Hilary Swank, the two-time Oscar-winning actress, continues to inspire with her dedication to fitness and wellness. At 50, she balances a thriving career, motherhood, and a rigorous workout routine, proving that age is just a number. Swank's approach to health is holistic, encompassing consistent exercise, a protein-enriched, mostly plant-based diet, and a focus on mental well-being.
A Lifelong Commitment to Fitness
Hilary Swank has been a fitness enthusiast since childhood. "I grew up playing sports, so for me, exercise is like braiding hair," she told Repeller. Her early years involved gymnastics, swimming, and basketball. As she matured, she recognized the importance of strength training, incorporating it into her routine to maintain bone density and flexibility.
"Now I do weights too-more resistance training because I find that that’s one of the best ways to keep calcium in your bones and to stay flexible," Hilary said in her interview.
Even before becoming a mom, Hilary was a regular at the gym, often sharing her training sessions on Instagram with the hashtag #FitnessFriday. These posts offered a glimpse into her hardcore workouts, which included strength training, kettlebell exercises, and the use of machines and resistance bands.
Workout Routine
Strength Training
Hilary doesn't shy away from tough workouts. Her dedication to strength training is evident in her impressive upper-body strength. A video on her Instagram shows her challenging actor Misha Collins to pull-ups, which she does with ease, even with a child on her back.
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Although Hilary used to diligently perform strength training three times a week, she’s made a little change to her routine. “Right now, my go-to is tennis and Pilates,” she told Women’s Health.
Circuit Training
Hilary often combines several challenging exercises to create circuit-training sessions. One example includes a box jump to kettlebell squat, stability ball pushups, and incline renegade rows.
"Hilary usually combines several challenging exercises to create circuit-training sessions. Here she's doing a box jump to kettlebell squat, stability ball pushups, and incline renegade rows. This combo of moves gives the actress a serious full-body workout. The box jump to squat is a great lower-body exercise involving several key leg muscles (think: glutes, hamstring, and calves). Meanwhile, the BOSU ball tests her stability and the rows will challenge her core and upper body."
This combination provides a full-body workout, targeting key muscle groups and improving stability.
Tennis
Tennis has become one of Hilary's more recent fitness passions. "I wasn’t introduced to [it] until about four years ago," she said in a 2016 interview with Coveteur. "And now I am completely obsessed with it. Had I found it earlier, I probably would’ve tried to pursue it as a career. I absolutely love it; I love the exponential room for growth, and I also love the challenge," she added.
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She enjoys the challenge and the continuous opportunity for improvement that tennis offers.
Cable Machines
Hilary can be spotted on the cable machine throughout her IG account. Cable machines are a super versatile way to build muscle. “The cable machine allows you to recreate all of your body’s basic functional movements with added weight: push, pull, squat, twist, bend,” Mike Clausen, fitness and performance exercise specialist and owner at DIAKADI: Fitness Performance Life previously told Women's Health.
Sled Pushing and Kettlebell Swings
Hilary doesn't shy away from tough workouts. Here she's doing a set of kettlebells swings and an intense sled push back and forth on and outdoor patio (which btw, is a serious challenge!). Sled pushing is a total body exercise that requires both serious strength and proper form. Clearly, Hilary's mastered both.
Slider Exercises
Sliders are an easy way to up the intensity of bodyweight movements. Here, Hilary does a pushup with plank jack using two discs, giving her core and glutes a major workout. Sliders are an "instability surface," which "forces you to engage your muscles the entire time" to do the move correctly, Janeil Mason, head trainer at Brrrn in New York previously told WH. And of course, Hilary makes it look easy.
Hiking
When it comes to outdoor workouts, Hilary can usually be found hiking the trails with her adorable dogs. "Hiking is part of relaxing to me, strangely, because it’s a way to let my mind go," the actress said in an interview with Conde Nast Traveler. "I love walking through the big redwood trees where I grew up. And wherever I am, I try to find somewhere to smell the trees and flowers and bark and moss and rain… It’s one of my biggest joys."
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Hiking provides a way for her to relax, clear her mind, and connect with nature.
Home Gym
When you have a crazy busy schedule with no time to go to the gym, what do you do? Hilary has added the AmStaff Fitness SD-5000 All-In-One Smith Machine to her home fitness set-up and couldn’t be more thrilled. “I’m really excited about it,” she said. Now she is building a gym inside the garage of the home she shares with husband Philip Schneider and their toddlers, Aya and Ohm.
Incorporating Exercise into Daily Life
The Ordinary Angels actress has even found a way to incorporate lifting little Aya and Ohm with her arms while performing three reps of eight 'baby' squats.'Working out for me is really lifting two 25lb babies,' Hilary noted.It's a squat workout. It's an arm workout, like, I think I have bigger arms than I've had since Million Dollar Baby with these babies. I need to work on my tushy though. I need to work on my triceps. If I could pick up the babies with my triceps, I would have a full-rounded workout.
Nutrition
Hilary Swank focuses on eating to fuel her body. She restricts her diet to protein-enriched meals that will give her energy. Swank's diet is primarily plant-based, with an emphasis on protein and minimal dairy and meat. She views food as fuel, prioritizing what makes her feel good and provides sustained energy.
In terms of her diet, Hilary explained that she doesn't eat much meat - but will consume the elk hunted by her neighbours.
"It’s one of the key things I keep in mind - eating to fuel your body, what makes you feel good and what gives you energy."
I was vegetarian for 23 years, but now I'm mainly plant-based except for eggs and fish. I don't like to restrict myself but I listen to my body. If, for example, I'm craving sugar, I know that I'm either tired or I'm not getting enough vitamins. And once I get some rest and eat something nutritious then I feel better.
Typical Daily Diet
Detailing what she eats in a typical day, Hilary revealed that it begins with oatmeal when her twins wake early, before a second breakfast of sorts around 11am.
Breakfast: Oatmeal, often followed by a second breakfast around 11 am.
Lunch: A high-protein fish salad, but she detailed which seafood she now avoids, saying: 'I don’t do tuna anymore because it can be high in mercury.', instead opting for sardines with hummus, onions and celery.
She said: 'I put that on some sourdough bread with vegan cheese. It’s so good and so good for you.'
Snacks: A protein smoothie, protein bar, or nuts and fruit.
Dinner: A bigger meal such as an elk burger or Indian food. She will end her day with another protein shake or coconut yogurt with granola.
She’s focused on giving her body what it needs. “It’s one of the key things I keep in mind-eating to fuel your body, what makes you feel good and what gives you energy,” she says. Her mornings start with oatmeal when the twins wake early, then another breakfast of sorts around 11. One of her favorite meals is a high-protein fish salad, hold the tuna. “I don’t do tuna anymore because it can be high in mercury,” she says. Her replacement? Sardines. She mixes sardines with hummus (instead of mayo) and adds onions and celery. “I put that on some sourdough bread with vegan cheese. It’s so good and so good for you,” she says. Later in the day, she’ll drink a protein smoothie or eat a protein bar or some nuts and fruit. For dinner, a bigger meal could be anything from an elk burger to Indian food. Sometimes she’ll end with another protein shake before bed, or her new favorite, coconut yogurt with granola. (“Oh my god, I love Cocojune! Have you tried it?”)
Hydration
Besides drinking water, she had to drink flax oil.
Balancing Act: Motherhood and Fitness
Hilary Swank welcomed her twins at the age of 48 and is at the top of her game in the acting industry with two Best Actress Oscars to her name. But as well as balancing motherhood and her impressive career, Hilary also manages to keep to a workout and healthy eating regime that maintains her incredible look.
The actress, 50, accepts that she is in a privileged position to be able to 'work out how she wants', while stocking her fridge with high-protein and non-dairy products.
Hilary revealed that when she first became a mom exercise had to take a back seat for a while, but she is now getting back into the swing of things.
Revealing that she often works out while her twins, Aya and Ohm, two, are napping she said she will read a script on the treadmill, enjoy a strength training session, or picking up a tennis racket for a game.
Hilary Swank spoke to Women's Health about her diet and fitness routine.
Though Swank has been active since she was a young person competing in swimming and gymnastics, she stopped working out when she first became a mom.“Exercising took a back seat for a little while,” she said. “But even with the babies, when they’re napping, I have those three hours to get my exercise in and read a script or take a meeting or do an interview.”
Mental Well-being
Hilary Swank grew up in the Northwest and finds embracing nature quite tranquil. “Hiking is part of relaxing to me, strangely, because it’s a way to let my mind go,” she reveals to Condé Nast Traveler. “I love walking through the big redwood trees where I grew up.
She explains to Repeller, “I grew up playing sports, so for me, exercise is like braiding hair. I was a gymnast, a swimmer, I played basketball. Swank does resistance training so she can “stay flexible.” She also gets some great exercise while hiking trails with her pooches and is a fan of power Pilates. “I really appreciate exercise because I think it’s a great stress relief,” she reveals, via PEOPLE.
Swank said she prioritizes jobs with the flexibility that allow her to take breaks when she needs, so she can spend as much time with her twins as possible.
Morning Routine
Talk me through your morning routine.When I wake up in the morning, if I have the energy, I meditate. Even if it's just for three minutes, I try to sit quietly and settle into my day.Then my husband and I get the bottles ready and wake the babies up. When I'm not on set, I can usually work from home, so the first few hours of the day is family time.We eat breakfast together, which I believe is really important, we play, we hang out, and then my husband and I put the twins down for a nap.
Decompressing
Ultimately working out for me is about stress relief. I really like resistance training and I try to do it twice a week. It really helps me cope with stress and I find it also makes me sleep better.And now there's the added element of wanting to stay strong and healthy for my babies. I want to be able to pick them up and throw them around. I want to play and be outside with them. And eventually I want to be playing tennis with them.
Nighttime Routine
Do you have a nighttime routine?If I can get home in time to bathe the babies and put them down, then I win. That's my ideal evening.I totally believe in the ritual of self-care. I always make time for skincare before I go to bed. I wash my face, moisturize, use eye cream, and neck cream.It's something that makes me sleep better.
Skincare
Swank keeps things pretty simple-but consistent-when it comes to her skincare routines. According to an interview with Repeller, she shares that her morning regimen is really quick. In fact, she only washes her face once per day, and it’s at night. Moisturizer is a must-especially when the star is traveling. She tells Coveteur, “It’s super important to always keep moisturized.
Embracing Aging and Prioritizing Health
Aging has a way of sharpening our priorities, revealing what feeds our soul and which relationships truly matter. Growing older has deepened Hilary’s appreciation for friendships built on honesty, resilience, and understanding. She no longer has the energy for pretense or half-hearted connections; only those who meet her with authenticity remain in her life. “I just don’t have time for falsehood in any way,” she says. “And a lot of people don’t like to be completely honest with people because they’re afraid of either hurting someone’s feelings or they’re afraid of confrontation. The relationships that are important to me are the ones that are willing to be honest and real.”
She sees this maturing stage in her career not as limitation but momentum. “Energy is flowing when you’re happy to be where you want to be, when you’re happy with where you are, because you made a choice to be there,” she says.