Day One: I Started My Experiment With A Middleton
According to a 2016 report from the Daily Mail, Middleton enjoys yoga to calm her mind and stretch her body so I figured a 15-minute routine would be a great way to kick off this week.
I found a yoga video on YouTube that consisted of moves such as a downward-facing dog, standing forward bend, and reverse warrior.
Although my body felt stretched, it was hard to consider that quick routine a real workout.
Meghan Markle Is A Big Fan Of Pilates
Meghan Markle has long been a fan of Pilates, a practice developed in the early 20th century for dancers to support their strength and stability and recover from injury. In August 2020, the duchess was reportedly seen practicing Pilates in Los Angeles with her famous neighbor and friend, Adele. It’s not surprising Pilates would be one of Meghan’s go-to workouts, since Pilates is often thought of alongside of yoga as one of the healthiest and safest routes to long, lean, flexible muscles, Sabina Rebis, an internal medicine doctor,;told Health Digest.;
Pilates was designed to be practiced in alternate formats. One format is “floor” or “mat,” in;which all of the exercises are performed on the floor . Another is “Reformer,” which involves a machine . The same kinds of exercises from mat Pilates can be performed on the machine with the addition of gentle external resistance.
It isn’t clear which format Adele and Meghan have been seen practicing together. An anonymous source simply alleged to The Mirror, “Meghan and Adele have been having Pilates lessons. They are loving it. The instructor has also been giving lessons to Harry.” Pilates for all!
Day One: To Kick Off The First Day Of My Markle
Markle is reportedly a fan of Pilates classes that use a reformer machine, which you perform slow movements on using weighted springs, according to Verywell Fit.
Since I dont have access to a reformer machine, I got creative for day one of my Markle-inspired workout routine.
I ended up using sliding plates in my exercises to imitate the motion of the springs on the reformer machine.
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Is Doing Yoga That Early In The Morning Healthy
It might be healthy to wake up early in the morning, but what about waking up that early to do morning yoga? Yoga can be both relaxing and mentally freeing, but any practitioner will tell you it can also be physically straining at times as you push all of your physical boundaries in a gentle way. Is that type of physical activity healthy so early in the morning?
Do You Yoga;is a popular yoga program, and they had quite a few benefits to tout about starting your morning out early with a yoga session. According to them, an early morning yoga program can help you to better focus, increase energy levels, and decrease overall stress levels. As a major added bonus, it also burns off extra calories before theyre even consumed, and helps to tone all your major muscle groups.;
I Did A Few More Moves Before Ending The Day With A Plank
At this point, I felt like my muscles were fatiguing pretty quickly. After the first round of these exercises, I dropped my 15-pound weights and instead used the 10-pound ones.
I blasted some dance music and gave myself a pep talk to keep going. I complete four rounds of these exercises and then set my timer for 45 seconds to hold a Middleton-style plank.
I was tired but excited to see if I see I noticed any muscle definition by tomorrow, which would be the last day of my Middleton-inspired workout plan.
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To Cap Off Day Four I Did A Plank
According to the Daily Mail, one of Middletons go-to exercises is the plank and the Duchess of Cambridge often incorporates the traditional front plank and side plank into her workout routine.
So, after my yoga routine, I attempted Middletons reported variation of planks holding each plank for 45 seconds or more and repeating the sequences at least 10 times each.
Since this was supposed to be a light workout day for me, I decided to hold each plank for 45 seconds and repeat the sequence twice.
Like Middleton reportedly is, Im also a fan of planks because I love the feeling of all my muscles working together with this one exercise.
But as much as I love a good plank, I dont know how Middleton can supposedly hold that many planks back-to-back 10 times each. Holding each plank for a total of 90 seconds was enough for me to feel the burn.
Although it wasnt a strenuous workout day, my abs felt really strong.
Meghan: It’s All About Wellness
For the Duchess of Sussex, working out is less about competition and more about centering herself and finding balance. As such, many of Meghans workouts are solo endeavors perfect for the socially distanced world we are currently living in.
Meghan is obsessed with yoga and is really into the wellness and meditation side of working out, says Fiorito. While Kate is more rigorous in her workouts, Meghan is into more calming, meditative practices.
Pilates is also a favorite of Meghansshe has called it hands down the best thing you could do for your bodyas is taking her dogs on walks and runs.
As she has gotten older, running has become hard on her knees, so she doesnt run outside as much as she used to, reports Fiorito. But, in 2015 she said she was planning to run a marathon, so shes probably still running. She said once that Running has always been my form of moving meditation, which I relish because it allows me to get out of my own head. She finds it meditative and restorative and has written about it on The Tig .
But, above all else, Meghans favorite form of exercise is yoga. Her mother, Doria, was a yoga instructor, and Meghan has been practicing since age seven.
Shell opt for little 15-minute increments throughout the dayanything she can squeeze in.
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She Doesn’t Pressure Herself To Achieve A Specific Body Or Weight
Although she certainly stays in shape, Markle prefers to prioritize confidence and wellbeing instead of allowing herself to get caught up with unrealistic or unhealthy expectations.
“I think being in shape just means feeling confident, being as healthy as you can,” she told Shape. “I think being happy with your size and being kind to yourself that’s part of being in shape, too. To really just say, ‘it’s okay if I’m up a little bit this day,’ or down, whatever it is. Just own where you are and love yourself.”
Meghan Markles Top Three Tips On How To Fall Asleep
Her tips mirror ones put forward by the Sleep Foundation who give expert advice on sleep hygiene.
Medically reviewed by Dr Nilong Vyas, sleep hygiene is touted as âone of the most straightforward ways that you can set yourself up for better sleepâ.
Good sleep hygiene consists of:
- Keeping a stable sleep schedule
- Making your bed comfortable
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Where Do We Sign Up
The Duchess of Sussexis a firm believer in keeping her mind and body healthy and has several health commandments that she lives by. Meghan has often spoken about the benefits of yoga her mum Doria Ragland was a yoga instructor after all and is even reported to have had a yoga studio built into Frogmore Cottage, the Windsor residence where she previously lived;with husband Prince Harryand baby son Archie Harrison.
But in 2019 her editor’s letter for the September issue of British Vogue which she surprised everyone by guest-editing Meghan gave a rare insight into her favourite exercise class, and it’s not strictly yoga based! Teasing the class when describing the beauty section of the magazine, Meghan said it’s something which “puts its energy towards internal beauty, celebrating the power of breathing and meditation, and a favourite workout that urges you to use your heart as much as your core.”
The Heartcore Ritual class is Meghan’s favourite
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Megan Markle Runs Both On And Off The Treadmill
When Meghan Markle first began working with personal trainer Craig McNamee, she was already in great shape. In an interview with Women’s Health, McNamee attributed Meghan’s high level of fitness to the fact that she was a devoted runner both on the road and on the treadmill.;
In recent years, Meghan has supplemented her running routine with lower-impact exercises. As the duchess told Best Health;in 2016, “As I’ve gotten older, running has become hard on my knees, so I can’t run outside the way I used to.” That being said, Meghan also told the publication that she is not ruling out the possibility she may, one day, run a marathon.
This passion for running may just enable Meghan to live a long, healthy life. As internal medicine doctor;Sabina Rebis;told Health;Digest, “Running can actually help you live longer. Because running trains the heart to pump more efficiently and reduces blood pressure it specifically makes runners less likely to die of heart attack or stroke.”;
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Meghan Markle’s Fitness Routine
When McNamee met Meghan three years ago, she was “already in fantastic shape,” thanks to her avid running and yoga routine. “So it was up to me to take it to the next level,” he says. That meant supplementing her existing regimen with circuit-based strength trainingand lots of it.
When Meghan was still filming Suits in Toronto, she and McNamee met up three to four days a week, for 45-minute training sessions. “For Meghan, we tried to schedule these workouts early in the day, to make it a priority,” he says. McNamee took a high-rep , low-weight strategy for Meghan Markle’s fitness routinerather than heavy lifting.
“Generally speaking, we had a full-body approach,” says McNamee. “And since Meghan was onscreen, we really focused on posture.” To do so, he always included posterior chain exercises, in addition to plenty of core work.
Craig also took her cross-training into consideration when planning Meghan Markle’s workouts. “Meghan is an avid runner, so she already did a lot of treadmill work on her own,” he explains. “Wed look at what her run frequency was like that week.”
He even kept her yogi goals in mind, too: “Wed take into account any yoga postures she was trying to improve, and focus our efforts in those areas.” In other words, if Meghan was dead-set on mastering a headstand, Craig may include some more core exercises in her fitness routine.
I Also Did Some Pilates
Since Id taken a Pilates class before, I already knew some of the exercises typically performed in one and decided to do a few of those.
To get a full-body workout, I did 10 sliding reverse lunges on each leg and 10 side lunges on each leg. The sliding motion in these exercises really made my legs burn.
After doing one set of each exercise, I moved on to work my upper body and core. To emulate a Pilates-esque core move, I put both my feet on the sliders and held a plank position.
From there, I lifted my hips and slid my feet in to bring my body into a pike position. I repeated that move 10 times and my abs were on fire.
I kept my feet on the sliders and, from there, I did one push up and then slid my feet into a tuck position to work both my upper body and abs at the same time. This move was brutal and I was only able to get through six of them before dropping to my knees for a much-needed break.
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Kate: It’s All About Competition
Naturally athletic, Kate grew up playing sports as a child and often engages in physical activity at royal engagements .
We know Kate is so competitive and so outdoors-y, says Fiorito. Shes talked about how much she loves the outdoors, and anytime theres a sporting event she and William can participate in, theyre super competitive.
Fiorito says one of Kates favorite activitiesespecially during lockdownis to go for a run on the grounds of Anmer Hall, her country house in Norfolk, England. This is something shes probably keeping up even in the cold weather with all of the time theyve been spending at their Norfolk home, she says.
Kate also takes advantage of Anmer Halls swimming pool and tennis courts while in residence, according to The Daily Mail.
She works out every day and is also really into planking
Keeping with the trend of enjoying sport-focused workouts, the Duchess is also a fan of skiing, cycling, and rowing, as evidenced when she participated in the inaugural Kings Cup regatta with William in August 2019. At home, Fiorito reports Kate has an indoor rowing machine to maintain her skillset even when she cant get on the water. It comes naturally to her because she practices, Fiorito adds. She works out every day and is also really into planking, which makes sense because her core is so in shape.
Learn Platinum Pilates: One Of The Pilates Routines Meghan Markle Loves
Finally, Meghan is also a fan of Platinum Pilates. This discipline has been created by a center in Los Angeles with the same name founded by a friend of hers, personal trainer Heather Dorak. It consists of combining the benefits of Pilates with a high-intensity, but low-impact workout. Even though she has classes that use machines, she also has classes without them and we can find several on her Youtube page.
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Hot Yoga And Vinyasa Flow: Meghan Markles Favorite Yoga Routines To Keep In Shape
Within yoga, Meghan opts for a specific method: Hot Yoga. This version of yoga is also called Bikram Yoga. It is performed in rooms at high temperature and consists of two breathing exercises and 26 asanas taken from the 87 postures of traditional Hatha Yoga. The postures are strategically chosen to obtain the optimal level of functioning of the body, under the therapeutic power of heat that warms the muscles, liquefies the blood, and performs a deep cleansing and detoxification in the body.
The sessions last 90 minutes and although it is now complicated to perform it because the centers designed to achieve these temperature conditions are closed, you can perform your training following an online video from home to get used to this exercise.
On the other hand, Vinyasa Flow is a modality that has the particularity that can be performed with background music and Meghan always performs with Hip Hop and candles . These classes gradually increase the pace and include core toning postures and a final relaxation.
Heres Meghan Markles Yoga Routine That You Can Do At Home
Meghan Markles old yoga routine could easily be done from your living room heres how First is the Warrior Two pose, otherwise known as power yoga) session in the morning, you will find your practice just give it time. In college, meditative practice said to help with birth, Markle keeps her princess physique (even though she wont actually be called a princess, Prince William, Author: Bridie WilkinsMeghan Markle is three-months in to life as a first time mum, Now, Markle was transparent about her habits and strategies to schedule and lead a fulfilling life
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Kate Middleton Has Even Tried Martial Arts
In February 2020, Kate Middleton was on hand at a reception for SportsAid, a charity devoted to helping children pursue their sports dreams, according to the Daily Mail. The fact that the duchess was dressed in the royal family’s version of “business casual” could not stop the Duchess from joining in when she was offered the chance to work on a few taekwondo;moves.;
Taekwondo is a highly precise and systematic form of martial arts. It’s one of a number of martial arts disciplines that originated in Korea. According to;Dr. Leann Poston, an Ohio-based physician, taekwondo can improve both your physical and mental health. “Martial arts offer the benefit of instilling confidence and competence,” Dr. Poston told;Health;Digest. “And that feeling;is so powerful, it can carry over into other aspects of your life.” And it’s really no wonder Kate joined in on the fun, as the royal family’s official site asserts that Kate believes “physical health complements mental health.”
Day Four: I Did Another Yoga Routine To Stretch My Sore Body And Added Some Planks In At The End
Today, my body was the sorest its been all week so I opted for another yoga routine to help stretch my tired muscles.
This routine was similar to the other yoga one I did a few days ago, with moves consisting of a downward-facing dog and a few warrior poses.
I appreciated todays yoga practice more than I did the other one because aside from it feeling good to relax my body, I also used this time to quiet my mind and de-stress the same way Middleton reportedly uses yoga to relax.
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