Celebrity Inspiration II: Ryan Reynolds

There are many celebrities that really value fitness and nutrition. Of these, there are a very select few, male and female, who I think are at the pinnacle of fitness and nutrition and are those who give me ideas and inspire me within my own fitness and nutrition. Today I am going to focus on 'Blade Trinity' actor Ryan Reynolds.

Below is a typical diet that Ryan Reynolds undertook when working on the movie 'Blade Trinity'. Note that he may not still be on a diet as strict as this in his every day life now, however it does give you an idea of what it takes to get the six pack that Ryan Reynolds had in 'Blade Trinity':

Breakfast: 1/2 cup of egg whites, 1 cup of sugarless oatmeal, some “good” fat like a spoon of almond butter or slice of avocado.

Midmorning snack: Protein bar

Lunch: Albacore tuna wrap or chicken and salad

Mid-afternoon snack: Protein bar, protein shake (whey and water) or apple and almonds

Dinner: Broiled fish or chicken, brown rice, vegetables, and salad

Evening Snack: Protein shake

This diet was combined with ab exercises and heavy weight training. Ryan Reynolds trained for six days each week which reportedly led to getting his body fat percentage down from 11% to 3%. Note that on an average male, to see your abdominal muscles you need to get your body fat percentage to below around 9%. Also, if you're getting down to specifics the Oatmeal Ryan Reynolds ate was McCann's Steel Cut Oatmeal. I believe this to be available throughout the US, however I have yet to find it in the UK. I myself eat Quakers Oatmeal (or Porridge as we call it in the UK). The protein shakes were Optimum Whey Protein Shakes. As an extra note, Ryan Reynolds also didn't eat carbs after 8pm. I would recommend going even further by aiming to have your final big meal of the day by 7pm or even 6pm. To assist with muscle mass, in addition to Creatine Ryan Reynolds took supplements including L-glutamine, Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA), whey, and a multivitamin. My personal experience with both Creatine and L'glutamine teaches me that these may be necessary, they may not. I do take them occasionally, but I am still on the fence as to their actual effectiveness.

There are many inspirations out there, celebrity and non-celebrity. Today I chose Ryan Reynolds but there are many more who inspire me that I will get onto in the future. It doesn't matter who inspires you. Even if it's simply yourself, feeling inspired can help you go above and beyond in all aspects of your life. Keep looking for inspiration and be an inspiration to others yourself. Feel inspired!