7 Ways Shakira Strips Away Pounds

Superstar Shakira has been in the public eye for well over 20 years, making a name for herself with her unique dancing style and incredible musical talent. She seems to have endless energy, as anyone who has witnessed her live performances can attest to. The Hips Don’t Lie singer, 46, seems to be getting fitter with age—but how does she do it? Here’s what Shakira does to stay fit, healthy, and happy, and what her favorite food and exercise looks like.

1. Some Dancing, Of Course

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Shakira is a fantastic dancer—so no wonder she had plenty of dance-based workouts and rehearsals before the 2020 Super Bowl. “Every day is different because I want to make sure I’m preparing her not just for the Super Bowl, but for each day as it comes,” says her trainer Anna Kaiser. “She had a really long dance rehearsal in the afternoon one day, so we just focused on an hour of pure strength in the morning. [Some days] she has even longer days of physical dance rehearsals, so she just started with something very short: 20 minutes.”

2. Healthy Delicious Diet

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Shakira enjoys a balanced, nutritious diet that doesn’t sacrifice taste. “Breakfast could be eggs or avocado with olive oil, tomato, sea salt, then a smoothie, berries, plant protein, sometimes greens or green powder,” Kaiser says. “Then for lunch, we have fish and fresh vegetables or a salad with lots of colors. Afternoon is, I know it gets really busy, but we’ll do soup. There are some really good artichoke soups, or it could be a leek and eggplant soup, carrot ginger, and sometimes with a side of cucumbers with lemon and salt. For dinner, she’ll also do fish and veggies. It’s usually cold for lunch and warm for dinner.”

3. Zumba Sessions

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Shakira says she did Zumba throughout her pregnancies, and refuses to focus on negative self-image when it comes to her body. "I don't obsess over my flaws, because I see my body as a whole," she says. "Besides, I think men appreciate confidence more than perfection."

4. Strength and Cardio

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Kaiser makes sure Shakira has strength and energy before she goes on tour or has performances. "We alternate between strength and cardio intervals,” she says. “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. 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. Foam Roller For Flexibility

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Shakira uses a foam roller to encourage flexibility. “When you’re hypermobile, it’s easy to think your muscles are flexible, but your flexibility is really around your joints and not your muscles,” Kaiser says. “Foam rolling is really important and making sure we are rolling out her fascia, her feet, her legs, and upper body to make sure she stays nice and healthy.”

6. Soup For a Boost

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Shakira enjoys a bowl of nutritious soup when she needs an energy boost. “Breakfast, lunch, & dinner with a protein in every meal and fresh veggies or small amounts of low glycemic fruit and for snacks, we started introducing soups,” Kaiser says. “Some great soups are filling and warm. So, at the four o’clock hour, when people are craving caffeine and a cookie, soup is a really great option because it fills you up and feels like a meal so it can keep you going until dinner, but it’s not hugely caloric.”

7. Using a Heart Monitor

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Shakira uses a heart rate monitor to track her progress during workouts. "A heart rate monitor is very important because every day is different,” trainer Kaiser says. “Sometimes you may have a ton of energy and other days you may not, but you can hold yourself accountable for knowing how hard you're working by having a very specific goal to work toward.”