Elsa Pataky feeding her twin babies

Meal planning, what art thou?

Pre plan your portion sizes according to your hunger pangs and daily activity levels and then stick with it. As reported by Dailymail, Pataky keeps it simple by following the popular nutritional adage of eating breakfast like a king, lunch like a Prince and dinner like a pauper. She also finds a way to consume goji berries, flaxseed and Kukicha tea as often as possible.

Elsa Pataky and Dwayne Johnson “The Rock”

Cooking is a valuable life skill that comes in handy, no matter where you are in life. Chris Hemsworth and Elsa Pataky relocated to a remote, coastal location in Australia in 2014, to perform their duties as busy parents in peace, away from the Hollywood crazed LA paparazzi. They rarely have the energy to indulge themselves with restaurant visits. As such, prepping salads and vegetable soups alongside quick fix grilled meat or fish serves them well to keep their fitness on point without worrying much about calories.

Elsa also recommends starting the day with a glass of lemon water or a green smoothie. E! News elaborated upon one of her blog posts, in which she explains:

“The juice I like to drink once in a while and that helps me to clean my system is made with a blender: an apple, a carrot, some celery with the green leaves, a lemon without peel. Once it’s done, you add a few teaspoons of olive oil. Super good.” 

Elsa Pataky and Chris Hemsworth exercising

Weighing your weight is NOT the only way to measure progress.

It helps to learn more about your own body composition to prevent being too hard on yourself and enjoy the ongoing process of building the healthiest version of you. Learning new skills helps you set clearer, more specific goals for the kind of body you want. Elsa turned into a Muay Thai enthusiast to enliven her usual workouts.

While training for Thor, when Chris Hemsworth brought home a pair of body fat measuring calipers, Elsa admitted, she used them to figure out where in her body she was holding the most fat to provide a fresh perspective to her workout goals.

Elsa Pataky on an offroad bike

When you are fit, you just want to tackle everything that kicks ass!

A self-confessed adrenaline junkie, Pataky claims that she is riding horses and bikes from a very young age. Living in Australia, she unwinds with her husband surfing or racing dirt bikes in the nearby forest! In an interview to Women’s Health UK, she proudly revealed that she once jumped off a helicopter to ski down the Pyrenees!

If that sounds crazy to you, then there is no need to take up radical outdoor sports to justify your fitness. However, think long and hard to unravel a clear vision of what a fulfilling life for you will look like. Once you realize what you are working for, investing in the seeming discomfort of exercise will turn into a natural inclination. As Elsa Pataky advocates in her fitness book:

“A week has 168 hours, invest at least 6 hours to your body.”

For a life-changing physical transformation that makes you feel fantastic, intensity is the name of the game. Long hours at the gym, spent on lengthy workouts are not much of a worthwhile investment, if they do not equip you to perform at near full throttle exertion for half an hour, at least now and then.

Elsa Pataky’s personal trainer, Fernando Sartorius provided taste of her short and hard workouts in Women’s Health UK, by disclosing the following sample of three-way circuits that focus on cardio, strength and core stability. These circuits may not be suitable for absolute beginners, but clearly set a resounding benchmark for the desirable level of physical proficiency, a fit person should possess.

If you think you are tough enough to try it out, perform each circuit on three separate days of the week and before you know it, you will start feeling lighter and stronger by the end of the month.

Note: All the exercises performed on a Swiss ball can also be performed using a regular bench.

Perform all the exercises in the given circuits in one quick succession without any break. Take a minute’s rest before attempting the circuit again. Go for as many rounds, as you can, within 30 minutes.

Circuit 1: Cardio Blast

1. High Knee On The Spot Run – for 2 minutes

High Knee On The Spot Run

 

2. Medicine Ball V-Pass – aim for 20 repetitions

Medicine Ball V-Pass

 

3. Swiss Ball Push-ups – 15 repetitions

Swiss Ball Push-ups

 

4. Burpees – 30 repetitions

Burpees

 

Circuit 2: Full Body Strengthening and Sculpting

1. Jump Rope – 2 minutes

Jump Rope

2. Medicine Ball Pike – 20 repetitions

Medicine Ball Pike

 

3. Overhead Shoulder Press – 20 repetitions

Overhead Shoulder Press

 

4. Bulgarian Split Squat – 15 repetitions per leg

Bulgarian Split Squat

 

Circuit 3: For a Smaller Waist and a Stronger Core

1. Jumping Jacks – 2 minutes

Jumping Jacks

 

2. Windscreen Wiper – 20 repetitions (Can be performed without the Swiss ball)

Windscreen Wiper with Swiss Ball

Windscreen Wiper without Swiss Ball

 

3. Back Extensions – 20 repetitions

Back Extension with Swiss Ball

Back Extension without Swiss Ball

4. Swiss Ball Leg Curl or Hip Raise On a Bench – 20 repetitions

Swiss Ball Leg Curl

Hip Raise on a bench