Advice on healthy living generally takes one of two forms. There is the unaffordable Gwyneth Paltrow route of nauseating smugness, where you sit in the Hamptons knitting your own kale while wearing a £1,200 organic cashmere sweater. Then there is the unsustainable “never eat another carb and go to the gym for three hours a day” route. Into the gap drops neatly a man called Dalton Wong.
The chances are you haven’t heard of him, but that’s because you’re not a film producer. Wong, you see, is not your average personal trainer; he has a client list that reads like Vanity Fair. He was the man summoned by the movie bigwigs to get Jennifer Lawrence into shape for her first big film, X-Men: First Class. He’s trained Kit Harington and Gwendoline Christie, the Game of Thrones actors, as well as Nicholas Hoult and Amanda Seyfried, when she was spending her days in a corset filming Les Misérables and viewed her workout as an opportunity to relax and breathe easily.
“I live in a very exclusive world,” Wong says, “and I have a lot of very wealthy clients. I could be a trainer who just works with Hollywood stars, but my passion is training people. I love coming to work every day.”
So Wong, 38, a cheerful Canadian, spends most of his time putting bankers and housewives and anyone else who has £250 an hour to spare through their paces at his gym in a tiny South Kensington mews house in southwest London. (“It’s really expensive,” he says, looking guilty. “A hundred pounds is the standard rate, but it’s my time and I’m quite busy.”)
Happily, he has also written a book for those who can’t quite run to £250 an hour, and even more happily it is totally lacking in the smugness of Gwynnie and the unattainability of boot-camp veganism. You might not have Lawrence’s youth, beauty or wealth, runs the theory, but you can train like she does and eat like she does, and the youth, beauty and wealth will follow. Maybe.
“They asked me to work with her seven years ago, before she was Jennifer Lawrence. Was she in shape? By the end she was in great shape, but she was 20 years old. What 20-year-old knows what to eat and drink? You just think, ‘This is my body, it’s fine.’ We spent three months together, 12 hours a day. I didn’t know how famous she’d become, but she was cool. We’re still friends.”
Indeed they are. His children call her Auntie Jennifer, and when Auntie Jennifer is in town they go to Byron for burgers and fries. “Eating disorders are my No 1 fear for my daughter,” Wong says. “So I explain that Auntie Jennifer works really hard but she eats really well and she loves to exercise.”
Once, Lawrence even picked up his children from school, which is surely above and beyond. You might think that Wong spending 12 hours a day working out with a sweaty, scantily clad Jennifer Lawrence might be slightly unnerving for his wife, but apparently not.
“My wife is fine with it,” he says. “There’s no jealousy. In fact, when Jennifer was here she would go out with her for coffee. The funny thing is, my wife really reminds me of Jennifer. They’re very similar, with the same mannerisms. Now, when I see Jennifer looking amazing on the red carpet, I send her a text saying, ‘I’m really proud of you.’ ”
Wong was born and raised on Vancouver Island. When he was ten, his apparently fit and healthy father dropped dead from a heart attack while out running, aged 40. Wong’s life since has been about avoiding that fate and attempting to help others avoid it.
He moved to Australia when he was 20, met his English wife there, came to Britain and has been here, working as a trainer, since. One of his first jobs was at the Harbour Club in London in the 1990s, when Diana, Princess of Wales, was its most famous member, but it was his stint as a spinal rehab specialist on Harley Street that for some curious reason attracted Hollywood’s attention.
Wong went on to co-found the cult gym Bodyism, but three years ago he branched out on his own with Twenty Two Training. His theory is that drastic change to your diet and exercise regime, or boot camps to lose 14lb in 14 days, are doomed to failure because you’re overwhelmed and give up.
Instead he reckons that if you spend 15 minutes a day doing something, anything, that makes you feel good, whether it’s having a bath or a glass of wine or calling your mum, then you’re more likely to choose to do other things that also make you feel good, whether it’s exercising more often or having porridge instead of cornflakes for breakfast.
“My book is for people who go to Tesco, not Whole Foods,” he says. “There are so many books about soaking your nuts and seeds for people who go to Whole Foods, but I wanted to do something that everyone can do. And I don’t believe in dieting, I just believe it’s better to have Nando’s than KFC.”
He also doesn’t believe in the fad for cutting out entire food groups, and he wouldn’t dream of trying to make someone who normally has cereal for breakfast switch to avocado and a poached egg because it’s too far removed from their normal behaviour.
Yet training someone such as Lawrence is in many ways no different from training anyone else; she has her insecurities too, he says. The difference is that it’s her job to look good, and the production company pays to make sure that she does, and that all she has to think about is acting and working out.
Wong’s normal clientele, he points out, have everyday stresses and worries, and he may see them for only a couple of hours a week. With Lawrence he was with her for 12 hours a day on set at Pinewood and on location, fitting in exercise when her schedule allowed.
“I taught her how to eat well, how to be resilient and how to go out and have fun but not pay the price,” he says, proudly. “It’s their reputation on the line, so they are highly demanding, but all those actresses are very driven. People say, ‘Well, they have the money to do it,’ and that’s true, but they still have to do the work. I can’t go, like, ‘Ping! [He mimes waving a magic wand.] You’re fit.’ They still have to do the leg presses and I don’t think they get credit for that. Yes, they have a lot of money and yes, they have the income to make boring food exciting — that’s what chefs are for — but they still have to work really hard to get the body they want.”
Or, more to the point, the body film producers want. When Wong started out, by and large they wanted the female talent to be thinner and the men to be pumped-up. Now, he says, he has seen a shift, where the focus is more on health.
“They used to say, ‘This is our ideal weight, do whatever’s necessary to get it.’ Now, it’s what do we need to do to make it a little bit easier for our client. And the actors are taking more care of themselves, or at least the ones I see are. Twenty years ago they would smoke and drink. Now, not so much. Gone are the days when they’re out at nightclubs till 7am. These actors are successful by being good at their job, and today that means eating well and exercising. People won’t keep hiring you if you burn the candle at both ends; it’s much more now about wellness and green juice.”
Not that this means there haven’t been tantrums along the way. Wong says he wouldn’t accept any diva-like behaviour, but he admits there have been a few moments. One potential client wanted him to close the whole gym so they had the place to themselves. Wong had to explain that his gym is in a tiny house. “It is not Equinox with 1,000 people looking at you. One day Jennifer was here and one of my other clients met her on the stairs, but everyone’s cool, everyone’s discreet. No one’s taking photos.”
And in case you were wondering, £250 an hour gets you a workout not so different from anyone else’s. I know because I tried it. The difference, as Wong recognises, is him: what he says, how he says it, how he makes you feel. Although, as someone who prepped for the experience by eating toast and celebrated survival with pizza, I don’t think I’m going to have a body like Jennifer Lawrence’s any time soon.
How to feel good by Dalton Wong
The Feelgood guide to drinking
Alcohol isn’t healthy, however you pour it, but you’re probably going to want it anyway. Here’s how to handle it:
1. Leave your glass on the table as you pour, and you’ll serve yourself 12 per cent less without feeling short-changed.
2. Drink from a heavy glass. We associate them with better quality, so we drink more slowly to appreciate our beverages.
3. Have a glass of red wine with dinner — the enzymes are proven to balance blood sugar, and drinking it with red meat reduces cancer-causing carcinogens.
4. When blending your own cocktails, use alcohol with a lower proof to save calories and have a clearer head. Fresh fruit, sparkling water, lemon and green juice make the healthiest mixers.
5. Mixing drinks combines different types of congeners, which is a fancy way of saying your body has to work harder to fight those toxins. Stick to one order — and don’t mix alcohol with energy drinks.
6. Want to feel giddy on less booze? Drink bubbles. Fizzy mixers make you fuzzy faster, because the gas helps push alcohol through your gut into your bloodstream.
7. Prefer to pace yourself? Listen to soft music with a slow beat. Fast, loud music dulls the taste senses, which means you’ll drink more.
8. Try going to sleep on your left side because this position is the most restorative. One night of boozing reduces deep REM sleep and cuts 30 minutes off your total sleep, which drains your energy.
The Feelgood hangover cure
1. “Why do I feel so rough?” Your brain is dehydrated. Sip some water.
2. “I feel sick. I need crisps. And bacon. With chips.” You’re craving salty food because salt forces your body to drink more water. Put a pinch of sea salt into your water to help your body to hold on to more H2O. You could also try coconut water, which contains magnesium, salt and electrolytes.
3. “Perhaps I’ll have a painkiller . . .” Stop right there! Ibuprofen and paracetamol are extra toxic loads; popping a pill means alcohol stays in your system even longer.
4. “I have the worst taste in my mouth.” Add a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime to water to cut through your bad breath and help to alkalise your body.
5. “Time for breakfast.” We often overeat with a hangover. Protein and complex carbs repair the damage from the previous night’s toxic insulin overload. Try avocado and smoked salmon on rye toast, an asparagus omelette or porridge with fresh berries and nuts.
6. “Coffee. Get me coffee.” Stick to one for now, because caffeine dehydrates you — it’s just another thing your liver has to process.
7. “How will I make it through the day?” Take it easy. Keep sipping water. Get plenty of fresh air to increase the oxygen in your system. Have a gentle walk.
Can’t think straight?
Just do this: water; salted water; coconut water; lemon water; breakfast; coffee — in that order.
The 60-second headache soother
Pull your shoulders back. With your left hand, hold the base of your chair. Place your right hand on top of your head and gently press above your left ear. A stretch should be felt on the left side of your neck. Hold for three long, deep breaths. Now tuck your chin in and look towards your right hip pocket. You’ll feel the stretch all the way down to your left shoulder. Hold for another three breaths, then switch sides.
The Feelgood guide to ordering in a restaurant
Restaurants make money by tricking you into eating more than you want to. Here’s your seven-step “good-time guarantee”:
1. Download the menu so you can choose what to order in advance. The more you anticipate a meal, the more it tickles your tastebuds.
2. Don’t go out ravenous. Power up with complex carbs such as oatcakes, hummus or carrot crudités before going out so you’re pleasantly hungry, not starving.
3. Choose a softly lit spot. Bright colours stimulate your appetite as well as your eyes and can increase the amount you eat by 25 per cent. Ask to be seated in a candlelit corner, where you can relax.
4. Wear an extra layer. Why do restaurants crank up the air-con? Because a 5C reduction in temperature increases food consumption by nearly 20 per cent. Leptin, a hormone that controls your appetite, is slower to kick in when your body temperature is low.
5. Forgo the freebies. If you’re having carbs with your meal, say no to the bread basket. A handful of olives are a better bet. Choose black over green because dark olives contain 50 per cent less sodium.
6. Order first. You won’t get swayed by your friend who plumps for the creamy pasta.
7. Delay drinking. Alcohol on an empty stomach encourages you to eat more. Booze makes everything a bit fuzzy, including your body’s “I’m full” signals. Give yourself a fighting chance by sipping sparkling water until your food arrives (it makes you feel fuller than tap water), then enjoy a glass of wine with dinner.
Remember the rule of two
If you’re hungry: starter + main
If you want to lose weight: starter + another starter as your main
If you have a sweet tooth: main + share a dessert
If you want to lose weight and you have a sweet tooth:starter as a main + share a dessert
The Feelgood guide to snacking
Healthy-in-a-hurry sweet treats
Banana ice cream: unpeel and freeze a ripe banana. Blend until smooth or eat as is
Dark chocolate: make it 70 per cent for all the antioxidants and not too much sugar
Peanut popcorn: top a bowl of air-popped corn with a spoon of melted peanut butter
Fruity fro-yo: stir frozen berries into Greek yoghurt, freeze and enjoy
Is it coffee o’clock yet?
Make your coffee count by drinking a cup when cortisol naturally dips in the day, so you feel more alert in an energy slump. Caffeine increases the production of cortisol, the stress hormone, so try waiting until after breakfast to have your first cup. About 10am is the perfect time.