Keira Knightley is one of the most successful actresses of our time, captivating audiences with her performances in films like "Bend It Like Beckham," the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, "Begin Again," and "Love Actually." Her talent has earned her critical acclaim, including an Academy Award nomination for her role in "Pride and Prejudice." With her demanding career, many fans wonder how she maintains her health and fitness. This article delves into Keira Knightley's approach to diet, exercise, and overall well-being, drawing upon her own words and insights.
Skincare Routine and Philosophy
Knightley opened up about her skincare routine in an interview with Vogue, noting that she has had to change her skincare routine over the years. In particular, she has had to keep her skin moisturized. “Since having a baby and being over 30, it’s also getting dry for the first time. Knightley emphasizes a minimalist approach to skincare, preferring to let her skin breathe. “I try to leave my skin alone as much as possible. When I am at work I put my skin through a lot, so it makes me want to not do anything when left to my own devices. Maybe about three times a year I might get a facial, but otherwise it’s literally as little as possible. I had really bad skin until I was 24 and up until then I did everything under the sun to it. She also keeps her eyebrows natural, “My brow tip has always been to leave them well alone,” she tells Vogue. “Really early on in my career a make-up artist said to me: ‘you will always be able to know if someone is a good make-up artist because if they tell you to pluck your brows, run a million miles.’ I have always stuck to that. Partly because when I was 21, I did one of those LA brow treatments (the type of one that makes everyone’s brows look the same) and it looked awful. The proportions of my face didn’t work at all with less of a brow, so I am very glad they grew back! Now, I just do minor touch-ups, maybe a little tweezing, but I never touch the top. Just a little bit under the arch.
Knightley has to wear makeup when she is filming something. For this reason, she tells Vogue that she doesn’t like to wear makeup when she’s free. “That’s also why I always want to wear as little make-up as possible when I am not working. When I’m filming, I always have a breakout as we have to cake the make-up on.
She also shared her travel skincare secret: rosehip oil. Knightley tells Vogue that she is working on taking care of her skin while traveling. She says that she brings rosehip oil with her, which helps. “I completely fail to keep myself on an even keel with my skincare when travelling, but I have just discovered rosehip oil, which a friend of mine recommended. Flights are so hard on your skin and they make it so dry, so I gave this a go and it really worked.
Embracing Self-Acceptance and Mental Well-being
Knightley told ELLE in 2015 that she is a lot more comfortable with herself after becoming a mother. “I have to say, as a woman, you hate certain parts of your body. She also emphasizes the importance of mental health, revealing that she attends therapy to manage anxiety. Knightley tells ELLE that she is going to therapy as a way to help with her anxiety. “I’ve totally done therapy. I highly recommend it. I don’t do it at the moment.
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When she was 22, Keira had a “mental breakdown” from all of the stress surrounding her job. “I went deep into therapy and all of that, and [my therapist] said, ‘It’s amazing - I normally come in here and have people that think people are talking about them and they think that they’re being followed, but actually they’re not," she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2018. "'You’re the first person that actually that is happening to!'” After that, Keira ended up taking a year off. She felt “really good” getting back to work, adding that she “suddenly didn’t care” about what other people thought of her.
Diet and Eating Habits
Keira says she's a “glutton” when it comes to food, writing in an essay for Noble Rot that she’s a that she’s spent a “large part of my time and money stuffing myself in the most disgusting, luxurious and outrageous ways.” Keira added that she’s worked with caviar and truffle dealers to get top-tier culinary ingredients. Knightley has made it clear that she doesn’t adhere to strict diets. “The very thought of a diet makes me want chips and ice cream,” she told the Daily Express.
Training for "Black Doves"
Keira Knightley has made it clear that she can do pretty much anything onscreen. Now, the 39-year-old is crushing it in a new Netflix action series where she's pretty much always on the go.
It’s called Black Doves, and it stars Keira as mom-of-two who secretly works as a spy. When her lover is killed, Keira’s Helen Webb is determined to figure out why. Naturally, there’s a lot of butt-kicking, running, and martial arts in the mix. Black Doves is so gripping that it’s already been renewed for a second season. But while you’re obsessing over each episode, it’s hard to miss the fact that Keira looks incredibly strong right now. Here’s what she did to train for the series, plus her overall approach to fitness.
Keira’s role involves a lot of combat, so she basically went to spy boot camp to get up to speed. That meant spending a month training in jiu-jitsu, boxing, and knife fighting. “We were really lucky,” she told Extra. “We worked with an amazing stunt team and so the pieces, obviously, were very choreographed… we did a lot of training to get our bodies to understand how exactly they would do that.” But it “great fun” for Keira to learn all of the fighting. “I’ve really enjoyed learning all of the different martial arts that I have been taught,” she told Netflix’s Tudum.
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Exercise and Physical Activity
While she looks comfortable in an action-packed series, Keira has previously said that the gym just isn’t her thing. “I just hate going to the gym,” she told the Daily Express in 2014. “The most exercise I get is turning on the TV.” Still, Keira has reportedly worked with trainer Pierre Pozzuto, so she’s apparently ramped up her fitness game since then.
Here are some exercises that could be done at home:
The Walkout Commando
The Walkout Commando is a dynamic exercise that requires limited floor space and no equipment, making it ideal for home workouts. It challenges the entire body, offering a twist on conventional squats. This exercise is particularly beneficial for those seeking to engage their legs more intensely, especially when faced with reduced step counts and increased time spent indoors.
How to do the walkout commando:
- Stand with feet hip-width apart and squat down, reaching towards the floor just in front of you.
- Place your hands on the floor and walk your arms out to a high plank/press-up position.
- To reduce intensity, drop your knees to the ground and lower your upper body onto your elbows (low plank).
- Place one hand back on the ground about shoulder-width apart, then the other, and reverse the process back to standing.
Tip: Increase the intensity by adding a jump or jump tuck each time you return to the standing position.
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Complete four regression sets with 30 seconds of rest in between:
- Set 1: 12 reps
- Set 2: 10 reps
- Set 3: 8 reps
- Set 4: 6 reps
The Stair Spiderman
The Stair Spiderman is a refreshing way to move the entire body at home, offering a twist on conventional stair climbs. It enhances hand-eye coordination and improves endurance without the need to leave your home.
How to do a stair Spiderman:
- Use a straight-mounted staircase with even step formation.
- Position one foot on the floor (bottom of the staircase) and the other on the first or second step, depending on your height and comfort.
- Place your hands one or two steps apart further up the staircase, adopting an all-fours climbing position.
- Climb the stairs, alternating between feet and hands, finding a pattern and reach range that suits you.
- Once at the top, either reverse the process or stand up and walk back down (the latter will work your calves more but be cautious when fatigued).
Aim for 10 flights of stairs per set, completing 5 sets with a 30-second rest in between.
Four Corners
The Four Corners exercise is a low-impact, coordination-enhancing movement originating from martial arts. It requires no equipment and involves constant tension, making it ideal for building into short, intense exercise spells, especially when motivation is lacking.
How to do the Four Corners:
- Find some floor space.
- Position yourself on all fours (hands and feet) facing down.
- Create a 90-degree bend in the legs and a soft bend in the arms, bracing your core.
- Move your right leg across to where your left hand is and replace it, while simultaneously moving your left arm up and over to replace where the right foot was. You are now facing up.
- Move your right hand over the body to where your left foot is, while moving your left foot back under the body to where the right hand once was.
- Repeat steps 4 and 5 until you return to the starting position.
Alternate direction to challenge your body further. Complete 3 sets of 1-minute rounds, with 30 seconds of rest between sets.
Dining Room Step Ups
Dining room step-ups utilize a dining chair to engage the major leg muscles, including hamstrings, glutes, and quads, while elevating your heart rate.
How to do dining room step ups:
- Use a dining chair with a hard/uncushioned seat and no armrests.
- Place one foot firmly and completely on the seat, positioning yourself on either the left or right side of the chair so one hand can reach and hold the backrest.
- Drive through that foot until you're standing up straight on top of it.
- Options:
- Raise the opposite leg's knee up in front of you each time you stand up.
- Challenge your core by not holding the backrest if you feel confident.
- Add weight to your spare hand for added intensity.
- Return to the floor with the opposite leg and repeat the move.
Ensure the driving leg on the chair is straight at the top, maintaining good form and posture. Complete 3 regression sets with 30 seconds of rest between sets:
- Set 1: 15 reps Left/Right
- Set 2: 10 reps Left/Right
- Set 3: 5 reps Left/Right
Bus Driver Shoulder Burner
The Bus Driver Shoulder Burner builds targeted resistance into your workouts without requiring a gym. The fine movements encourage muscle recruitment through the arms, while the explosive second phase brings energy to your workout.
How to do the Bus Driver Shoulder Burner:
- Use an item that weighs 1kg or more and is about 6 inches or more in width (e.g., a water bottle, dumbbell, or weight plate).
- Hold the item at both ends and straighten your arms out in front of you at shoulder height.
- Rotate the item left and right like a steering wheel, ensuring your hands always reach a 'North & South' position, keeping your arms straight.
- Tuck the item under your chin (high chest area), then simultaneously push the item straight up above your head while performing a jump jack, jumping your legs out wide. Drop the item back to the chest and jump the legs back in together.
Complete 3 sets with 30 seconds of rest: 30 seconds of Bus Drivers at your best pace, followed by 30 seconds of the weighted Jack jumps.
Push-Up Trio
The Push-Up Trio offers variations on the conventional push-up to provide greater benefits and prevent boredom.
How to do a push-up trio:
- Find some floor space.
- Variant 1: Diamond push-up. Touch your thumbs and index fingers to create a diamond shape. Position your hands directly below your chest.
- Take an extra-wide leg stance (toes or knees).
- Bend your arms until your chest reaches your diamond hands, taking about 2 seconds.
- Return to a 'soft bend' straight arm.
- Take your right arm out about 12 inches and begin bending your arms again, drawing the elbows back into your sides.
- After 2 seconds, when your chest is between your hands, press away until your arms are straight again.
- Take the right arm a further 12 inches out and bend your arms until your chest reaches the floor.
- Transfer your weight into the left arm and raise the right arm off the floor, following your hand and arm up to the ceiling, creating a straight line from arm to arm.
- Lower your right arm back to the diamond hands and repeat this trio of push-ups with the left arm leading.
If fatigue kicks in, consider coming down onto your knees or doing the remaining reps on a raised platform for a less intense version. Complete 3 sets of three for each arm, with 1 minute's rest in between. Diamond, Narrow, T Push-Up. Right/left, Right/left, Right/left.
Russian Runs
Russian Runs are a great HIIT exercise that requires no equipment, ideal for short bursts of energy and perfect to complement other exercises.
How to do Russian Runs:
- Easy: Place hands on the edge of a chair seat. Medium: Place hands on the edge of a step box. Hard: Place hands on the floor. Place feet on the floor hip-width apart (body facing up).
- Kick your legs out in front of you at your best possible speed.
- Try the running version, which requires more upper body strength, and land on the balls of your feet.
Addressing Body Shaming and Anorexia Rumors
Unfortunately, Keira has dealt with rumors that she suffers from anorexia, an eating disorder characterized by limiting the amount or type of food you eat, for years. But all of the speculation around her weight has been pretty traumatic for the star-in fact, she’s mentally blocked out most of it. "In that classic trauma way, I don't remember it," she recently told The Times. "There's been a complete delete, and then some things will come up and I'll suddenly have a very bodily memory of it because, ultimately, it's public shaming, isn't it?"