How Halle Berry looks 24 at 54 – and 6 tips to get her abs
WALKING gracefully along a beach, washboard abs on show - you'd be forgiven for thinking Halle Berry was at least half her age.
But the actress actually turned 54 last week - and to celebrate she shared two incredible bikini pics with her followers on Instagram.
The images quickly went viral as fans questioned how the former Bond girl had hit middle age without so much as a stretch mark in sight.
Her secrets lie with personal trainer Peter Lee Thomas, who admits Halle works hard for her killer body.
The mum-of-two has also spoken previously about her years of strict dieting and exercise.
She said in one interview: “There is no shortcut, just hard work and dedication. It is about what you eat and consistency.”
While the star follows a pretty meticulous regime when getting into shape for movie roles, there are some aspects of it that you could try too.
Here, we've rounded up six things Halle swears by for getting those abs popping - and they may even help you look younger too...
1. Boxing
Boxing has been Halle's favourite form of workout for about 12 years.
She wrote on Instagram in 2018: “Boxing is still considered one of the best full-body workouts.
"You'll sculpt every muscle and burn major calories and fat.
"It dramatically decreases stress levels, develops hand-eye coordination, and builds confidence and discipline. But most importantly... you'll never stop learning.
"I've been boxing for the past 10 years and regularly for the past three and I love that I always learn a new way to challenge myself and work new muscles."
Halle's workout
AS well as daily boxing, yoga and running, Halle has also listed the following as an example of a full-body workout:
- Warm up by running or jogging on the spot for five minutes.
- Next up is 40 lunges with bicep curls, wearing ankle weights and wrist weights and holding foam dumbbells.
- Follow this with 20 squats to overhead presses, wearing a resistance band and holding foam dumbbells.
- Counting down, repeat the two moves until you get to one of each.
- Finish by holding a plank for as long as possible.
2. Avoid sit-ups
If you've been spending hours doing sit-ups and crunches, don't bother - Halle says she doesn't do them at all.
So, how does she get those abs to really pop?
Halle said: “My average workout these days doesn’t involve a single sit-up or crunch.
“One abs move I incorporate into my workouts pretty often is planks.
"They’ve made a huge difference for my core strength and definition.
“Sometimes I’ll just hold a plank for as long as I can. My abs start to ache first, but pretty soon my entire body feels like it’s on fire.”
Earlier this year Halle and her trainer Peter founded Re-Spin, a digital health and wellness brand, and launched a range of exercise equipment including an abs wheel, waist trainers and a compression vest that she wears to get “extra sweaty”.
3. Keto diet
While Halle extols the benefits of exercise, she reckons food is the “biggest impact on our health of any aspect of our lifestyle”.
Ill-health in her early twenties prompted Halle to overhaul her diet. She had been living on sugar until she became ill in 1989 and slipped into a week-long coma, caused by undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes.
She revealed in 2007 that she had managed to wean herself off insulin by cutting out certain foods.
She is now an advocate of the keto diet, a high-fat, low-carb plan.
Halle said: “When my trainer Peter formally introduced me to the ketogenic lifestyle, I realised all I had to do to feel even better was give my body more healthy fats such as avocado, coconut oil and butter, so it had more of that fuel to burn.
“The keto lifestyle offers so many benefits, such as weight loss, appetite control, more energy and better mental performance.”
Halle employs a chef, who avoids serving sugar and carbs such as bread and potatoes, and who often cooks with lamb.
She substitutes pasta with courgetti and takes energy supplements made from beetroots and caffeine.
Halle's diet
BREAKFAST: Halle usually fasts until 3pm but if she has breakfast, it will be a “bulletproof coffee” – fresh coffee mixed with butter and collagen. It gives a steady stream of caffeine and energy.
Mid-morning: If Halle exercises in the morning, she will sometimes have an electrolyte drink or a plant protein bar.
3pm: For comfort food, Halle has vegetable soup topped with cheese.
But often it is a big salad of tomatoes, olives, green and red peppers, avocado and olive oil vinaigrette dressing, with either meat or fish.
Snacks: She loves low-sugar fruits such as blackberries and raspberries, seeds and homemade kale chips.
Dinner: Vegetables with a plant-based protein such as chickpeas, cauliflower mash or a similar dish to lunch.
She said: “Eating this way has helped me manage my diabetes, but it has also given me a ton of energy and helped me maintain my weight and stay in shape."
Halle also incorporates intermittent fasting into her diet and follows a 16:8 plan meaning she fasts until 2pm and has her final meal before 10pm.
Her PT said in an interview with Hollywood Life last year that the actress has her first meal of the day right after her workout, which is basically “basically her breakfast and lunch combined".
4. Drink bone broth
It sounds disgusting, but Halle says her “secret weapon” is bone broth.
Bone broth is a protein-packed soup made from simmering animal bones for many hours.
The collagen is said to aid digestion and promote healthier skin and hair. Halle adds salt, ground pepper and crushed garlic for flavour.
She sips it throughout the day, and revealed it has “helped me defy my age and look and feel younger than my years”.
She added: “I know for some this may sound nasty as hell — but I promise you, it’s not bad and drinking it will slow down your inevitable race to the finish line.”
5. Red wine
As for the little treats in life, Halle does allow herself some indulgences - and she's often spotted on Instagram holding a glass of wine.
She said: “I don’t really have a sweet tooth at all any more but I do really enjoy a glass of red wine after dinner.”
But her tipple must be natural, without any preservatives, and contain less sugar and alcohol than usual.
She said: “While conventional wines often got me buzzed fast and left me with a headache, clean wines didn’t.
“Yet again, I wouldn’t go back to the old stuff for a second.”
6. Self-care
Everyone needs a little time for themselves now and again and Halle is no stranger to looking after herself.
She regularly takes to Instagram to share posts with the hashtag #SelfCareSunday.
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Her pamper routine includes a face mask, taking a bubble bath, drinking red wine and spending time with her family.
She also took up yoga and mediation, which she says helps her destress.
If that's what makes her look 24 instead of 54 then we're definitely willing to try it.