When Beyoncé brought out Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams for a Destiny’s Child reunion at the Super Bowl, Twitter went into overdrive. The tweets and reactions to Rowland’s well-defined arms and toned thighs left many wondering, “How did she get that body?” We know the answer: With the help of personal trainer Jeanette Jenkins.
ESSENCE.com caught up with Jenkins to learn the secret to having a chiseled, jaw-dropping physique like Rowland’s.
ESSENCE.com: Did you have a chance to train Kelly in the weeks and days leading up to the Super Bowl?
JEANETTE JENKINS: I’m her trainer. I’ve been working with her for three years. I work with her all the time. [She works out] five days a week.
ESSENCE.com: What areas does she try to target when working out?
JENKINS: Kelly’s goal is to be healthy. She works everything. We do all different styles of training. We don’t target one area. We do yoga, pilates, cardio-training, boxing, boot camps and circuit training — she targets everything. It makes no sense to target one area.
ESSENCE.com: What kinds of foods do you recommend for her?
JENKINS: It doesn’t matter if she has a big show coming up or she’s going through everyday life — my goal for her is to be healthy. In order to be healthy and to optimize her performance and everyday health, [she must stick] to a meal plan. She eats fresh fruits and vegetables and lean cuts of meat. Twenty percent of the time she can do whatever she wants. I call it the 80/20 rule. She sticks to it.
ESSENCE.com: You also did yoga with Alicia Keys yesterday morning before she began preparing for the Super Bowl.
JENKINS: Yes, we did! It was an absolute joy. I’ve been training Alicia for a year and a half. I helped her get ready for her album, Girl on Fire. Any time you work with positive people that are driven and do what you say, it makes my job easier and it makes my job that much more joyful. It makes me feel like I’m part of the team.
ESSENCE.com: It’s really noticeable on Alicia. She’s been wearing a lot of armless gowns.
JENKINS: I’m very proud of both Alicia and Kelly. Their bodies have transformed in different ways. I’m very happy that I could add value to their lives and show them they can stay healthy and stay in shape while they’re traveling. A lot of times people think you can’t get a good workout while you’re traveling. You can throw out a mat and do yoga, you can go for a run outside, you can do a series of 20 sculpting exercises right beside your bed. There’s no excuse. You can also control the food.
ESSENCE.com: What’s the best piece of advice you can give someone looking to get healthy now?
JENKINS: Take responsibility for your life. Most people don’t receive the results that they want because they don’t take responsibility. And you’re not going to get healthy off a quick fix. You have to accept it as a lifestyle change. It’s something that you have to incorporate into your life every day.