Georgia Brown
The Duchess of Cambridge lives an incredibly healthy, active lifestyle. This is when hello!The writer tried Kate’s 14 days of hard running, yoga, HIIT and weight training
It’s no secret Duchess of Cambridge innate affinity Health and Fitnesshas shown her athleticism and competitiveness to royal fans at many sporting events in the past.
SEE: Kate Middleton’s epic workout routine and healthy lifestyle aren’t for the faint of heart
former rugby player Mike Tindallwho is married Prince Williamcousin Zaraeven describing Kate as an “engine”, claiming his dream rugby team would involve the 40-year-old royal “because she loves to run, so she can run all day!”
Watch: Hello!Georgia takes on Kate Middleton’s grueling workout routine
Keen to improve my exercise routine, I decided to take Kate Middleton’s exercise and wellness program for 14 days to see if I could emulate the royal family’s enviable lean physique and radiant skin. Read on to discover everything I learned after working out like the Duchess of Cambridge…
Look: 26 Times Royals Made Us Laugh While Sporting – Watch the Hilarious Photos
What is the Duchess of Cambridge’s workout routine?
The royal is known to incorporate cardio and weight training into her lifestyle. From running to weightlifting, biking to rowing, yoga to HIIT, the sporty Duchess’ routine is certainly not for the faint of heart.
The Duchess follows an extremely diverse workout routine
I decided to follow a 14-day workout plan, incorporating as much of the Duchess’s favorite workout as possible.
Day 1, 3, 5
- 3km run
- 45 minutes of weight training
Days 2, 6, 7
- 45 minute spin class
- 1 hour yoga
Days 8, 10, 12
- 10,000 steps of walking
- 45 minutes of weight training
Days 9, 11, 13
Day 14
How did I find each exercise?
weight training
Keen to seek some expert advice before delving into weight training, I agree with Juliana LeonardiSenior Personal Trainer David Lloyd Kensington Who is weighing (get it?) the need to lift weights as a woman.
The Duchess has an incredibly slim body
“The key to getting that lean, toned body like the Duchess of Cambridge without bloating is doing a few low-weight reps,” explains Juliana.
MORE: Here’s what happened when I drank Kate Middleton’s green ‘pond water’ smoothie for a month
READ: Kate Middleton’s daily diet: The Duchess’ breakfast, lunch and dinner revealed
“I absolutely believe in the Duchess of Cambridge weight training,” Juliana said. “Weight training has many benefits, from making you leaner and stronger to improving your bone fate, burning fat and helping with posture.”
As a heavy lifter, I found Juliana’s exercises to be fun and very easy – but the burn the next day proved you don’t have to lift weights to feel the difference.
Run
Kate and her sister, Pippa Middleton, is an avid runner.according to daily mailthe Duchess found time in Norfolk to run as much as she could, enjoying long runs with her family dog, Lupo, before he died.
Kate wore: Definition Jacket, £98/$118, Lululemon
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What I’m wearing: Bamboo base, £42, BAM clothing
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Running every day turns out to be very difficult because I think it requires the most motivation. I find running to be one of those “love it or hate it sports” and I definitely fall into the latter. I always try to start my workouts with a 2km jog, or finish a sweat on David Lloyd’s arc treadmill – Juliana says it’s great for building stamina and working your core.
ride a bike
While I’m sure the Duchess of Cambridge isn’t cycling to smoke Taylor Swift at 7am like I did in my spin class, we do know she’s an avid cyclist. Before becoming the Duchess, Kate used to cycle around her parents’ home in Buckbury and was spotted using bikes from the London Cycling Scheme in Hyde Park.
MORE: 13 times the Duchess of Cambridge showed off her enviable coaching collection
I’m not sure if it’s just a London bike scene, but the spin scares me. I found the trainer to be gracious, the weirdly cult vibe, the well-choreographed bike photography (yes, that’s a thing!) seemed overwhelming to everyone in the room, and the Ibizia club playlist was great for Monday mornings It’s often a little too much. Sweat is real, so it has to do something.
yoga
I was hoping to use yoga as my rest day activity to give my body a break from lifting weights and cardio, but I often feel exhausted.
Duchess Kate loves a holistic workout. Kate invited a yoga instructor from Mustique Island to her wedding in 2011 and did prenatal yoga classes for Prince George’s birth in 2013.
Working out like Kate Middleton for a week, what did I learn?
A regular exercise routine can do wonders for your mental health
Once I established a routine of waking up, exercising, working, sleeping, repetition, I started noticing a major shift in my focus, motivation, and mental health. I started craving post-workout endorphins knowing that I’d already smashed my fitness goals the day before I even started work, and it felt more than the hard way I usually get up and drag myself to my desk to start work Meaning (ahem).
I plan my workouts in the Daily Goal Setter Planner, £24, Mål Paper
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By around 9pm, I also started to feel exhausted, so I went to bed earlier and got at least 8 hours of sleep each night – a lot more than I’m used to.
not worth hurting yourself
As I approached the final days of the challenge, I really had to listen to my body to avoid injury. At one point, I felt like I was overdoing my cardio, so I swapped out a weight training session at home for slow yoga—I know my body thanked me for that.
Before 9am! No wonder my muscles are sore…
Finding the right balance between exercising and resting is always difficult, especially when you suddenly increase the amount of exercise.
you have to increase your food intake
We hear a lot about “calorie deficit” being the key to weight loss, but little mention of the importance of consuming enough calories to maintain energy for exercise. If I continued to eat as usual while tripling my exercise routine to meet this challenge, I’m sure I’d pass out on day three.
I noticed that around day four of the challenge, I started waking up very hungry and I felt like I was going to bed with an empty stomach. This is when I know I’m not fueling my body enough to power through my workouts. On some days, my Apple Watch tells me that I’m consuming over 3,000 calories a day, so it’s no surprise that I start to feel weak and lightheaded when I don’t eat enough.
Wholesome field trays from Farmer J are a lunchtime saviour
Still keeping my diet healthy, I add more protein and lots of fresh veggies to boost my body. I’ve never turned myself down on one (or two) when I wanted one.
Don’t underestimate the power of yoga
Weight training may leave me feeling exhausted and sweaty, but it’s always after yoga that my body feels like it’s working the hardest. Not only did my core burn at the end of each class, but my upper back and chest muscles struggled badly after sweaty Chaturanga Dandasanas (low planks).
Rest days are a great opportunity to practice yoga at home
Yoga has been shown to be good for the body’s core, posture and stability, so it’s no surprise that the Duchess has incorporated it into her lifestyle as a way to relax and strengthen her muscles.
All bodies are different
As much as I would love to wake up to the Duchess of Cambridge’s slender, toned physique (a girl can dream) on the last day of the challenge, I have to be realistic about my goals.
Fitness progress takes a lot of time and commitment
Fitness is a way of life, and it requires a lot of commitment and dedication. So even though I’m disciplined enough to tackle the challenge, my body’s physical changes are minimal, but that doesn’t mean it’s a complete failure. I explored new workouts, braved the dreaded weightlifting part of the gym, and completed my first 5k run in a few months.
Aesthetically, the changes are likely to be minimal. Mentally, I’m ready to do my next workout like Kate Middleton and continue to explore the potential of my fitness goals.
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