Alicia Keys, the acclaimed singer-songwriter, prioritizes her health and wellness amidst her successful career. She understands the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and has incorporated specific strategies to achieve her fitness goals. This article explores the diet and workout routines that contribute to Alicia Keys' overall well-being, drawing on insights from celebrity trainers and her personal experiences.
The Importance of a Holistic Approach
Alicia Keys recognizes that staying in optimal shape requires a holistic approach encompassing diet, exercise, and self-care. She avoids fad diets, focusing instead on wholesome foods and regular workouts. Like many, Alicia Keys also has to hustle to stay slim and trim, especially since she's a new mommy. Cameras found the singer walking through New York City, post-workout in her gym clothes.
Diet and Nutrition
Calorie Counting and the "Five Factor Diet Plan"
Alicia Keys doesn't restrict herself too much, but she does calorie count. The Mayo Clinic has a calorie calculator to share with readers a healthy place for them to start counting calories. She generally sticks to a “five factor diet plan” which essentially means avoiding fat containing foods, oil containing foods, sugar containing foods, and bread in addition to watching her calories.
Indulging in Moderation
Just like everybody else, she needs to live a little. Alicia will sometimes splurge on a treat or some junk food once a week to keep the cravings at bay.
Prioritizing Whole Foods
To stay in optimal shape, she really prioritizes wholesome foods and this habit was ingrained in her at a young age. Fat diets, also known as crash diets for a reason, might work temporarily, but is it a realistic lifestyle change that you can maintain? Probably not.
Read also: Dismantling Diet Culture with Alicia McCarvell
Skincare and Diet Connection
As part of her overall health, Alicia pays a lot of attention to her skin and complexion. In a recent Vogue video, the 39-year-old takes us on a guided at-home daily skincare routine, wellness practice and diet tips for flawless skin. The songwriter admits that she needs to cut out certain foods that impact her skin complexion, “I’ve cut out dairy… and also, believe it or not, getting rid of the breads,” she says. “Let me tell you, I’m the first person… I am a ‘breadaholic’. And then obviously, the fried foods, the oil and all that in the skin is never really good.”
Anna Kaiser's Influence
Anna Kaiser is responsible for shaping some of the best bodies in Hollywood, including Shakira, Kelly Ripa, and Alicia Keys. The celebrity trainer, creator of the popular NYC-based fitness brand, Anna Kaiser Studios, recently dished about her diet to Body Network, revealing everything from her favorite foods to eating habits.
Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
"I try not to eat an hour before a workout, but if I do need to eat, I reach for simple carbs like a green juice or a piece of something that's going to give me energy for the session," says Kaiser. After a workout, Kaiser fuels up on lean protein, "no less than 20g of protein like grilled chicken, eggs, beef jerky," she says.
Other Diet Tips from Anna Kaiser
"I try to eat before drinking coffee in the mornings, but I have also been cutting back on caffeine lately," Kaiser adds. "I've been gravitating more towards this Dandy Blend that's caffeine-free and so delicious. Kaiser also takes supplements. Kaiser infuses intermittent fasting into her week. Anna has a favorite salad that she eats regularly. "Start with chopped spinach, add diced tomatoes, cucumbers and hearts of palm, add kalamata olives, grilled chicken, hemp hearts, fresh lemon juice, drizzle of olive oil, and salt & pepper," she says. "I make sure to drink a green juice about 3x a week. Anna is a big fan of a healthy sweet treat. Anna also enjoys a healthy drink. Pizza! Post-birth meal?
Workout Routine
Home Workouts and Peloton
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Keys has transitioned the majority of her workouts to her home-a change which, the singer-songwriter tells SELF, allows her to be “consistent and kill it.” “I love not having to go anywhere to work out,” Keys says. “If I’m home, I’m able to just jump right in. I love my Peloton.”
Read also: A Weight Loss Story
Variety in Exercise
She supplements her cycling with occasional classes, including dance cardio (her favorite is hosted by Anna Kaiser), Pilates, and yoga, all of which combine for a varied exercise routine that also serves as self-care for the 15-time Grammy winner. But when the weather starts to warm up, the outdoors beckon a bit more, and she starts to add in running, hiking, and outdoor biking to the mix. “I know that being outside in the elements is something our souls need,” Keys says. “I feel invigorated and inspired. If I am carrying any extra baggage, I’ve usually dropped it once I am done.”
Anna Kaiser's STEP Workout
Alicia Keys. “I created a program with intervals that alternate between power and strength. And we’ll use a Pilates box. And it’s a workout that I call STEP. So, we’re working with athletic conditioning moves - like box jumps, and near Peters and burpees and jacks - and then we’ll pause and do a series of four strength exercises,” the personal trainer explained.
Incorporating Strength and Endurance
Alicia Keys. “If she’s doing shoulder presses, she’s also holding a curtsy lunge and I’m adding a torso rotation with an extension of the shoulder press,” she explained. “When you’re thinking about endurance exercises, not just thinking in the front of backplane like burpees or running or cycling, you want to think about moving laterally, moving across your midline,” the trainer added.
Alicia Keys and Athleta Collaboration
Now the R&B star wants women to channel their own confidence boost with a new summer workout collection that she helped design with a firm goal in mind: to help them tap into their power. In April, Keys and Athleta announced the third collection in a partnership that started in January 2022, and pieces hit the site on April 27. The 13 new pieces, touted as her “most conscious collection yet,” include swimwear, coverups, jumpsuits, accessories, and performance wear, all made from lower-impact materials and fair-trade-certified fabrics.
Key Pieces from the Collection
- Athleta Keys Elation 7/8 Tights: These high-waisted tights, made of 75% recycled polyester sourced from plastic bottles, are great for low-impact movement. “I love this particular legging because there’s a light compression, like a gentle hug,” Keys says. “It feels really good.” Its two colorways-emerald green and velvety purple-provide a pop of summer color.
- Athleta Keys Reversible Wrap Bra: This moisture-wicking bra features Athleta’s lowest cut neckline and a fun wrap design, both of which make it perfect for light-impact workouts. “[The bra] holds everything in, but still focuses on my shape and my form,” she says.
- Athleta Keys Enlighten Up Linen Bomber: This oversized bomber hits at the hip, comes in two summery colorways-sunbaked clay and magnolia white-and feels extra comfy. “It creates a look for me to throw on after I work out and head to brunch,” Keys says. “It takes you to every occasion.”
- Athleta Keys Enlighten Up Flutter Short: These airy, relaxed-fit shorts have a light stretch, are resistant to wrinkles, and are perfect for lounging or exploring new places. Keys pairs these shorts with the bomber above for easy post-workout plans.
- Athleta Keys Daybreak Printed Coverup: This abstract-print, gemstone-colored statement piece plays double-duty in your summer wardrobe and can be worn multiple ways, from skirt to scarf, and is “so lightweight and packable,” says Keys. “I love tying it on my head or around my waist.
Jeannette Jenkins' Tips and Recipes
A schoolteacher from Louisiana ate and worked out like a celebrity for three weeks to see how the wellness principles taught by celebrity trainer Jeannette Jenkins would affect her overall health. As part of a series where people from all walks of life try celebrity fitness routines, "Good Morning America" paired Jenkins -- whose clients include Pink, Alicia Keys and Mindy Kaling --with Asha McDowell, 26, a sixth-grade teacher from New Orleans.
Read also: The Alicia Silverstone Diet Plan
Jenkins' Top Exercise and Nutrition Tips
- The biggest challenge is that people get in their own way. They don’t make healthy living a priority, they don’t make it a way of life, and therefore they are not committed or consistent, so they don’t get results.
- The number one workout move people should add to their lives is some form of 30 minute cardio exercise.
7 Exercises You Can Do Without Any Equipment
Jenkins shared this circuit routine that she says you can do from anywhere, with no equipment needed.
- Squats (20 reps)
- Stationary lunge (16 reps)
- High knees (30 seconds)
- Skaters (30 seconds)
- Side leg taps or jumping jacks (30 seconds)
- Push-ups (25 reps)
- Ab tucks (15 reps)
Healthy Eating Recipes by Jeanette Jenkins
Breakfast: Egg White Muffins
- Ingredients:
- 6 cups egg whites
- 1/4 cup skim Mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup red peppers
- 1/2 cup orange peppers
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup spinach
- Ground pepper
- Instructions:
- Coat the muffin tins with cooking oil.
- Place all of the chopped veggies in the muffin tin.
- Fill each muffin tin with egg whites.
- Sprinkle low-fat Mozzarella (or Parmesan, Feta or your favorite low-fat cheese) on top of each muffin.
- Sprinkle on pepper and Himalayan salt
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
- Let cool and enjoy!
- Ingredients:
Snack: Green smoothie
- Ingredients:
- 2 cups spinach
- 1/2 lemon
- 2 tsps ginger
- 1 pear
- 2 celery stalks
- 1 cup ice
- 1 cup water
- Instructions:
- In a blender combine 2 cups of spinach, 1 pear, 1/2 a lemon without the rind, 1 kiwi with the skin, 2 stalks of celery, 1/2 inch piece of ginger, 1 cup of ice and 1 cup of water! Blend on high until all the contents have mixed and enjoy! It makes two cups so drink it all or share it with a friend.
- Ingredients:
Snack: Greek yogurt with Berries and Granola
- Ingredients:
- 6 tbsp Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup fresh berries
- Instructions:
- In a glass bowl or cup layer the yogurt, berries and granola
- Ingredients:
Dinner: Wild Alaskan salmon with sweet potatoes and asparagus
- Ingredients:
- 4 oz wild Alaskan sockeye salmon
- 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp Himalayan Salt
- 1 tsp Organic Pepper
- 1 tbsp green pepper
- 1 tbsp red pepper
- Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350ºF
- Place filet in tin foil or parchment paper
- Squeeze lemon over fish
- Add a dash of Himalayan salt and organic pepper
- Add one tablespoon of chopped onions, one tablespoon red peppers, and one tablespoon of green peppers
- Ingredients:
Additional Beauty and Wellness Tips
Alicia Keys has opened up to her fans about her beauty secrets, and for someone who wears little to no makeup, it is important we take notes.
Skincare Routine
“I love candles, I am a candle fanatic. After, she hydrates her face with Sacred Rose Water or Epicuren’s Discovery Aloe Vera Calming Gel. Aside from cleaning her face, Alicia uses her bathroom as a meditative space in the morning. But one of the most essentials beauty secrets Alicia has learned throughout the years is drinking enough water. “I’ve always cared about skincare, but in a way that was very frustrating because I didn’t always have good skin. I’ve learned some of the secrets and I’ve also found some of the products that work for me - because everybody is different.
Hair Care
Alicia also uses a combination of hair products to hydrate her curls - Saharan Liquid Gold Argan Oil and Pure Keratin Gotukola hair mask which she leaves throughout the day with a head wrap. She recommends using a non-silk scarf to wrap the hair while the mask works on the hair.