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Inside Dua Lipa's exact diet and exercise routine

Disclaimer: Dance skills not included.

By Susannah Guthrie

BEAUTYcrew / March 22 2021

Dua Lipa may have won the gong for ‘Best Pop Vocal Album’ at the GRAMMYs, but that's not all: she also took home the (unofficial) award for ‘body most likely to get us to the gym’. Because, damn, did she look good.

The dance routine was as impressive as her physique, too, and it's safe to say that an onstage workout like that would have required some serious endurance to execute. And no, we don't know that because we tried to recreate it in our bedroom mirrors, why would you ask such a question?

So, to find out exactly how she hones her svelte figure, we did a deep dive on Lipa's exact diet and exercise routine. Behold, the "New Rules" of fitness...

Exercise: 15-minute workouts

The Albanian songstress made headlines when she revealed in an interview that she only does 15 minutes of exercise a day... and it works. "It's high-intensive interval training, but it's so quick, it's over before it's even started!" she explained.

On the workout agenda are high-intensity moves designed to elicit maximum results by raising the heart rate, including mountain climbers, jumping jacks and burpees. Not the most fun, we know, but 15 minutes is super doable.

Diet: Home cooking

Given she moved out of home as a teenager, Lipa had to get used to being independent, which included learning how to prep her own meals. These days, she looks forward to cooking at home when she's not on tour.

Additionally, the singer, who is fluent in Albanian, loves comfort food from the country her parents were born in. "I love Byrek and pita," she said on a British TV talk show, referring to the savoury pastries that are popular in Albanian cuisine.

Exercise: Boxing

When she's not time-poor on tour, Lipa turns to boxing, a workout also favoured by stars like Gigi Hadid and Gisele Bündchen.

"I love boxing in my spare time. I like doing it for fitness [and] I like doing it just to kinda clear my mind. I really enjoy it. I like that it's definitely a full body workout. Since starting boxing I've probably been in the best shape ever. It's also a great stress reliever."

Diet: Pre-workout snacks

To stay fuelled up for her workouts and on-stage performances, Lipa snacks on healthy, high-protein natural foods. Her go-to pre-exercise snack? "Bananas and cashew butter."

Exercise: Versatility and variation

"When I have a tiny bit more time on my side I love mixing up lots of different training, finding different workouts in whatever city I'm in, whether it's yoga, Pilates, boxing or spinning," the singer has said.

"Whatever it is, I try to change it up every day to keep things interesting. When you're on a tour bus, every day and every place is different, so you never know what you're going to find. That's always one way to keep it interesting."

Diet: The occasional treat

For Lipa, it's not a case of if but when in regards to treats, with the singer ensuring she times her sugar hits for periods when she's not as busy.

"I try and stay as healthy as possible whenever I can," Lipa has explained of her diet. "I'm never one to stop myself having treats, I do love naughty treats. But I try and limit it to days when I'm not as busy, because if I do eat a doughnut it usually puts me in a food coma!"

Exercise: Core focus

To maintain those famous abs, Lipa opts for exercises that target her core. "I think different variations of crunches like bicycle crunches are good. Leg raises are also great unless my back hurts. Planks are good although almost certainly my least favourite!" she's said.

Main image credit: Getty Images

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