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Photo: Ryan Kelly / Daily Burn 365[/caption]
You’ve snapped a selfie before. But have you ever sent your selfie to over 400,000 people? Perez Hilton has, and he does it every single Sunday on Instagram. Yup, Hilton, creator of the massively popular, eponymous celebrity gossip site, posts a shirtless selfie every Sunday to hold himself accountable to his fitness goals.
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A recent guest on Daily Burn 365, Hilton wasn’t always so disciplined with his health. When he was working on PerezHilton.com from a New York City coffee shop during the site’s early days, Hilton started gaining weight from extra snacking. Over time, he began feeling more and more demoralized about his appearance, not to mention his energy level. Hilton knew he needed to make a change. But it wasn’t until 2008 that he really committed to fitness. (Want to work out with him? You can right here.)
Now Hilton’s lifestyle is pretty different from some of the party-hardy celebrities he covers on his site. Booze-fueled benders are few and far between for this father of two. Hilton works out five times a week and prioritizes eating real foods.
“For me, it’s about showing up. Some days I have the worst workouts ever, but at least I know I put in some effort,” said Hilton, after hitting a full-body workout on Daily Burn 365. “So long as I’m there and I’m eating healthy, I’m good.” So good, in fact, he had time to finish things off with this no-nonsense circuit, dreamed up by Daily Burn trainer Prince Brathwaite. Its name: "PEREZ," of course.
Fit Perez, IRL: Perez Hilton's Weight Loss Journey
But wait — how’d the famous blogger get on board with fitness to begin with? For Hilton, the first step was literally all about steps. In 2008, he challenged himself to walk for 30 minutes a day, five days a week. “I tried so many times before…I wanted to approach it in a real, achievable way,” Hilton told Life by Daily Burn. “After a month, I saw results, and results are the greatest motivator.”
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Next, he changed up his eating habits. “I would cheat so much because it was really hard,” said Hilton. But with positive results, he remained energized and decided to take things up a notch. He started hitting the gym for real and committing to eating clean. “Somebody else might get away with working out every day and eating pizza,” says Hilton, “but that’s not me. I need to work out and eat healthy. Eating healthfully works for me, but everybody’s different.” Now, he rarely strays from his whole foods-focused diet. (Margaritas and alcohol are an occasional treat!)
The hardest part of maintaining progress? “After a while you stop getting compliments,” said Hilton. And nobody’s congratulating us for not gaining weight, either. With a busy schedule full of travel, staying on track can also be tough. That’s where balance comes in: Hilton maintains a healthy diet at home, but allows himself an indulgence or two while on the road.
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At home, he has two kids to think of, too. “It’s about learning a healthy approach to balance,” said Hilton, who lets his son have not-so-healthy foods at birthday parties and on special occasions, but keeps sweets and fruit juices out of his kitchen. This is a far cry from how Hilton grew up himself, he says. “For my mom, her idea of salad was iceberg lettuce with mayonnaise!”
Today, Hilton has one major fitness goal: Continuing to gain lean muscle. “One of the things people don’t like talking about is, when you lose a lot of weight — and I lost close to 80 pounds — everybody has loose skin,” said Hilton. For him, that means prioritizing resistance workouts that build strength and size.
You can bet he’ll be showing up tomorrow. And the next day. (Just check out those selfies if you need proof!)
Want to work out with Perez Hilton on Daily Burn 365? You can catch the whole no-equipment workout at DailyBurn.com/guest/perezhilton.
The post Why Perez Hilton Posts a Shirtless Selfie Every Sunday appeared first on Life by Daily Burn.