Halle Berry’s 6 Tips for Getting Into the Best Shape of Your Life
Updated: Mar. 16, 2018
The actress has one of the best bods in the biz — and she’s 51! Here are her tips for staying fit and sticking to a workout plan.
We all want a celebrity trainer, right?
Well, Halle Berry is generously sharing hers with us. The 51-year-old actress says she’s in the best shape of her life thanks to her trainer Peter Lee Thomas. Since January, she’s been giving her Instagram followers her health and fitness tips weekly, with the tag #FitnessFridayHB.
Click ahead for six things you can learn from Halle.
1. Just do it
“You asked how to get started? It’s simple… you just decide to start!” She knows it’s difficult to make time to workout, but she makes a pretty solid argument for working it in. “Trust me, I know it’s hard to focus up and dedicate time to working out each day, but with 24 hours in a day you can surely take ONE and dedicate it to YOU!” She also adopts a minimal approach to equipment: “You don’t need a fancy gym to get started — all you need is a living room, a patio, a kitchen floor, a driveway or a backyard, and a water bottle.”
Check out these body weight workout routines that you can do at home.
2. Eat Keto
Berry thinks that being in great shape depends largely on what and when you eat.
“Being diabetic most of my life, I have always had to take food very seriously. So for years, I have been following the keto or ketogenic diet.” The actress believes this low-carb food plan (she hates the word diet) has forced her body to burn fat, and is largely responsible for slowing down her aging process, helping her manage her type 2 diabetes and increasing her endurance.
3. Mix it up
Berry loves to mix up her workouts with boxing techniques. “The first exercise is shadow boxing with a sprawl. It’s good for the upper body, core and lungs. It’s also low impact and calorie burning. The second exercise is shadow boxing with a sit up. This is also a nice way to build upper body strength and the core! And trust me those punches get heavy after a while.”
4. Sweat with a friend
“It’s often easier to workout with a partner. A partner holds you accountable so you won’t quit halfway through. A partner can spot you so you don’t injure yourself, but most of all, working out with a partner just makes it all more fun!”
You can also give these 10 workout motivation hacks a shot.
5. Get out of your comfort zone
Berry says she had to learn to love working out, but it was worth it. “The truth is, when you get fit, exercise is actually something you look forward to. It’s a stress reliever (God knows I’ve needed that over the years), makes you feel relaxed, optimistic and those endorphins are just heavenly! After I workout, I feel like I can conquer the world.” She doesn’t always feel motivated, but that doesn’t stop her: “Ok, now real talk, I do sometimes get fatigued, tired and don’t always look forward to my workouts but that is when I force myself to push harder and work through it. When I get to the other side, it’s always well worth my effort. Why? Because I’m worth it and so are YOU!”
6. Don’t forget to stretch
“After I work out, it’s important for me to stretch and lengthen. Fitness is not just about running, lifting and punching. For me, being athletic and super fit is also about being still, stretching and breathing. Including stretching in my fitness program helps my muscles stay long, limber, improves my mobility and range of motion and, most importantly, helps me avoid injuries.”
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