Eva Longoria, a multifaceted star known for her roles in "Desperate Housewives" and her new Apple TV+ dramedy "Land of Women," exemplifies a balanced approach to health and wellness. At 49, she juggles acting, directing, running multiple companies, advocacy work, and caring for her 6-year-old son, Santiago. Despite her demanding schedule, Longoria prioritizes fitness and healthy eating, viewing them as essential components of her daily life. For her, fitness and moving her body is her “meditation, my ‘me hour,’ my self-care”.
Longoria's Enduring Healthy Habits
Longoria emphasizes that her approach to diet and fitness has been consistent throughout her life. "I’ve always been an exerciser," she states, highlighting that she exercises not for vanity but for mental health. She finds that it "gives me energy". Her passion for fitness dates back to her college days when she worked as an aerobics instructor and trainer. With a degree in kinesiology, fitness is not just an activity but "part of my life."
Diet: Moderation and Common Sense
When it comes to diet, Longoria avoids strict rules and restrictions, instead focusing on moderation and common sense. On vacation, she allows herself to indulge, but when preparing for a specific event, she becomes more disciplined. "I don’t think I live by any hard and fast rules of restriction. I think it’s just moderation and just common sense," she explains.
A Mexican-American Perspective
As a Mexican American, Longoria notes that her cultural background influences her dietary preferences. "I didn’t grow up with bread. I’m Mexican. We grew up with tortillas," she says. She believes that "The Mexican diet, in its origins, is pretty healthy."
Steering Clear of Sweets
Longoria admits that she doesn't have a sweet tooth. "I don’t like desserts and sweets," she says. She often passes on dessert, while others feel obligated to partake. However, she admits to being a wine lover and enjoys a glass of wine with dinner in moderation.
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Healthier Choices on Set
Interestingly, Longoria finds it easier to maintain a healthy diet when she is working on set. She shares, "I actually eat better and healthier because you have a caterer that’s really making everything for you." With a caterer providing balanced meals, she can easily request healthy options like "a bowl of avocado and Turkey." When not on set, she relies on her own devices, making healthy eating slightly more challenging.
Longoria's Go-To Workouts: Strength and Endurance
Longoria's preferred workouts focus on both strength and endurance. "Strength training, weights and bounce," she says, explaining that she alternates between strength training and trampoline cardio. She dedicates either 30 minutes to rebounding workouts or an hour to lifting weights.
Rebounding: A Pandemic Discovery
Longoria discovered rebounding in 2020 during the pandemic. She began taking on-demand classes from The Ness, a New York trampoline studio, and has continued ever since. She finds that "bouncing on this trampoline is low impact, so you get a sweaty workout without all the pounding on your knees”. This workout has become a staple in her routine, and Goldie Hawn is also a fan of these trampoline workouts.
Strength Training: Heavy Weights and High Repetitions
In addition to rebounding, Longoria incorporates heavy weights into her strength training. She enjoys doing squats on a weight rack with at least one 25-pound plate on each end. She also uses 50-pound plates for hip thrusts. Even when traveling, she makes time for a walk or stretching to maintain her fitness routine. She typically does 4-5 sets of 15 repetitions each.
Post-Pregnancy Transformation
After giving birth to her son, Santiago, Longoria embarked on a journey to regain her pre-baby shape. She told Us Weekly, “I haven’t drunk wine. I haven’t eaten sugar. I haven’t seen a carb in a while." She allowed her body time to adjust to postpartum and post-pregnancy changes. She emphasizes that there's no secret to looking good; it requires commitment and effort. "Everybody thinks there’s some kind of secret to looking good, but it’s not a secret."
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Intermittent Fasting and Meal Choices
Eva Longoria, 46, shared what she eats in a day and revealed that she practices intermittent fasting. She loves to cook colorful, delicious meals for her and her family. Most mornings, she has only black coffee before her daily, hour-long workout. Then, she cooks breakfast for her family, often egg whites with avocado or refried bean tacos, which she sometimes grabs a bite of.
Lunch and Dinner: Protein and Vegetables
For lunch and dinner, Longoria typically opts for protein and vegetables. She enjoys steak, fish, or chicken with a side of veggies. She likes to switch up the veggie side dish and find ways to make it exciting, such as her kimchi Brussels sprout recipe. Sometimes, she'll have a hearty soup, like Italian wedding or tortilla soup, instead.
Incorporating Plant-Based Ingredients
While not fully plant-based, Longoria is beginning to introduce more plant-based ingredients into her diet. She enjoys vegan butter on banana oatmeal waffles and incorporates beans as a significant source of protein. "I grew up on a ranch where we ate what was on the land-when it was squash season, we ate squash for three months. It gave me such an appreciation for where food comes from: It comes from the ground," she said. She loves making portobello tacos, jackfruit tacos, and cauliflower fried rice.
Salty Snacks and Drinks in Moderation
Longoria admits she doesn’t have a sweet tooth but loves salty snacks. "Olives, pretzels, popcorn, potato chips-that’s my jam," she added. Instead of dessert, Longoria will have a glass of wine with dinner, but rarely more, as too much affects her sleep. She also enjoys sipping on her own tequila, Casa Del Sol, in moderation.
Lessons Learned
Through her fitness journey, Eva has learned some powerful lessons that she now shares with her fans. One of the most important lessons she emphasizes is to listen to your body. "If I’m tired, I rest. If I’m hungry, I eat. If I need a workout, I go for it”.
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Connecting with Fans
Eva Longoria knows how to connect with her audience. She regularly posts workout videos online, sharing her fitness routines with her fans. She also delves into her heritage in her CNN+ series, "Searching for Mexico," and promotes her tequila company, Casa Del Sol. She's open and curious about the world and willing to put herself out there.
Balancing Work and Wellness
Longoria juggles many responsibilities, and she relies on her hour-long workout as a coping mechanism. "I really work out for my mental health," she says. She also makes time for meditation, even if it's just for a few minutes each day. She and her friends recently signed up to do a 21-day guided meditation. "You write down your thoughts and it’s so great, because when you do it with your tribe, it’s better; you can be more accountable," she says.
Tracking Sleep
Another health habit she’s turned into a way to keep in touch with people: tracking her sleep. Eva wears an Oura Ring, which measures the length and quality of her sleep. Every morning, Oura gives you a sleep and “readiness” score ranging from 0 to 100 based on your activity the day before and how well you’ve slept. "My friends and I send each other scores,” she says. “I’ll be like, ‘I got a 94, top that!’”
Diverse Workout Routine
Eva bounces for 30 to 45 minutes a day, then rounds out her hour with strength training, generally with a personal trainer. “I do very heavy weights,” Eva says, like squats on a weight rack with at least one 25-pound plate on each end and hip thrusts with a 50-pound plate on her hips. She also dabbles in kettlebell flow classes and yoga. The priority: to move her body every day, even when she’s traveling.
Longoria's Culinary Adventures
Eva Longoria is a foodie who loves to cook and experiment in the kitchen. She emphasizes fun and adventure in her cooking, with a rule of "no guilt." She enjoys making homemade bagels, croissants, and pasta from scratch. She often prepares traditional Mexican dishes like chilaquiles and huevos rancheros for breakfast.
A Typical Day of Eats
Eva has been spending a lot of time in Mexico lately-and that means her breakfasts have been more delicious than ever. “Breakfast is a big thing in Mexico; bigger than in the United States,” she says. “There’s so much variety.” Many mornings, Eva enjoys traditional dishes like chilaquiles and huevos rancheros. Some days, though, she puts her baking skills to the test on some of her favorite breakfast foods.
Lunch as an Event
Like breakfast, lunch is an event-and Eva loves it. Whether its homemade pasta (yes, she makes it from scratch) or her go-to chicken tacos with tomatillo salsa, lunch is anything but boring. No sad sandwiches here! If Eva munches in between meals, it’s on something salty. Dinner is usually light. “Usually, we’ve just finished lunch at like six and it’s like 9:30 by the time we eat dinner and we’re going to go to bed soon,” she says. Her go-to late-night meal: soup.
Aversion to Sweets
Eva is not a sweets person. “I made cookies at least twice a week just to have on the counter for my husband and family, but I’m not big into the dessert thing.” she says. Instead, Eva says she prefers to treat her self with a nice drink. “I get my calories from alcohol. That's favorite way to unwind at the end of the day,” she says. “If I have a choice, I’d rather drink a Stella than eat a dessert.”