8 ways Salma Hayek stays fit at 58
There are those who bounce out of bed and hit the gym before 6am like it’s NBD, and then there are the Salma Hayeks of the world. The 58-year-old actress punts for a slower approach to exercise and diet, yet still manages to stay as fit and healthy as ever.
So, we decided it was high time to do some digging, and turns out she’s got some pretty useful tips for keeping fit, without actually doing much. Who knew?
1.She's aware of her posture 24-7
In an interview with People, she explained that while others have the ‘discipline’ to exercise in the morning, that’s not something she’s developed, while her hectic schedule mean she rarely has time for a gym sesh. ‘I don’t have time to exercise, I am working,’ she said. ‘I’ve had some 20-hour days.’
But she hasn’t completely thrown the towel in - while full blown workouts happen once in a blue moon, she's learnt to passively train her bod. ‘I work with a woman in London who taught me how to hold my body in a way where the muscles are activated all day long,’ she explained. ‘So even when you brush your teeth, you’re working the muscles.'
Her secret? ‘It’s restorative yoga,' Hayek confesses. 'She taught me to tone my muscles without clenching them. You relax them and focus on the parts that need to be used, but never with tension. If you’re aware of your body, you’d be surprised by the effect it can have.’
2. She incorporates dancing into her workouts
While she doesn't necessarily have the 'time' or desire to whack out complete workouts, when she does, she likes to make them more enjoyable with a little dance. This IG vid shows her happily swinging her hips and spicing up her treadmill time with some fancy AF footwork. Nice.
3. She hangs with her dogs
As we've mentioned above, the name of Hayek's game is to exercise without actually knowing she's doing it (passively, so to speak), and this includes the daily movement she gets with her canine besties. In fact, she rates walking her pups as one of her favourite forms of exercise. She once wrote on Instagram, alongside a pic of her dogs: 'This is my version of exercise and these are my #dogs coaches ... These are my trainers!'
4. When she feels like resting, she does
Let us say this – Hayek knows how to live. Take the above Insta post, for example. She debates whether to lift weights or take a dip in the (offensively beautiful) ocean to get a little movement in. Then, decides to sit back in the sunshine and sip a bevvie instead. 'Working out... swimming... what should I do? Nah – having a beer on the beach,' she says. If that's what balance looks like then we support it.
5. She moves in ways she finds fun
A gal after our own hearts, while she might not do it often, she makes sure that when she does workout, it's the kind she enjoys.
Sara Shears, who was Hayek's trainer in the past, told Shape the actress tends to favour cardio and high-intensity interval training along with a little strength training.
6. She spends time outside (and loves to swim)
Us, empaths, scrolling through Hayek's Instagram, seeing the many ocean pics and sensing that she might like to swim?
Swimming, though she hasn't – to our knowledge – explicitly said so, seems to be a fave activity of Hayek's (it'd probably be in our top three activities too if we also had access to such an idyllic beach on the regs. Southend-on-Sea just doesn't cut the mustard). It's great for cardiovascular fitness, and works the whole body. It's also a great option for anyone suffering injuries that require lower-impact movement.
7. She eats foods she enjoys
'I don't like to diet and I'm not good at it,' Hayek said on her website.
Instead of restricting, she eats a balanced diet full of nutritious foods and less nutritious foods that feed her soul (exhibit A: delicious-looking ice cream).
She also loves loading up on juice – so much so that she founded her own company, Cooler Cleanse. 'When I feel stressed, I turn to food for comfort,' Hayek wrote. 'After doing a juice cleanse, I'm motivated to eat healthier and not emotionally. Cleansing is like my meditation. It makes me stop, focus and think about what I'm putting into my body. I'm making a commitment to my health and hitting the reset button.'
We'd caution against getting caught up in juice cleanse diets (that they do any "detoxifying" is a myth, and they can be incredibly harmful for people who have experienced – or are at risk of experiencing – difficult relationships with food and diets), but juice is delicious, we agree, and there's no harm in incorporating it into a diet that includes lots of nutritious and delicious foods. Key word: incorporate.
8. She swears by massage for recovery
When it comes to giving her muscles a boost, massage is the one for Hayek. ‘You have to find a good person that gives a good massage,’ she said in an interview with Inquisitr.
‘I have a [massage therapist], but she lives in Japan. She only comes to London every once in a while. But when she comes, she's my secret weapon. Massage oxygenates, activates the circulation, and keeps the muscles healthy and firm. I cannot tell you, even just for the lymphatic [system], what the massage does for the face.’
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