Carrie Underwood, the country music superstar, has captivated audiences not only with her powerful vocals but also with her dedication to health and fitness. At 41, she exemplifies how to balance a demanding career with a commitment to well-being. This article delves into Carrie Underwood's diet and workout routines, offering insights into how she stays in shape and maintains a healthy lifestyle.
Introduction
After winning American Idol, Carrie Underwood has maintained a successful career. Despite her busy schedule, she prioritizes her health. Underwood emphasizes the importance of fitting in fitness whenever possible, even amidst her hectic schedule of touring, recording, and raising a family. Her approach is all about balance, consistency, and making healthy choices that align with her lifestyle.
Carrie's Food Plan: A Focus on Plant-Based Nutrition
Underwood has been a vegetarian for years and has adopted a mostly vegan diet. Her veganism stems from a concern about the origins and processing of her food. She aims to eat cleanly and consciously, focusing on whole, nutritious foods.
Embracing Veganism
Inspired by a friend's transformation, Underwood transitioned to a 95% vegan diet. While she primarily avoids animal products, she allows for occasional indulgences, such as cake at a birthday party. Her dietary choices are rooted in a desire to know where her food comes from and how it is processed.
Sample Meals
- Breakfast: Underwood enjoys a vanilla smoothie with pea protein powder, half a banana, a cup of berries, almond milk, and ice. Alternatively, she prepares a tofu scramble with spinach, onions, peppers, and salsa. She also includes an orange or grapefruit and black coffee for a caffeine boost, especially before morning workouts.
- Lunch: A stir-fry with pre-cut veggies like broccoli, carrots, broccoli slaw, and onions, along with fake chicken, is a staple. She seasons it with Bragg Liquid Aminos and serves it with brown rice, creating a filling and low-fat meal.
- Dinner: Veggie burgers are a go-to option.
Pre-Event Diet
Before events, Underwood reduces her starch intake, focusing on vegetables and fruits while avoiding bread and other starches. She avoids completely cutting out carbs, emphasizing a balanced approach.
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Healthy Swaps
Underwood makes simple swaps for healthier versions of classic comfort foods. She enjoys an "ugly" slow-cooker lasagna packed with fiber-rich vegetables and chocolate "nicecream" made out of frozen bananas.
Snacking Smart
When busy, Underwood snacks on fruits and nuts or opts for foods with minimal ingredients. She emphasizes the importance of simple, nutritious choices for maintaining energy and feeling good.
The Importance of Hydration
Underwood knows that hydration is as important as the workout itself. The singer always makes sure to keep water or a BODYARMOR drink nearby and feels is so neglected in our lives is staying hydrated.
Carrie's Fitness Plan: Making Exercise Fun and Effective
Underwood has been consistent with exercise for several years. She emphasizes the importance of making workouts enjoyable and adaptable to fit her busy lifestyle.
The Card Deck Workout
Underwood uses a unique card game to keep her workouts engaging. She assigns each suit to a body area: diamonds for arms, hearts for legs, spades for core, and clubs for cardio. She splits the deck in half and writes down exercises for each suit. For example, drawing the six of hearts means doing six squats, while the ace of diamonds requires 14 push-ups. Jokers represent a mile run on the treadmill. This method keeps her from getting bored and ensures a full-body workout. With a 15-minute warm-up on the elliptical, the entire routine takes about an hour and a half.
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Circuit Training
Underwood's favorite workout is circuit training, which involves rotating through various exercises targeting different parts of the body. These routines are customizable and easy to modify based on equipment and time constraints.
Adapting to a Busy Schedule
Underwood emphasizes the importance of fitting in fitness whenever possible. Some mornings, she has time for a long workout, while others allow only for a quick walk. On some days, she may not be able to work out at all. The key is to do whatever she can, whether it's a walk or playing outside with her kids.
The Fit52 App
Underwood launched the fit52 app in 2020, inspired by her personal workout style. The app makes it easier to stay active, especially while traveling. Its structure, based on a deck of cards, keeps workouts unpredictable and engaging.
Pre-Event Workouts
Before events, Underwood focuses more on cardio and less on weights to avoid looking too muscular on the red carpet. She understands the importance of how she feels in her own skin and adjusts her workouts accordingly.
Simple and Effective Exercises
When hitting the gym, Underwood opts for tried-and-true exercises like squats, lunges, and deadlifts. She appreciates these straightforward moves for their effectiveness.
Read also: Carrie Underwood: Health and Fitness
Embracing Variety
In the summer, Underwood prefers running outdoors, while in the winter, she focuses more on weightlifting. She also enjoys trying new classes for inspiration and guidance.
Music as Motivation
Music is a major part of Underwood's workouts. She finds that it can change her mood, help her push through tough reps, and provide extra energy.
Style and Confidence
Underwood emphasizes the importance of feeling good about herself. She has become better at prioritizing her own feelings and not worrying about criticism.
Balancing Personal Preferences
Underwood acknowledges that her husband, Mike Fisher, has conservative preferences regarding her outfits. While he doesn't dictate her choices, she considers his views as a married woman. She aims to look sexy for him while respecting his sensibilities, and she appreciates his efforts to look nice for her as well.
Mental Wellness and Recovery
Underwood’s approach to fitness extends beyond the physical-it’s about mental wellness, too. Stretching and yoga not only keep her body limber but also give her a moment of calm in her otherwise hectic schedule.
Staying Fit on the Go
As a touring artist, Carrie has mastered the art of working out on the go. Whether it’s squeezing in a quick hotel room workout or running outdoors before a soundcheck, she proves that consistency matters more than location.
Inspiring Others Through Fitness
Carrie’s dedication to fitness isn’t just about her career-it’s about inspiring others. Through her transparency on social media and initiatives like her fit52 app, she encourages fans to take charge of their health in ways that work for their unique lifestyles.