Model Olivia Culpo easily has one of the most enviable bodies in Hollywood. Olivia Culpo didn’t become Miss Universe in 2012 without a lot of hard work. She has been the recipient of some of the most coveted titles such as Miss USA and Miss Universe 2012. The Miss Universe 2012 winner and influencer, 31, shares what she's up to with her followers on the reg-and that includes how she stays fit and healthy. Olivia has become known for her stunning fashion and her relationship with professional football star Christian McCaffrey. The two tied the knot in 2024 and recently announced they’re expecting their first child together. She has spilled her diet secrets, and thankfully, they’re not too intimidating. Olivia has the fitness levels of a goddess. Her body not only looks great but also performs phenomenally.
The 80/20 Rule: A Balanced Approach to Eating
“I stick to the 80-20 rule,” Olivia said about her overall philosophy with food during an interview with Hamptons magazine in April 2021. Olivia has shared in multiple interviews that she’s big on this popular eating style. “I swear by the 80/20 rule: 80 percent clean eating, 20 percent splurging, she told ET. “Eighty percent of the time I’m really good, and then 20 percent of the time, I allow myself to eat, not whatever, but indulge a little more, I guess you could say. That’s worked really well for me in general, especially this past year, where obviously everyone’s just trying to find comfort wherever they can. Olivia told Hamptons that this approach to nutrition has “worked really well for me,” adding that “eating salad 24/7 is not going to give you that kind of comfort.” I think that you have to make living a wellness-driven life fun, and that’s where the balance comes in,” she said. “It’s not fun to always be dieting. It’s not fun to feel like every workout you do isn’t enough. I feel like if you’re too strict with yourself, or you’re too strict with your diet, you’re basically telling yourself that you’re not good enough. She grew up in a big Italian family, so she will never say no to homemade pizza and pasta.”
A Typical Day of Eating
The Model Squad alum typically starts her day with a cup of coffee with oat milk and a bowl of blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. Olivia likes to start her day with a big breakfast. After her training session, she eats a heavy breakfast. It consists of sweet potatoes, egg whites, sauteéd kale, and an avocado. All these food items fetch her body complex carbs, lean proteins, vitamins, and good fats respectively. Next, she noshes avocado toast and egg whites. For lunch, “I’ll have some sort of salad,” she previously told Women’s Health. She wants to make sure that she’s eating enough vitamins and nutrients. Naturally, Olivia eats a lot of veggies.
Here's a more detailed look at Olivia's meal plan when preparing for a big photo shoot or modeling job:
- Breakfast: Eggs, avocado, turkey bacon, and GG crackers. This is a great meal to help you recover from intense exercise because it is high in protein.
- Mid-Morning Snack: A quarter cup of nuts. Olivia likes bringing almonds to a shoot or an event.
- Lunch: Pan roasted chicken (seasoned with delicious Cajun seasoning, of course) with roasted vegetables like broccolini, brussels sprouts, and sweet potatoes.
- Dinner: Honey and garlic salmon paired with roasted vegetables and quinoa.
You’ll notice that all the main meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) follow a fairly easy formula of protein + vegetables.
Read also: The Hoxsey Diet
Smart Snacking and Hydration
Other food items that you can easily spot in Olivia’s diet plan are almonds, nuts, pineapple, and yogurt. She eats smaller meals more regularly. Some people find that this helps them stay slim, while others prefer the opposite with dieting techniques like intermittent fasting. Instead of relying on a few big meals, Olivia prefers to have smaller meals after every 2-3 hours. If you too want to have a diet plan just like that of Olivia, you will have to rely on feeding your body with plenty of nutritious food items. Getting hunger pangs in between one’s major meals is quite natural. And that is the time when people resort to eating something unhealthy. In between her major meals, Olivia prefers to munch on salted nuts. They are an excellent source of good fats and other vital nutrients.
Despite eating fairly clean, the Sports Illustrated cover girl does like to indulge, especially when she’s working hard. Olivia’s favorite desserts include ice cream and champagne or wine. Once or twice a week, Olivia likes to have a cheat day which gives her the much-needed break she requires after following a strict diet plan for 5-6 days. But at the same time, she stays from consuming any food item(s) that has artificial additives, chemical ingredients, or sweeteners in them.
“I’m big on keeping up with hydration and adding electrolytes to my water, especially when traveling,” Olivia told ET. Other than her orange juice, Olivia tries not to drink her calories. She chooses water over sugary drinks and alcohol. These can have a lot of calories and very little nutrients.
Supplements for Overall Wellness
To make her nutrition plan as perfect as possible, Olivia doesn’t shy away from including certain supplements in it. Olivia prefers taking plant protein and collagen to fulfill her body’s everyday protein requirements. Last but not least, she consumes complexion vitamins tablets to keep her skin healthy.
Varied Workouts: Cardio, Strength, and Flexibility
The social media influencer, who is dating Carolina Panthers player Christian McCaffrey, is also dedicated to keeping her heart rate high in her fitness routine. Olivia Culpo’s workout routine focuses on holistic physical development. That means, it isn’t just concerned with keeping her in great shape. It also targets to improve her cardiovascular endurance, strength levels, flexibility, and mobility.
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Olivia loves to mix up her workout routine.Olivia recently broke down her fitness routine for ET, and it features a solid blend of high intensity cardio and low-impact strength training. “Lately I've been really enjoying Pilates and running,” she said. She shared one of her go-to circuits on Instagram, writing, “Complete the Following X 3 Rounds: * Cable Pull Downs X 20 reps each leg * Cable 3/4 Squats X 10 reps * Cable Pull Throughs X 15 reps. Complete the Following X 3 Rounds: * Banded Pulsing Glute Bridges X 15 reps * Deficit Squats X 15 reps * Deficit Reverse Lunges X 12 reps each leg.
She even advises others who look up to her to always exercise under an experienced coach or trainer. Olivia workouts under the guidance of her trainer Peter Mollo. Still, Olivia says that having a personal trainer really helps her stay on track. She and her trainer Rafael Ulloa, did fat burning exercises to keep her lean but also worked on building lean muscles.
- Cardio: “I’ve been doing it with my followers encouraging them to join the challenge and just do whatever feels right for 20 minutes,” she says of the plan. “You want to get your endorphins going-get some movement going. It’s just something that it doesn’t feel too overwhelming. Like a lot of other models (including Gigi Hadid and Adriana Lima) she enjoys boxing. Apart from that, Olivia also likes to carry out her cardio sessions outdoors by going for running or long walks. Olivia can accomplish a lot in 20 minutes, including performing a solid workout. “I started something on my Instagram called the 20-Minute Cardio Challenge, and that is basically 20 minutes of cardio at whatever speed you want,” the celeb explained.
- Resistance Training: Olivia’s resistance training regime is targeted toward giving her body a lean and toned look. Doing so fetches her body with lean muscle gains instead of making her look bulky. When it comes to resistance training, her routine hasn’t changed that much. She still does bodyweight workouts (planks, pushups, and squats) combined with a high number of reps. As I’ve written about before high rep, bodyweight or low weight workouts are perfect for creating a toned look. They build enough muscle so that you don’t look skinny fat but they don’t build too much muscle. For her lower body, they focused on bodyweight exercises like squats and lunges.
- Flexibility and Mobility: To work on enhancing the level of her body’s flexibility and mobility, Olivia chooses to go with yoga. Olivia loves to do yoga.
- Other activities: “I have a trainer I see for more HIIT type workouts, and I do at-home workouts with resistance bands. I also love to run around with my dog, which ends up feeling like a significant workout these days.”
Culpo also told Shape that the anti-inflammatory benefits of pineapple were a key component in helping her slim down before a pageant. She said: “Pineapple reduces swelling. Eating pineapple before a show is something Olivia swears by. Culpo told StyleCaster that her favourite workouts alternate between pilates and kickboxing.
Consistency and a Positive Mindset
Olivia has always been consistent with exercising. And this approach has fetched her the best results. Owing to this reason, irrespective of whether she is at her home or traveling to some other place, she always makes it a point to train at least once a day with whatever training equipment she has. In order to keep her workout routine challenging and exciting she keeps on switching it up on a regular basis.
Olivia clearly knows what her fitness goals are, and how to achieve them! One question I get asked all the time is how I prepare meals and what I eat most days. She isn't shy to admit that she works hard to keep her body looking good!
Read also: Weight Loss with Low-FODMAP
Cold Plunges and Wellness Trends
Cold plunges are super trendy right now thanks to their wellness benefits, and Olivia told ET that Christian turned her onto them. “My fiancé has me hooked on cold plunges,” she shared.
“Sleep is also very important for me, and I always start my day with journaling and zero screen time. It’s easier said than done, but very worth it," The Culpo Sisters star shared.
Adapting to Life Changes
Between a busy schedule and a big move, Olivia-who's based in Los Angeles-noted that there was "a lot of traveling back and forth" during Christian's season "just to make sure that I can be there to support him."
As for Olivia's regimen? "Things are definitely changing," the Culpo Sisters star noted. As well as, "Really trying to dial in [on] what I eat, how I workout, the workouts that I do," she explained. "Trying to get them in consistently because you only get married once and I want to feel my best. But this past season it was just hard being so far away from my normal routine and where I typically live."