Shakira Austin in Two-Piece Workout Gear "Ain't Giving it Back"

Shakira is a curvy covergirl! The 44-year-old flaunts her amazing figure on the November 2021 cover of Cosmopolitan, rocking a silver swimsuit. In the issue she reveals that she recently picked up two new athletic activities that help maintain both her physical and mental wellbeing. What are they and what else does the superstar do to prioritize her health? Read on to see 5 ways Shakira stays in shape, which she's told others, and the photos that prove they work—and to get beach-ready yourself, don't miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bikini Photos!

1. She Recently Started Skating and Surfing

In her new interview with Cosmopolitan, Shakira revealed that over the pandemic, she discovered two new activities. “These new hobbies that I never thought I’d be able to take on later in life, skating and surfing—they are very therapeutic and liberate my mind,” she said. “I’m not a great surfer. I just started a year ago, and it’s a hard sport to make progress on. It’s unbelievable how much pleasure I find in this. How all my troubles are washed away by the waves. There’s something about the ocean and the salt and the wind that heals all the wounds. I found that’s my own meditation, but it wouldn’t be bad if I do the real kind. I think I need it.”

2. She Exercises Almost Daily

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Shakira has been training with Anna Kaiser for years with five-day-a-week sessions and sometimes two-a-days. "We alternate between strength and cardio intervals. Some days we do just cardio and then strength and some days we start with strength and then do cardio, we like to mix it up," Kaiser told E! News. "I want to make sure that she is improving her endurance so that she can go into a two-hour show and also has the strength and stamina to make it through a five-month tour. It's about making sure she gets a little bit of everything."

3. She Wears a Heart Monitor

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Shakira wears a heart monitor and uses it to set her workout goals, as it "keeps her the most focused," Kaiser said. “Maintaining a certain heart rate for a prolonged period of time can help you burn more calories and fat while also improving your cardiovascular health,” confirmed Chris Travers, MS, to the Cleveland Clinic. Also, “it’s also possible to overexert yourself, and a heart rate monitor can alert you to that danger, too.”

4. She Does Mostly Strength and Cardio Training

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Shakira’s workouts alternate between strength and cardio intervals, per Kaiser. “Some days we do just cardio and then strength and some days we start with strength and then do cardio, we like to mix it up," she told E! News. "I want to make sure that she is improving her endurance so that she can go into a two-hour show and also has the strength and stamina to make it through a five-month tour. It's about making sure she gets a little bit of everything."

5. Creating Music Is Like “Therapy” for Her

Shakira/Instagram

When asked by 60 Minutes what making music does for her, she liken it to therapy. “Sometimes it saves me a visit to a shrink,” she said laughing. “Such a therapeutic, yeah, cathartic vehicle, you know, for me to express my thoughts and my angst. Sometimes I'm just restless, and I don't know what it is. And I think it's— what I just need is a piece of paper and a pen or my computer, and just start writing. And then being able to put music to those words. It's something really beautiful, I guess.”

Andrea Shaw, an accomplished and highly regarded bodybuilder, is back in the gym, inspiring her followers with another intense training session. In a recent Instagram video, Shaw showcases her impressive strength as she works through various exercises using hand dumbbells and machines. “Back to work with @k.j.kreates 🎥 💪🏾🙌🏾 and @mutantnation,” she captioned the post. Known for her dedication to building solid, shapely muscle, Shaw consistently shares her favorite workouts with her followers, offering a glimpse into the discipline required to compete at the highest level of bodybuilding. From chest presses to shoulder raises, her routine focuses on strength, symmetry, and muscle definition. Shaw also emphasizes the importance of patience and personalized training, noting that mastering your body takes time. Here’s a look at the exercises Shaw incorporates into her routine and the wisdom she’s gained from years of experience in the sport.

1. She Uses Weights

Shaw shared some of her fitness secrets with Muscle & Fitness. She says that she likes to lift weights. “I want to build as much solid muscle mass as I can,” she said. “And that means working with heavy weight all the time. But I want shapely muscle, not the kind of slab muscle you see with a powerlifter. So, I have always kept the reps high.”

2. She Works Her Chest

Shaw shares a lot of her favorite workouts on Instagram. In many of them, she focuses on a specific body part. Shaw shared her favorite chest exercises in this Instagram video. She captioned it, “Chest workout. 💪🏾 Hammer Strength Chest Press. Dumbbell Incline Press. Cable Incline Pec Fly. Seated Tricep Press/Pushdowns. 1 Arm Hammer Strength Chest Press. Low Pulley Pec Fly. Cable Chest Flys (Flat). Dumbbell Chest Press (Flat).”

3. She Works Her Shoulders

Shaw shared her favorite shoulder exercises in this Instagram video. She captioned it, “Today’s shoulder 💪🏾 workout: 1. Angled Deltoid Raises (Dumbbells). 2. Incline Bench Front Raises (Barbell). 3. Forward Leaning Front Raises (Barbell). 4. Side Lying Lateral Raise (Dumbbell). 5. Alternating Front Raises (Dumbbell). 6. Tilted Cable Front Raises (Cable Pulley)”

1. She Knows What Works For Her

Shaw talked about developing a specific training style with Muscle & Fitness. “I started out with a more conventional approach to training,” she says. “It was only after many years of working out that I developed my individual approach. It took a long time for me to learn my body. I may very well make changes to my routine in the future. I will go by how I feel and what progress I am making.”

5. She’s Patient

For Shaw, bodybuilding is all about patience. She advised other aspiring bodybuilders to be the same way in her Muscle & Fitness interview. “You can’t really peak that often,” she advises. “And when you try, it means you are slowing down your path to ultimate genetic potential. You can’t really grow when you are on a severe diet all the time.”