Kara Tointen was last night crowned the 2010 winner of Strictly Come Dancing. She is a former East Enders actress that stunned the judges with her amazing progress in the 3 month dance competition. She was partnered with Russian dancer Artem Chigvintsev, who developed a wonderful relationship, both on the dance floor and also off screen.
In 2009 Kara was also nominated as the Sexiest Soap Actress in the UK. So, how does she stay in great shape?
Kara has been a fitness fanatic for many years and says that she simply loves to exercise and eat healthy food. She likes swimming, and of course, she loves dancing. Dancing was not always her favorite exercise though, as she used to prefer sports. She described sports as being more like just having fun, so she never felt that she was actually exercising. Now she has discovered dancing as a great replacement for sport.
“I’ve definitely been swept up by the excitement of it all – it’s such a fun way to exercise!”
To get fit for dancing she goes to the gym and performs some weight training exercising to help strengthen her upper body. Typically she performs the following exercises as part of her strength training workout:
- Pullovers – laying on a bench of a stability ball, a light weight is lowered back over hear head and then raised again, with straight arms. This is good for a back and shoulders. More back exercises.
- Kettlebell Swings – These are a functional and dynamic weight training exercise, which is essential for building up athletic strength. These are performed by holding a kettlebell with both hands and then squatting down, then rising explosively while also lifting the kettlebell out in front with straightish arms.
- Push ups – Push ups are one of the best, functional bodyweight exercising for the upper body. Fantastic for toning arms as well as strengthening the back and chest and stabilising the core.
- Bicycle Crunches – considered one of the best core exercises that target the abs (great for a flat stomach).
Kara Tointen’s Diet
Although Kara likes to follow a healthy and balanced diet, she does love her chocolate and cakes. When you do exercise a lot you can afford to give yourself some sugary treats – this is one of the benefits of staying in shape!
She drinks lots of water instead of other soft drinks as this helps to keep calories down, is great for the skin and aids digestion and general wellbeing.
Really there is nothing special about Kara’s diet. She does not follow any particular plan like many Hollywood celebs do, she just follows common sense eating habits.
She ensures that she eats a healthy and balanced diet with the right proportions of carbohydrates, proteins and fats received from a wide range of fruits, vegetables, pulses and lean meats and dairy. Also she does not overindulge, only eating as much as her body needs for good health.