Gretchen Rossi Talks Overcoming Bulimia, Working Out With Hotel Lamps

Celebuzz.com:

With such a fast-paced schedule, how does Real Housewives of Orange County star Gretchen Rossi ever find time to work out?

“Because I travel so much, I end up doing a lot of my workouts on the road,” Rossi told Celebuzz in an exclusive interview. “I know it sounds silly, but I’ll literally get into a hotel room, pick up the bedside lamp and start doing bicep curls. Sometimes you just have to improvise when you don’t have the time.”

Revealing her “get fit” tips, Rossi — who ranked No. 25 on the Celebuzz 101 Hot Bodies countdown — gave Celebuzz the scoop on her guilty pleasures, her new secret health habit and which housewives she thinks are the hottest. (Hint: She doesn’t share an area code with any of them.)

Celebuzz: What was the ‘a-ha moment’ in your life that made you want to take health and fitness to the next level?
Gretchen Rossi: I grew up playing soccer and softball, and was a cheerleader. So, I’ve always been extremely athletic. As far as taking my health to the next level, though, it was actually in high school, because I suffered from an eating disorder. When I finally decided I wanted to get healthy and educated about how to stay in shape, I went and got my personal training certificate. I started training other people in college, which really helped me get past my own issues, because I was able to help people in that way. Now, I’m totally capable of knowing how to take care of myself on my own.

Celebuzz: What exercises do you do to stay in shape?
GR: I work so much that I don’t get the consistent time to be in the gym any longer. I do have a trainer that I work with, Ken Rawlins, and he’s amazing. I have him meet me at the house because my schedule is that crazy! He brings a bunch of equipment with him and we do everything from free weights and exercises on the bench to work with rubber bands and these things called gliders that I found. We’ve been using those a lot lately, which has been really fun. Basically, we do a lot of lunges and squats and pushups on a ball.

Celebuzz: What’s on your workout playlist?
GR:  I definitely work out to music; it’s more motivating. But there are times that you don’t need it. I go on walks on the mornings that I’m up early. The dawn is so beautiful that you really don’t need music. Normally, though, I listen to a playlist of “ampy,” get-you-going songs. Lately, it’s been my own song “Unbreakable”; it’s really a great workout song! I didn’t even realize what a great workout song it was until I put it on my iPod; it really gets me going. Also, I absolutely love anything by Britney Spears, Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.

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Celebuzz: What’s your guilty pleasure?
GR: Alcohol will always be on my list. I’m really more of a social drinker and have a cocktail when I’m out on the town on a Friday or Saturday night with friends. And, if I feel like having a bite of dessert when I’m out, I will. I won’t do much more than that, because that’s when you end up eating the entire dessert. I don’t do well with that.

Celebuzz: Do you have any secrets for total body confidence when putting on a bikini?
GR: First and foremost, get a spray tan; that’s the number-one top secret. It really helps to disguise cellulite. Also, little things like a really good moisturizer that makes you look shiny and pretty really helps, too.

Celebuzz: Do you have a secret habit that is part of your healthy lifestyle?
GR: In the last three months, I’ve really been been upping my vitamin intake — MSM, Grapeseed Extract, things like that. I’m also trying this new product called Play Again, for healthy joints, because when I workout a lot they sometimes ache and hurt. I hate to swallow pills, let alone having to take them; but you really start to see your body change, so it’s worth it.

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