Other than Spanish, she speaks fluent English, Romanian, Italian and French. She has been a part of 11 Spanish TV shows and more than 25 Spanish and English films that includes playing the cop Elena Neves in the super hit, Fast and Furious franchise. In 2013, she worked in her first production, The Wine of Summer. Barely, three months after giving birth to her twins in 2014, she released her fitness book in Spanish, Intensidad Max, displaying taut midriff and defined arms on the cover! Now at the age of 38, Elsa’s body and face still refuses to show that she is older than her husband by seven years or mother of three kids!
Sustaining peak energy levels while planning travel and appearances in multi-time zones, alongside, parenting a 3-year-old daughter and 1-year-old twins is no-coincidence. It takes a lot of planning and discipline and of course the support of a strong, caring partner. Elsa Pataky seems to have it all figured.
For those who get jealous, Elsa modestly dismisses her rebound to pre-baby leanness to genetics. Nevertheless, beyond genetics, a body’s pre-defined tendencies are nothing but a sum of one’s lifestyle habits. A self-confessed tomboy, Elsa claims that the only girly thing about her at 15 was her love for high heels. She often found herself to be the smallest one among kids of her age, throughout school, but that only spurred her love further, for both sports and fitness.
Muscles look good on women
Contrary to the aversion, that many people feel towards well-built, muscular women, Elsa Pataky looks up to the rock-solid, athletic builds of professional sportswomen. This lofty benchmark alone has kept Elsa consistent with exercise for over two decades. In an interview to Women’s Health magazine, she confided,
“Even when other people say, ‘oh she is too muscly,’ I always like it. I will never be in that professional shape, but I like to get as close to that as I can.”
Exercise, because you love your body not because you hate it.
Elsa has never really quit on exercise, ever. Even right up to week 35 of her second pregnancy when she found herself with a belly too big to do any movement even remotely complicated, she hired a Pilates instructor to supervise with prenatal exercises that primarily involved the legs.
Cutting right back into the present, Pataky sneaks in a quick 40 minute gym circuit with weights, rowing and riding a stationary bike at least four times a week during her kids’ nap time. Other days, she tries to fit in Yoga and swimming as much as she can.
Elsa started practicing Yoga seven years ago and much to her surprise she swears by it as the ideal top off to lifting weights, especially for women. She insists that women should not choose between Yoga and lifting weights. Both, practiced alternately reinforce a strong, well-defined, feminine body; regulate the appetite and aid in sustaining a balanced state of mind. Hence, she does not really feel the need to hog desserts anymore. A few spoonfuls are good enough to satisfy her cravings. In case, the itch for something sweet refuses to quit, then she and her husband binge on her kids’ fruit purees.
