Shirley Ballas Shares Swimsuit Photo "Taking Care of Myself"'
Shirley Ballas is feeling self-confident in her swimsuit. In one of her latest social media post, the Strictly Come Dancing star and mother of Mark Ballas shows off her gorgeous body in a bathing suit while sharing a body-confident message with her followers. "I've constantly had people tell me I needed to be thinner or that I had to look a certain way. Comments throughout my life have always stuck with me and in my past they've made me feel conscious of how I look. Sadly I thought that validation from others was necessary. But turning 63 in September and heading into my seventh series on @bbcstrictly I'm proud of myself and pleased with how I look. I feel good in my own skin," she captioned the Instagram post. How does the star approach diet, exercise, and wellness? Keep reading for her top health habits.
She Does Yoga
Shirley has been a yogi on-and-off for most of her life. "I'm doing yoga again now and I'm on my 33rd class in a row without stopping," she told Closer. There is a laundry list of reasons to do yoga, explains Harvard Health. "Researchers found that people who practiced yoga for at least 30 minutes once a week for at least four years, gained less weight during middle adulthood," they said. "People who were overweight actually lost weight. Overall, those who practiced yoga had lower body mass indexes (BMIs) compared with those who did not practice yoga. Researchers attributed this to mindfulness. Mindful eating can lead to a more positive relationship with food and eating."
She Is a Fan of the Plant Paradox Diet
Shirley is a fan of Stephen R. Grundy's The Plant Paradox, which prioritizes vegetables, including cauliflower rice. "We stick to very, very light food and – my mother's always done it – fasting, where you're 16 hours off and eight hours on," she told The Sun. "I feel that also helps me; I don't feel so heavy." She also watches her portion sizes, switching from a dinner plate to a side plate, that is "actually the size of your tummy" to help manage portion sizes.
Here Is What She Eats in a Day
Shirley told BBC Good Food that she starts the day with a nourishing meal. "Avocado, a boiled egg and brown toast is my all-time favorite breakfast," she said. For lunch, she enjoys a salad or an egg white and spinach wrap from Starbucks. And dinner? "My favourite restaurant is Mastro's steakhouse in Beverly Hills which my son introduced me to," she said. "The food is amazing – from the lobster mashed potatoes to the steak. Mastro's is my treat once or twice a year."
She Counts Calories
Shirley confesses that she has a hard time not counting calories. "That comes from years and years of training as a dancer and people never quite feeling that your figure's good enough. I will never get rid of that," she said. "I'm very conscious of exactly how much I'm eating a day."
She Takes Probiotic
Shirley maintains that probiotics have helped heal her gut. "I didn't tend to go to the bathroom but once a week," she said, revealing that she suffered from bloating and constipation for decades. "I was always looking for something that could help me line up my system and make me feel better." Ever since she started taking a liquid probiotic, Symprove, "instead of going once a week, I'm going every day, so that's just amazing."
