Spots are a fact of life. We all get them sometimes – it just seems that we get that at the worst possible times. Like on the very morning we are due at an audition.

This is partly because there is a link between acne and stress. That is, stress can definitely make acne symptoms worse.

Stress is bad for us all round. It has a purpose – it’s part of the ‘fight or flight’ response. You know, that thing that saves you when you need to run from a sabre toothed tiger intent on making you it’s dinner. In our more modern world it is still useful, but a lot less useful than it used to be. Unfortunately our bodies haven’t had time to evolve yet to cope better with it.

When we’re stressed it causes an inflammatory response, and inflammation is generally not a good thing throughout the body anyway. Certainly not for any length of time. It also leads to making blocked pores appear swollen and look worse. Continue reading →

Los Angeles, California is known worldwide for lots of stuff. For the young, it’s the location of higher education and the home of lots of stars. It is the second largest city in the USA as well as the largest city in the golden state. L.A. is likewise the place for a wide range of cultures, including those of Mexican as well as Latino descent. With it being such a huge city, it can commonly be tough to connect with others nearby. This holds true if you are a citizen, a visitor, or simply seeking to meet up and chat with others.

A fantastic place for getting started meeting others is believe it or not, Craigslist, because there is one specifically for LA. With 72 different forums, ranging in subjects from wine to crafts to movies and film. These discussion forums are open to anyone, regardless if you are from the location or just in the forum to meet others or acquire info. If you enter the wine forum you will learn almost everything you could ever want to know about wine. As an example, there are conversations on where to find the best table wine, ways to maintain a bottle of shiraz, as well as how to discover authentic German and also Italian wines. There are even conversations on how particular merlots can you make ill and how you can avoid it. Continue reading →

OK, this is obviously an opinion to some extent, because to really answer this for certain we’d need to pit these guys against each other in a mega Hollywood showdown! Now wouldn’t that be a TV series worth seeing?

You really have to give it to these guys, not only are they talented actors but when you get this kind of movie fit, then you’re in the realms of being a serious athlete too. Sure it pays well, but it is hard work too.

So this is my ‘thought about it during the holiday period’ list of actors that I think would make it into most peoples Top 10 list of the fittest on-screen movie actors.

Tom Cruise – this guy works hard, really hard – and also does a lot of his own stunts. He also works out every day even when he’s not filming. Fit, very.

Brad Pitt – looks at the shape Brad is in for the movie Troy. You cannot fake muscle tone like that without makeup!

Will Smith – one of the nicest guys in the movie business, Will does a variety of films. Many you don’t even see how fit he is, but if you haven’t seen it, check him out in the movie Ali (about Mohammad Ali the boxer) – you’ll be shocked. Continue reading →

Of course not all movie stars do any stunts at all – I’m sure some would happily get a stand-in if they had to run for a scene where you couldn’t see their face…

Many big stars however take a great pride in their fitness levels, and their ability to do tough physical things on-screen. No director will risk letting a star do a dangerous stunt, but actors like Daniel Craig (our current James Bond) are extremely fit and not only capable of taking their shirt off but doing some tricky action and fight sequences too.

Daniel obviously works out hard on a regular basis, and carefully manages his diet. You just don’t get into that kind of shape without making sacrifices. He’s said in interviews that his diet is a fairly simple ‘clean’ diet – no processed, sugary foods obviously, but otherwise simple whole foods, lean meat, protein powders. Plenty of them too because you need to put a lot of (good) calories in to get quality muscle out. Continue reading →

Performing arts often go hand in hand with fitness. In fact you’ll find that many venues that teach performing arts (from ballet and tap to hip hop) offer those classes right alongside more traditional fitness classes such as aerobics or spin classes. The performance arts have become the ‘alternative fitness’ class.

It’s not too hard to see why. It’s a natural progression from straight cardio fitness through cardio to music (aerobics) to learning a specific skill such as ballet. It’s all about making fitness fun, and you certainly can’t deny that the performing arts require a certain level of fitness. To perform at a professional level, you need not only the cardio fitness levels of a long distance runner but often the strength of a decathlete too! Then just look at the levels of fitness required to take a lead role in an action movie – yes, you have stuntmen (who are also super fit), but filming regular action sequences can be very hard work. Continue reading →