Country music superstar Carrie Underwood, 33, is known for her dedication to a healthy lifestyle and keeping in great shape. He fitness goals go way beyond staying trim— she focuses primarily on being strong!
Her success is due to unwavering commitment and dedication each day. Yes, Carrie has a personal trainer and mobile gym to keep her on track, but you can adopt some of her habits and integrate them into your own workout flow at no cost to you. Below is a selection of tips and ideas that you can nab for your own use.
Carrie Underwood’s 5 Favorite Workout Types
According to PopSugar, the following are Carrie’s go-to workouts that she relies on while on tour and at home.
1) Tabata: A workout that combines 20 seconds of intense bursts with 10 seconds of rest in four-minute rounds. A short and effective workout that is perfect for a busy schedule. The web is full of Tabata sequence printouts and videos spanning from 8 minute to 40 minutes durations.
2) Leg Circuits: Carrie Underwood’s toned legs can be partially attributed to this routine which strengthen your legs and bottom. A combination of squats, lunges, and deadlifts with small weights is key. Check out useful tips from Carrie’s own personal trainer Erin Oprea below.
3) Running: Running or even going for a jog or a walk is a great way to get outside. Hills do wonders!
4) Bodyweight Workouts: Carrie often incorporates bodyweight workouts while on the road because you don’t need to worry about equipment. She’s all about planks, lunges, and crunches. Bodyweight workouts are abundant via YouTube and are a source for helpful pointers.
5) Boxing: You don’t need access to a boxing gym. At-home boxing videos are quick and effective too. If you don’t have access to light weights either, try equipment-free Cardio Tai Boxing.
In addition to these routines, Carrie has invented her own workout ‘game’ for when she’s exercising alone and trying to beat boredom.
“I take a deck of cards and assign each suit a body area—say, diamonds for arms, hearts for legs, spades for core and clubs for cardio. I split the deck in half and write down exercises for each suit, a different one for each half. So, if I flip over the six of hearts, I’ll do six squats. If the next card is ace of diamonds, that’s 14 push-ups. Sometimes I’ll make spades boxing and beat the crap out of the bag for however many punches the number on the card says,” Carrie explained to Self magazine.
“Having different exercises for each half of the deck keeps me from getting bored. I make sure there’s a joker in each half—that’s a mile run on the treadmill. Then I go through the whole deck. With a 15-minute warm-up on the elliptical, it takes about an hour and a half total, but it’s fun because you’ve designed the workout yourself,” the singer added.
Eating Habit Tips
Trainer Tony Greco, who has worked with both Underwood and her husband Mike Fisher in the past, revealed some smart diet tips with Shape magazine. He revealed that Carrie maintains a balanced diet of protein, carbs, and fats. She also avoids eating out, even while on tour.
“Have a protein the size of the palm of your hand, 2 cups of green veggies, and a handful of almonds, macadamia nuts, or walnuts with every meal,” Greco advises others.
We know that the songbird is 100% dedicated to healthy eating, but Greco insists that a little “cheating” is allowed once in awhile.
“Just have it before noon so it gives your body enough time to burn the extra calories,” Greco explains.
It is also important to note that Underwood has gone mostly vegan after being a vegetarian for several years. She’s also kept food journals for years in order to track her nutrition. Her level of dedication is pretty impressive and the results speak for themselves.
