through the mental battle and self discipline tes<
Bond Girl: Mayday (Grace Jones)
James Bond Film: A View to a Kill
Exercise Tip: ‘Try this ramped-up version of a plank, it won’t just work your back but all your core muscles’ says Tim.
The Super Slow Moving Plank: ‘Done correctly, this will also tone your tummy. Place your forearms on the ground and either place your feet or your knees on the ground. Slowly move up and down with a controlled movement. This is a cross between a plank and a push-up.’
Reps: 10-20
Diet Tip: ‘Don't skip Breakfast. However cliché, it does set you up for the day. The benefits are endless. Breakfast skippers tend to weigh more and have other unhealthy habits such as consuming too many sugary drinks and high calorie snacks’.
Bond Girl: Xenia Onatopp (Famke Janssen)
James Bond Film: GoldenEye
Exercise Tip: ‘This two for the price of one exercise works your bum and thighs at the same time’ explains Tim.
The Bum & Hamstring Bridge: ’Lie on your back, raise your knees up and keep your feet on the floor hip width apart. Engage your bum (squeeze your bum cheeks together) and engage your stomach (by pulling the muscles down towards your back), and then drive your hips up to the sky. All the effort should come from your bum and the backs of your thighs. If your lower back starts to ache, this is a sign your stomach isn’t integrating properly and your back is overworking to compensate. The front of your thighs should not burn or ache at all’.
Diet Tip: ‘Watch your alcohol intake. The classic 'wine o'clock' is a tough habit to crack but calories from alcohol are empty – they have no nutritional value.
Bond Girl: Jinx (Halle Berry)
James Bond Film: Die Another Day
Exercise Tip: ‘This exercise will give you a waist like Jinx in double-quick time’ says Tim.
The Side Raise: This works your obliques (the muscles between the top of your hip and the bottom of your rib cage). Lying on your side, use your elbow as a support. Raise your hips to the ceiling from the floor. Aim for 30 reps on each side’.
Diet Tip: ‘Sleep. The most underrated secret ingredient out there for women. Lack of sleep causes the hormone ghrelin to rise which means your appetite is stimulated so you want more food. Ideally aim for eight hours’.
Bond Girl: Honey Ryder (Ursula Andress)
James Bond Film: Dr. No
Exercise Tip: ‘Avoid traditional sit-ups that bulk, it’s all about rotational work for women if you want a narrow waist and flat tummy,' advises Tim.
Diagonal Opposites: ‘Lying flat on your back, bring your opposite elbow to your opposite knee. Use your elbow on the floor as lever to help you up. This supports your neck and back. Return to the floor SUPER slowly. This is the hard bit’.
Reps: 50 reps in total (25 on each side)
Diet Tip: ‘Try and drink water as sugary drinks contain empty calories. Being properly hydrated increases your metabolism, eliminates hunger pangs, and increases energy’.
Bond Girl: Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman)
James Bond Film: Goldfinger
Exercise Tip: ‘Don’t be afraid of push-ups with a bit of practise these could be a great addition to any workout’ says Tim.
The Triangle Push Up: ‘Place thumbs and forefingers together on the floor to form a triangle position. Engage your bum and tummy and place knees on the floor. Slowly lower your body towards the floor while maintaining a rigid upper body and head aligned with your spine. Don't allow lower back to sag or hips to hike upwards during the downward phase. Aim for chin to touch the floor. During the upward phase; think about pushing the floor away from you. Keep bum and tummy tight throughout.’
Reps: 10-20
Diet Tip: ‘No carbs after 4pm. ‘This is tough but women generally eat too many carbohydrates. Carbs give you energy so you don't want to eliminate them completely bu<
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