Harley Pasternak’s 5 rules to a better body

PHOTO: Eating right and exercise aren’t all you need to get in shape, according to trainer Harley Pasternak (shown with Ndamukong Suh in 2012). | Kent Horner~Invision for Subway

You won’t hear trainer-to-the-stars Harley Pasternak telling his clients the road to a good body includes starving yourself or working out like mad.

In fact, the five things the Toronto trainer does encourage, according to an interview with Yahoo! Beauty writer Sara Bliss, might surprise you.

A good night’s sleep every day is a must, Pasternak says. Not getting enough sleep results in us indulging in more calories. (Think about it. How many times have you skimped on sleep only to spend the next day eating everything in sight?) A minimum of seven hours is his recommendation.

And here is something you truly don’t often see the experts pushing. Pasternak says we all should unplug from our electronics for at least an hour a day, according to the Yahoo! interview. Research shows the electronics mess with our brain chemicals and hormones to increase cravings, Pastnernak tells Yahoo! Beauty.

Pasternak, whose website lists Lady Gaga, Jennifer Hudson, Usher and Maria Menounos among his well-known clients, is a big fan of eating both protein and fiber, something he explains in length in his latest book, “5 Pounds: The breakthrough 5-Day Plan to Jump-Start Rapid Weight loss (and Never Gain it Back!). Lean protein, fresh vegetables and fruit, nuts and yogurt all have pivotal roles in his meals. (He’s not a fan of carbs, particularly the refined variety.)

Complicated workouts aren’t high on his list, either. Instead, he advocates walking five miles a day. (Wear a monitor to see how many steps you take; 10,000 is five miles.) Round that out with resistance training, he says, doing moves to tone and tighten a different specific part of the body each day.