Carla Esparza in Two-Piece Workout Gear Shows Off "Common Mistakes"

Carla Esparza is giving some fighting pointers – in her workout clothes. In a new social media post the UFC fighter is sharing a few of “the most common mistakes” she sees with her opponents. She shares the tips via her Instagram Stories, demonstrating each of them. “Keep em coming champ. 🍪,” commented one of her followers. “You’re amazing Carla!!🏆💪🏽💪🏽🔥🔥🔥” added another. How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here is everything you need to know about her workout routine.

1. A “Scientific Approach” to Diet

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Carla prepares for fights “using the UFC Performance Institute, using Clint (STAT) for nutrition just adding a lot of protein into my diet, adding supplements, and just doing all these things to kind of ensure that I was going to be as strong as I could possibly be,” she told UFC. She takes “a more scientific approach to my diet as opposed to just kind of winging it and doing what I want.”

2. Snorkeling and Scuba Diving

When she is vacationing Carla stays active by snorkeling and scuba diving. Surprisingly, putting on a snorkel and fins and swimming through the water is a great workout. In addition to being a great aerobic exercise and burning calories, other health benefits may include improved cardiovascular function, stress reduction, mood enhancement, and muscular toning.

3. Jiu Jitsu

In addition to strengthening and conditioning, Carla is a fan of martial arts. “I’ve been doing a lot of work in jiu jitsu, I’ve been sharpening up my striking, so I’m hoping that I can really display that,” she told UFC. Studies confirm that the practice helps with balance, cognitive function and psychological health in addition to weight loss and physical fitness.

4. Surfing

Carla is a surfer, even hitting the waves while she was pregnant. “Surfin mama (to be) 🏄🏻‍♀️! Wonderful time in Costa Rica for a beautiful wedding. Pura vida!” she captioned a post from Costa Rica. According to the Australian government’s Better Health, surfing provides many health benefits including cardiovascular fitness from paddling, shoulder and back strength, which also strengthens from the paddling, and leg and core strength. “Once you’re standing up on the board, strong legs and a strong core will keep you up,” they say.

5. Recovery

Carla recently addressed rumors that she had retired, explaining that she was taking her time to get back into shape after having a baby. “Just for the record 😉I keep receiving messages so I wanted to clear it up. Maybe I was removed for inactivity🤷🏻‍♀️. I am slowly biding my time and building my body and pelvic floor back up according to my PT’s recommendation,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “During the postpartum period there is relaxin and progesterone in the joints and their surrounding structures (especially since I am exclusively breastfeeding) which causes a slackening of the ligaments and can greatly increase the chance of injury during training. Just trying to have an intelligent approach to my comeback and do everything in my power to avoid an injury setback.”