Her Daily And Postpartum Fitness Routine

After four pregnancies, Ciara knows a thing or two about the highs and lows that come along with postpartum weight loss. But over time, she’s learned to be kind to her evolving figure.

“I honestly like some of the hips that have come along with the post-baby weight,” she previously told People. “I’m not trying to lose those. My husband has been showing me love on my hips, too. He likes them!”

Like many of us, the singer used to see exercise as a means to an end and solely focused on toning specific areas of her body. These days, the 38-year-old can see the big picture.

“Once I made that commitment to live healthier and make better fitness decisions, it was game-changing for me—and I realized that I didn’t have to work as hard,” she previously told W Magazine.

The singer went on to explain that she set a goal of losing 60 pounds in four months after giving birth to her first child and admitted that it felt “overwhelming” trying to “play catchup.”

“Once I got back to my base weight, I wanted to maintain and not have to target one area aggressively. I made an overall promise to live a healthier life, and that’s what drives me,” she said.

After welcoming her fourth child in December 2023, Ciara has shared her weight loss journey with fans over the last few months. Read on to find out how she’s been working towards her target weight while living a balanced lifestyle and learn how she’s crushed her workout routine in the past.

She’s realistic about weight loss setbacks

Over the years, Ciara has kept herself accountable by sharing her goal weight with her social media followers. Earlier this year, she revealed that she was trying to lose 70 pounds while living a hectic lifestyle.

Weight loss journeys are often filled with ups and downs, and that’s something the singer knows all too well. While chatting with E! News in 2024, she opened up about the challenges of losing her pregnancy weight.

“Sometimes, you want to make things picture-perfect and life doesn’t allow you to do that,” she said. “This is real s–t. There’s no perfectness to motherhood. For example, I had a scale drop and now the scale went back up. I was like, uhhh.”

These days, the singer said she gives herself “grace” when she experiences a weight loss setback and still allows herself to indulge in her favorite treats, including ice cream, occasionally.

She worked out up to three times a day after having her second child

After giving birth to her second child, daughter Sienna, Ciara told People she was “fired up about getting my post-baby weight off.”

“It was just my own personal goal that I set for myself. It’s a whole different animal when you have two kids, and it felt really good,” she said.

The singer noted that she gained 65 pounds while she was pregnant and adopted “the craziest system” to shed the weight.

“It was kind of like, wake up in the morning, breastfeed, eat a small meal, go train, come back in, breastfeed, eat another meal, go train, then come back, have another meal, and then a third training session at night,” she told Cosmopolitan. “It was a good challenge, one I set for myself, not for anyone else. Taking care of myself makes me feel really good. And I want to keep it sexy too, you know.”

While talking with InStyle, Ciara described her intense routine. Per Vogue, the singer said she started her days by lifting weights then followed up with a high intensity treadmill sprints in the afternoon. At night, she’d do 30-45 minutes on her Peloton bike.

All that hard work certainly paid off. After five months, Ciara lost 50 pounds, per People, and eased up on her intense regimen.

She partnered with WW while trying to lose weight after her third child was born

In August 2020, Ciara took to Instagram to declare that she had 48 pounds to lose after giving birth to her third child in July 2020. A month later, she announced her new role as an ambassador for WW International, formerly known as Weight Watchers.

“After recently having my third child my life is more hectic than ever, and I know that I have to care for myself first, so that I can take care of everyone else,” she said in a press release. “I’m committed to setting a positive example for my children and to me, that means still eating the foods I love while making healthier choices. I’m just getting started, but I’m determined and I feel great!”

By June 2021, Ciara revealed that she only had 10 pounds to lose to get back to her pre-pregnancy weight.

“I’m so proud of myself– down 39 pounds on my @ww journey! The @ww app really made the process easy and fun! Thank you to everyone for your support, we did it! If you believe in yourself and set goals, it’s all possible!” she captioned an Instagram post.

She boxes for her body and mind

Boxing can be wonderful for your body and mind, so it’s no wonder that Ciara is a fan of the workout.

“I like boxing when I’m trying to figure things out,” she told Women’s Health in 2022. “That’s a part of (my) ‘therapy’—exercise.”

She had to ‘retrain’ her abs when she was diagnosed with diastasis recti

Following the birth of her second child, Ciara learned that she had diastasis recti, a condition that many women experience while pregnant and after giving birth.

Per The Cleveland Clinic, diastasis recti can occur when the rectus abdominis muscles (aka, the ab muscles) get stretched as a result of pregnancy and separate.

“The separation can make a person’s belly stick out or bulge months or years postpartum. It can be repaired with special exercises that help to close the separation,” the website reads.

While talking with People about her condition, Ciara said it prompted her to prioritize core workouts.

“I have to work even harder. That’s a bit more intense,” she said. “A lot more effort goes into it because your muscles bulge out differently, and you’re trying to reconnect the muscles and retrain them.”

She’s fond of treadmill workouts

In high school, Ciara ran track and told W Magazine that she’s always been “an athlete at my core.” But she doesn’t underestimate the power of simple workouts like a run on the treadmill.

The singer described her typical treadmill workout, explaining that she likes to spring for one minute “then pop off.”

“You push yourself in between breaks to the highest speed you can go to. Spring and hop off, and repeat. You can do it 10 times, and it really gets your cardiovascular going like crazy, and it’s good for conditioning. But don’t overextend yourself. Be realistic about what is good for your body and you’ll find that rhythm,” she said.

She’s trying to teach her kids healthy eating habits

As a mother, Ciara tries to take a balanced approach to teaching her kids about nutrition.

“I think life is about balance. In general, and especially when it comes to our health, you have to be realistic, right?” she previously told TODAY.com. “What good is life without some good treats in it?”

The proud mom said each of her children has a favorite vegetable, and she’s happy that they’re willing to give new foods a try.

“Maybe one doesn’t like what the other one likes, but they do like vegetables. Win was eating salad with nothing on it the other day, it was so cute,” she said. “The more that we’re able to let them try different things, we do end up finding things they like.”

Ciara keeps healthy snacks on hands for her kids, including carrots, cucumbers, seaweed and cheese sticks, but also makes sure to let them indulge their cravings once in a while.

“I try not to use candy as a thing to get things done in my house with my kids, but I will tell you it does make the kids really get in line,” she said.

She eats several small meals throughout the day

Ciara knows that eating more regularly throughout the day can help keep cravings in check.

“When you’re eating small meals, your body starts to function like a well-oiled machine,” she told People in 2019, adding that she eats five small meals a day. “You’re using the restroom regularly so your body is really on clock.”

In addition, the singer also makes sure to hydrate throughout the day.

“I literally drink a gallon and a half a day,” she said. “It’s amazing how you can work out hard all day, but if you don’t eat right you won’t see the results you want to see and if you don’t drink that water you won’t get the results as fast as you want to get them.”

She combines cardio with weight lifting

Ciara has a variety of go-to workouts in her fitness arsenal.

“It’s a combination of plyometrics (jump training), cardiovascular work, and also weight lifting all in one kind of thing,” she previously told People. “It’s a full on circuit that allows me to hit every target area.”

When she’s not working with a trainer, the singer enjoys rides on her Peloton bike and prefers one instructor who also happens to be a TODAY contributor.

“I love Ally Love. She’s my favorite,” she previously told Women’s Health.