January Jones is famous for her portrayal of Betty Draper in Mad Men but will become an action star this summer when she appears in the latest X-Men film, First Class, in which she plays Emma Frost (aka White Queen), the mutant that has strong telepathic powers and super strength too in her diamond form.
In 2009 January Jones was criticised for being too thin. However, she defended her figure then, and confirmed that she eats well;
“I’m from South Dakota, so meat, potatoes, carbs.”
In fact for Mad Men the actresses were encoruaged not to work out as they had to give that 1960’s look, so women were encouraged not to work out.
“we didn’t work out and that we eat really well, so we look like healthy women.” January Jones
January was told that the show wanted soft women with no muscle definition. She was told to gain some weight to give a more voluptuous look.
Beer and Carbs
Not exactly your usual diet, but January Jones admits to liking beer and carbs. However, she obviously does not overindulge in either. Although excess beer is certainly not good for your health or your waist line, drinking in moderation is perfectly healthy.
Some studies have indicated that drinking one beer a day actually has some health benefits. Also, beer is a good source of carbohydrate and can be drunk as a post workout drink to refuel glycogen reserves. Although admittedly a more traditional sports drink such as Gatorade may be better!
Training For X-Men: First Class
For her role she did not require any specific training. She remains slim and healthy, and has not needed to exercise to build up an athletic appearance. Her image is mostly about costume and make-up, with a sexy 2 piece costume, cape and boots.
“It’s a lot of very body-conscious stuff. If you look at the comic book, she’s barely dressed. She’s got quite the bod, which is very intimidating.”
She started working on X-Men as soon as Mad Men finished filming, so really had no time to get in better athletic shape.
Some Weight Training
Apparently January did do some limited weight training and bodyweight exercises for the role once filming started, just to give a little more muscle tone in the upper body. Typical exercises included push ups on a stability ball, dumbbell curls and rows.
If you are already slim then you do not need to do a huge amount of exercise to get in shape. A couple of months of weight training, bodyweight exercises and some regular cardio sessions combined with a healthy diet packed full of fresh fruits and vegetables and lean proteins will get your body toned and in shape very quickly.