Nastia Liukin is celebrating her beau’s birthday! The former Olympian shows off her fit figure in a swimsuit via one of her latest Instagram posts, wishing her boyfriend, Ben, a happy day. She captioned the post, “happy happy happy birthday babe ❤️ not making this day about me or anything 🤪 but thank you for being the greatest gift I’ve ever received. life is 100000 x more fun together and can’t wait for more adventures and birthday celebrations 🙃🥳 I love you!!!” How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 8 ways Nastia Liukin stays in shape and the photos that prove they work—and to get beach-ready yourself, don’t miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bathing Suit Photos!
Nastia works out every day. “I always feel better when I get in a workout,” she says, “even if it’s 30 minutes or 20 minutes of something, every single day,” she told Today. “I think the most important thing to know is, you’ll never regret a workout when it’s over. And it’s just hard to tell yourself that before you’ve done it. But just try to remember how you feel after your workout, and know that when you feel good, you look good, and you have more confidence, and so I think that that’s really important.”
“The most effective for me is running, though it’s not my favorite,” she told Today about her go-to workout. “But if I need to get in shape quickly, I need to run.” She doesn’t lift weights often. “If I do weights, it’s probably very light weights, five to ten pounds, no more than that.” She does have three go-to exercise moves: A plank, side plank, and Russian twist. She planks for a total of one minute, then follows it up with 20 on each side of side planks and Russian twists, she revealed to Today.
Nastia mixes up her routine. “I love boxing with my trainer. I love barre classes and hot yoga. I love Pilates. That really elongates you, but it’s also important to do some kind of cardio and now that the weather’s nice I love running along the West Side. It’s a beautiful view. I take spinning classes, too,” she told The Cut.
Nastia doesn’t diet but focuses on eating clean. “A lot of protein, a lot of vegetables, a lot of greens. I don’t really eat too many carbs, and if I do, it’s brown rice or quinoa,” she told Today about what she puts in her body.
” I really love green juices,” she added to Today. “I don’t necessarily do green juice cleanses for a week long, but if I’m not feeling that great, I’ll just do a one or two day juice cleanse, and it will just pick me right back up.” Her favorite blend? “Kale, spinach, celery, parsley, ginger. If I feel like I want it a little sweeter, I put in apples.”
While she isn’t into junk food, “like chips and stuff,” Nastica loves dark chocolate. “I try to tell myself, you know, a little bit is always good for you! I do like cookies, or frozen yogurt. My favorite is they have almond-milk ice cream now — I try not to do too much dairy, so that’s always a good replacement,” she told Today.
Prior to hitting the gym, Nastia fuels up. “I like to eat something very small beforehand, whether it’s a banana or a piece of fruit, and I have coffee. It was the same when I was in gymnastics. After my workout I’ll have a bigger breakfast, like an omelet with tomatoes, spinach, mushrooms, and maybe some chicken or something. Making sure to get enough protein in is extremely important for me to this day. It keeps you full longer,” she dished to The Cut.
Nastia isn’t healthy just so she can look good. “The older I get, the more I realize it’s also about longevity. Yes, it’s about living in the moment, enjoying your life, but at the same time, think about your life 10, 20, 30 years from now. You want to be able to enjoy life with kids and play with them and be active with them and then hopefully one day grandkids! It’s important to think about those things, but not overly obsess about them,” she told The Cut. “I believe in being able to just live your life and be happy and comfortable with it, but be active and take care of your body because it’s the only body that you have. You’re not going to be able to replace it. It’s like my gold medal — you just can’t get another one. It’s kind of like your body: You have one chance with it, so try to treat it the best that you can.”