How does a movie star stay young and fit?

Well known in her native country, the Czech movie- and theatre-actress Simona Praskova is a shining example of how a woman can keep her attractive looks and physical fitness all the way during a long and fruitful acting career.

Actors are usually also athletes: there is a significant and increasing pressure to achieve “ideal” body shape – and that ideal means ever more muscular for men and more pronounced waist-hip ration for women. Simona attended classes of acrobatics, ballet, dance, fencing and step dance before and during her studies. She started to attend the then-popular Aerobic classes and visit the gym during her early acting years.

Of course, one thing is to achieve a slim, sexy body shape and another thing is to keep it over decades of acting. That requires a long-term training plan that is not only effective, but sustainable: joint protection, body core muscles and cardio all play major roles in a long-term smart training.

After spending 10 years in the UK, Simona bought two dogs and added running to her daily routine. “My bloodhound was my first running coach”, Simona says with a mischievous smile.

Daily running proved a successful part of the body-shaping efforts – not just indoor treadmill, but the “real thing”. Two well-known coaches took care of her cardio and resistance training, some of which she pursued together with her young daughter Natalia.

So what’s the secret of success for a busy actress having to balance her training with an prolific acting career? The following rules keep Simona young, active and sexy:

1. Circuit training
2. Resistance exercises with around 50% 1RM
3. Outdoor running
4. Yoga

We asked Simona whether she’s keeping some special diet: “I just try to eat healthy and nutritious food. It usually means a lot of lean meat and yoghurts, veggies and occasional beans. I never mix bread or other carbs with meat and often avoid bread altogether for prolonged periods of time. Occasionally I also abstain from meat for a few weeks as a form of detox.”

“When a woman feels well physically, then her self-confidence and will to be always in good shape, to be still interesting and attractive for her surroundings, even in ripe age, is strengthened.” - continues Simona.

“Resistance training and acting complement each other well. I believe that with my type of energetic independent woman, I should really be in good shape. When you have a demanding film shooting or a hard theatrical rehearsal and then an evening performance, you need energy, strength and good mood. And that’s what fitness training is about.”

joys of life. I currently train at home, whether in the form of circuit training or running outdoors.