Elizabeth Hurley in Bathing Suit Says "Happy Weekend"
Elizabeth Hurley is having a great weekend and wants to make sure you do, too, by sharing a swimsuit clip of herself in a pool, palm trees in the background. Her white beachwear is accompanied by a straw hat and a giant smile. "Happy weekend," she captioned it, adding three dancing women emojis. How does Hurley, age 56, stay so confident and fit? Read on to see 7 ways Elizabeth Hurley stays in shape and the photos that prove they work—and to get beach-ready yourself, don't miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bathing Suit Photos!
She Stretches Every Day
"I try and stretch every day. I do the occasional yoga or Pilates class, but mostly it's just self-exercise at home," Hurley told the Cut. "Stretching can increase flexibility and improve your joints' range of motion, helping you move more freely. And ensuring that you have equal flexibility on both sides might help protect you from injury," says the Mayo Clinic. "Before stretching, warm up with five to 10 minutes of light activity. Better yet, stretch after a workout. Keep stretches gentle and slow. Don't bounce. Breathe through your stretches. If you feel pain, you've stretched too far."
She Eats Local
Hurley likes simple, additive free foods and tries to shop local whenever possible. Eating like this can be good news for your metabolism. Depending on your genetic makeup, the food you eat, and a host of environmental factors—from the water quality where you live to the pesticides sprayed at your local farm—your gut bacteria can have a beneficial or deleterious effect on your metabolic rate. When the bad bacteria starts to outnumber the good, the result is a sluggish metabolism and a dramatic increase in the likelihood that you'll become either overweight or obese, even if you're working diligently to eat healthy and get regular exercise.
She Doesn't Love the Gym
Hurley doesn't love the gym but gets some exercise in here and there, in her own space, knowing a lot of moves because she's a dancer. Maybe the rigamarole of getting dressed and going to the gym after dark isn't for you, and that's understandable. But that doesn't mean you can't use your body weight for a quick workout before bed. According to Combat the Fat author Jeff Anderson, bodyweight exercises target muscle in a unique way due to the effect of fighting gravity. Examples of these exercises include push-ups, pull-ups, dips and bodyweight squats.
She Does Cardio With Her Dogs
Like enjoys walking her dogs to get her heart racing. Examples of cardio include walking around the neighborhood, walking or running up and down the stairs, jogging and/or riding an exercise bike. Adding activities like these to your pre-bed routine can help you to burn belly fat. Bonus points if you can do a little resistance training immediately before your late cardio session. Studies show that cardio is more effective if you do it immediately after weightlifting or bodyweight exercises.
She Counteracts Everything With Vegetables
"I think one of the most transformative things that I've done is making 50 percent of what I eat vegetable matter," Hurley told U.K.'s Sunday Times. "If you have a slice of toast for breakfast, have an apple too. Counteract everything with vegetables." Studies have shown that when you eat a diet based on the right fruits, vegetables, fats, and carbohydrates. you're essentially attacking oxidative stress head-on. In only a matter of days, you'll notice an acute change in the way you feel.
She Drinks Apple Cider Vinegar
When filming The Royals, "When I got to the studio I'd drink a mug of hot water and go into hair and makeup. I often put apple cider vinegar in my hot water. It tastes disgusting. I can't face it every day, so I'll put it in my hot water maybe every other day," she told the Cut. In a study of 175 overweight Japanese men and women, researchers found that participants who drank 1 or 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar daily for 12 weeks significantly lowered their body weight, BMI, visceral fat and waist circumference.
She Stays Hydrated
Hurley knows the importance of water, drinking it every morning. Consuming enough water is crucial for unleashing the full power of your metabolism and delivering crucial nutrients throughout your body, especially to your muscles. Ultimately, water is so important to your body that hydration should be the first thing you do when you wake up. When you go to sleep, place a 16 or 17-ounce glass of water—roughly a pint glass, if you know your beer—next to your bed. When you wake up and go about your morning routine, drink it down. According to a study published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, after drinking approximately 17 ounces of water participants' metabolic rates increased by 30 percent.
