Actress Maggie Q (real name Margaret Denise Quigley) is sharing her favorite ab workout with fans and social media followers. Q, 44, posted a video of herself wearing purple two-piece workout gear, showing what her routine looks like. “When people talk about wanting abs, I think they’re really just saying they want a flat tummy. But! Having a strong core is so much more than that. A strong core optimizes your body for daily tasks, helps prevent injuries, and it improves your quality of life (aka decreases discomfort). Try these deep core strengthening exercises. Really focus on engaging your abs while you’re doing them for maximum benefit,” she captioned the post. Here’s how the star stays fit, ageless, and full of energy.
Q says her best beauty advice is to sweat. “I make sure I work out, and when you sweat it’s like a natural facelift. Don’t discount it! I do lots of stretching to stay limber, cardio and strength training—and it has to be daily to get the endurance up,” she told New Beauty. “I steam in the morning with oils when I can, and then I use very cold water. I like products without chemicals that act like food for the skin. If you’re going to nourish, it must be a product worth absorbing into your skin.”
Q is a devoted yogi, and says the most important part of her practice is alignment. “Without it you aren’t doing yoga!” she told THRIVE. “How has your relationship with your body changed over the years? I know my body better than I ever have. I listen to it. I also thank it for giving me the problems it has, because it put me on a journey to understanding how the body can function optimally.”
Q is passionate about gut health, and has her own line of probiotics called ActivatedYou. “I have always struggled with gut health,” she told THRIVE. “Whatever brought that on, I couldn’t say, but breaking down foods has been a challenge for me even before I knew what that challenge was. Giving my gut the extra help it needs to fight the good fight for my body is the most important thing I do every morning. I am regular, energetic and ready for whatever challenge food can bring. And there are MANY!”
Q’s dogs mean the world to her, and she tells them every day she loves them. One of her favorite activity is hiking in nature with her pups. “I hike in the mountains for about two hours every morning with my dogs, Romeo, Nevaeh, and Don Julio,” she told Women’s Health. “It’s our bonding time. I need to be in nature to feel good and feel balanced, and they always pull me out.”
Here is Q’s ab workout, as per her Instagram post:
“I used a 20lb kettlebell and a set of 10lb dumbbells. You should find the weight that’s right for you by selecting a weight that is challenging, but that you can control. Do each exercise for 30 seconds followed by 30 of rest. Complete the circuit 3-4 times for a deep burn.
- Kettlebell Standing crunch, alternating legs
- Kettlebell circles/around the world, clockwise first
– counter clockwise,
- Double dumbbell hold, march alternating legs
- Single dumbbell hold: right hand-right leg – high knee + leg raise
- Single dumbbell hold: left hand-left leg – high knee + leg raise.”