Salma Hayek, a celebrated actress and film producer, continues to inspire with her beauty and vitality at 57. While genetics undoubtedly play a role, Hayek's approach to fitness and diet reveals a balanced and sustainable lifestyle. This article explores the various facets of her routine, from her preferred exercises to her dietary habits and mindset.
The Allure of Swimming
Salma Hayek has been spotted swimming, and she even shared a video of herself diving into a pool, alongside the caption: "Diving into August". This suggests that swimming is an activity she enjoys regularly. Swimming is an excellent form of cardio that can be transformative, engaging the arms, legs, and core. Swim Now experts note that swimming can be more calorie-burning than walking, power walking, jogging, and even dancing. This is because pushing through water requires greater force than pushing through air. Open water swimming can burn even more calories due to the lower temperatures causing the body to create heat energy by shivering. However, it's important to swim long enough to make it worthwhile.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) and Strength Training
HIIT workouts are known for burning calories and improving stamina and strength. They also raise a person's metabolic rate, allowing them to burn calories even after the workout is over. Strength training is also crucial for building muscular strength and boosting metabolic rate. Sara Shears, who has trained Hayek in the past, told Shape the actress is naturally “super petite” and tends to favour cardio and high-intensity interval training along with strength training to add definition.
The Importance of Regular Cardio
Regular cardio is effective for weight management, blood sugar regulation, and lowering blood pressure.
A Balanced Diet
Salma Hayek is a foodie and an avid cook who enjoys sampling cuisines from every corner of the globe and embracing unusual flavour combinations. As such, she’s not a fan of limiting her food intake (an approach also employed by Taylor Swift). Hayek is not a fan of limiting her food intake. She prefers to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and organic products. She doesn’t like to eat a lot of sugar on a regular basis, and she prefers a glass of red wine instead of dessert.
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The Role of Juicing
Hayek uses juicing to get ready for major events and hit re-set on her health. She was reportedly a fan of fresh juices from a young age when she was living in Mexico, but found that they weren’t as attainable when she moved to Los Angeles. “When I feel stressed, I turn to food for comfort,” Hayek said. “After doing a juice cleanse, I’m motivated to eat healthier and not emotionally. Cleansing is like my meditation. It makes me stop, focus and think about what I’m putting into my body. When Salma has a big event to go to or she simply wants to restart her dieting habit, she likes to go through a juice cleanse for 3-5 days. She says juicing is like meditation for her. It helps her refresh after a period of bad eating. Salma says she loved drinking fresh juice in Mexico, but she couldn’t find the same quality of juice in Los Angeles. She started her own juice cleanse company called Cooler Cleanse, and she uses these juices periodically to restart her diet.
Unconventional Workout Methods
Hayek’s approach to working out is a little unconventional-she told PEOPLE that with her hectic schedule she often doesn’t have time to exercise. “Some people have the discipline to exercise in the morning, and I didn’t develop that,” she admitted. Instead, Hayek favors a way of standing and moving that engages all of her muscles. “I work with a woman in London who taught me how to hold my body in a way where the muscles are activated all day long. So even when you brush your teeth, you’re working the muscles,” she said. “It’s restorative yoga. She taught me how to tone [my muscles] without clenching them. You relax them and focus on the parts that need to be used, but never with tension. There have been times in her life where she’s been working 20-hour days! To remedy this, Salma worked with a woman in London who taught her more about restorative yoga and activating her muscles throughout the day. Salma uses the techniques she learned to build body awareness and tone her muscles throughout the day. The way Salma stands and activates her body helps her maintain amazing posture!
Short, Frequent Workouts
When Hayek does have the time to work out, she tends to favor exercising five to seven days a week, but keeping the sessions short at 30 minutes or less. Sara Shears, who has trained Hayek in the past, told Shape the actress is naturally “super petite” and tends to favor cardio and high-intensity interval training along with strength training to add definition. “You won’t get results by training only two times a week. Under Sara’s guidance, Salma would work out 5 times a week for about 30 minutes each session. She would do different exercises like kickboxing, Pilates, and ball work. Sara recommends that people exercise frequently in shorter workouts, and Salma liked this approach. She prefers shorter, intense workouts to long, drawn-out ones. A lot of her workouts are HIIT or interval-based.
The Benefits of Dog Walking
Hayek is a proud dog owner and keeps up her activity levels via daily dog walks. Salma loves animals, and she is a leading animals-rights activist. She owns lots of pets, and she considers dog walking to be one of her most regular forms of exercise.
The Power of Massage
When it comes to giving her muscles a boost, massage is the one for Hayek. ‘You have to find a good person that gives a good massage,’ she said in an interview with Inquisitr. ‘I have a [massage therapist], but she lives in Japan. She only comes to London every once in a while. But when she comes, she's my secret weapon. Massage oxygenates, activates the circulation, and keeps the muscles healthy and firm. I cannot tell you, even just for the lymphatic [system], what the massage does for the face.’
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Body Positivity and Self-Acceptance
Since then, the actress has continually championed the body positivity movement and helped push forward the industry when it comes to attitudes concerning female stars' shelf lives, thriving in her career well into her 50s. As such, the star has also been open about her own struggles with coming to love her body and aging, while appreciative of the grace and wisdom it has offered her. She spoke about it with Marie Claire recently, branding herself "content" with her figure rather than "thrilled," saying that while she doesn't compare herself to others, she does to herself. "I don't look at somebody else and say, 'I want that body,' or 'I want a new body,'," she explained. "But I do confess, I want the old body; the one I had at 25 and criticized and hated nonstop." Salma is big about body positivity. She knows what she likes - flavorful juice, travel, animals, good food, and fun experiences - and she makes sure that her life is full of those things. She also cares about her body, and she makes sure to take care of it by eating a balanced diet and getting exercise, even if she doesn’t always want to.
Fun Activities
Salma likes to have fun and enjoy her life! She likes to go rollerblading with friends, and she loves horseback riding. All of this plays a role in leading a healthy lifestyle.
Subtle Pool Workout
In Salma Hayek’s recent ‘swimsuit workout’ video she appears to just be enjoying a relaxing day in the pool but she is actually getting some benefit from the following moves,” ACE-certified trainer and nutritionist Mary Sabat, MS, RDN, LD, says. At the beginning of the video, the Oscar nominee dives into the water and swims to the front of the pool. She’s then seen swaying in the pool with the water up to her thighs.”This movement can help engage the core muscles and improve balance and stability,” Sabat explains. Another move Hayek does is back kicks with her head resting on the side of the pool. Sabat says, “This move likely targets the leg muscles, including the glutes and hamstrings. Hayek also does side leg lifts and Sabat explains, “This exercise can work the hip abductor muscles, which are responsible for moving the leg away from the body’s midline. The actress is next seen neck-deep in water swinging her arms around. “Swinging the arms in the water can be a good way to engage the shoulder and arm muscles,” Sabat tells us. “Whether this specific routine constitutes a ‘good workout’ depends on various factors, including an individual’s fitness level, goals, and preferences.
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