Celebrity Health – Kristina Rihanoff

Taking steps towards good health

Strictly Come Dancing star Kristina Rihanoff talks to Liz Parry about her latest fitness regime

Q: How do you ensure that you follow a healthy lifestyle?

Kristina: "I always try to keep active and I like to follow a healthy diet. It is my job to be healthy and physically fit so I do everything I can to look after myself. The dancing I do is very demanding and it’s my main form of exercise. When I’m not dancing I like to do Bikram yoga, which is yoga in a heated room, and I’ll also work out in the gym."

Q: How long do you spend in training when you are rehearsing for a show?

Kristina: "As a professional dancer I have to work hard every day. The schedule for Strictly Come Dancing is very demanding, just as it is for the tours and West End shows. When I am taking part in a show the training is very full on for eight or nine hours a day. You find yourself burning a lot of calories. That’s how I like things to be though – I like to be active."

Q: Does all that dancing take its toll on your body?

Kristina: "When I first started dancing, I never thought about what all this physical activity was doing to my body. I felt invincible. As I hit 30, I realised I was feeling exhausted in the morning and I was worn out at night. My career was growing and I felt like I was losing my spark. I couldn’t enjoy my precious free time. I was desperate to change that and stay at my best. I went for some health checks and discovered that I needed to top up my vitamin levels, so I began doing my research. It’s amazing what we lack in our diets! I was recommended some basic nutrition by an expert, such as selenium, magnesium and vitamin D. But it was coenzyme Q10 that surprised me. I started taking Pharma Nord’s Bio-Quinone Q10 GOLD as I loved the quality and their commitment to research."

Q: How has it helped you?

Kristina: "I thought it might help my skin, and it did, but that wasn’t the main benefit I experienced. I realised that I was coping so much better with my demanding schedule. I felt like I’d been given a huge boost. A nutritionist told me that the amount of Q10 we make in our bodies goes down as we get older and as we exercise. It was like my dancing and busy schedule were draining my batteries. Taking Q10 gave me a top-up and I felt like I did in the early days."

Q: Would you encourage Your Healthy Living readers to give dancing a try, as a means of getting fit?

Kristina: Absolutely! Every year on Strictly we see people lose loads of weight and really get in shape due to the training. It burns lots of calories and it’s a really fun, social thing to do."

Q: What else do you do to maintain your health?

Kristina: "The best thing I did for my health was to get tested for food intolerances. This opened my eyes to the different foods I was eating that were not actually very good for me. Chicken and pork completely disagree with me so I have cut them out of my diet. I am eating a lot more fruit and vegetables and I am feeling much healthier and more energised. I have also lost a bit of weight so I am very pleased."

Q: What prompted you to take the test?

Kristina: "I had a lot of kidney infections and was suffering a lot of dehydration. It has always been the weak spot in my body. My doctor said that I was healthy but something was unbalanced in my body so we decided to find out if I had any food intolerances. When I saw the chart I found that I was intolerant to a lot of the foods I was eating regularly. It took a little while to adjust my diet, but now it is normal for me and I am feeling so much better."

Q: Do you enjoy cooking?

Kristina: "Yes I do, but it’s difficult when you are on the road all the time and working long hours. I do enjoy simple, healthy meals."

Q: How do you take care of your skin?

Kristina: "I have to wear a lot of make-up when I’m performing so I always cleanse, moisturise and use eye cream each day. I have regular facials with a wonderful beautician who really looks after me."

Q: What projects are you working on at the moment?

Kristina: "Throughout February I’ll be appearing with Ben Cohen on the Strictly Come Dancing live tour. It’s really exciting because everyone from the series will be together again on the road so weall get to enjoy each other’s company again. I have lots of shows lined up after the tour finishes and I’ll also be doing some teaching, which I really love."

Kristina chooses Pharma Nord's Bio-Quinone Q10. It's a patented formula, supported by over 90 clinical trials, with proven absorption. Coenzyme Q10 is a vitamin-like substance needed to provide energy inside all human cells. Some cells require more Q10 than others, such as muscles and the heart, with levels declining as we age and exercise. Visit www.q10.co.uk or call 0800 591 756.

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