Mena Suvari: Don't Be Afraid to Lift Weights!

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Mena Suvari says women shouldn't fear the weight room at the gym.

"Women need to not be afraid of lifting weights because they help you be toned," Suvari, who says she does a lot of yoga and weight training, told Usmagazine.com at the Alice and Olivia fashion show in NYC Sunday.

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Suvari, 30, hooked up with her current trainer, Daniella Frita, while filming new flick You May Not Kiss the Bride. Frita served as her stunt double.

"I walked up to her one day and I said, 'Okay, just break it down for me. I want to know everything you are doing,'" she says. "Ever since then, she's been sending me workout plans and nutritional plans and I've been working with her for about four and a half months."

Suvari says that before Frita, her workout was all wrong.

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"I've been working out in so many different areas my whole life but I learned so much from her and it's so inspiring," she says. "I go to the gym and I see women who are a little misguided."

Working out "doesn't have to be...a chore," she says. "In this day and age, we all need to be inspired to be the best we can be and stay healthy."