Halle Berry isn’t one of those actors who trains for a movie role and then slides off the workout wagon.
Fitness is a huge part of the 57-year-old’s life, and that’s one of the many reasons she seems to never age.
“I had no idea what her age was when I met her. I never looked or was interested in that and when I found out I was absolutely shell-shocked because she has the discipline and athleticism of a 25-year old,” Berry’s longtime personal trainer, Peter Lee Thomas, told People in 2018.
Berry pushes herself to the extreme at the gym, but she’s also passionate about nutrition (she swears by the keto diet) and has some strong feelings about supplements (hint: she’s obsessed).
Eager to learn the star’s recipe for a healthy lifestyle? Read on for a break down of everything she’s said about her hard-core workout routine and wellness tips.
She works out most days
Berry’s workout routine is a key part of her healthy lifestyle, and she hits the gym on most days, per Thomas.
“We typically meet up every day, five days a week. She’s putting in the work. She doesn’t mess around. That’s really, really great for me because I know that when we go there it’s like preparing for war. There’s an objective and there’s a goal,” he told E! News in 2018.
According to Berry’s trainer, the star particularly loves training her core and upper body.
“She likes to do push-ups. I don’t think there is a push-up out there that she can’t do,” he said.
“We combine lower weights with higher repetition, and also using your body weight more. Going outside, not having to be fixed to a certain machine,” he said.
She switches up her workouts
Berry doesn’t let herself get bored at the gym. In 2023, she sent a social media shout-out to Thomas, writing, “What I love about @peterleethomas is he comes up with new exercises that give me new ways to challenge myself and keep the workouts fun!”
Thomas said he likes to keep his client in suspense on their workout days.
“She never truly understands what’s going to happen for that morning, for that day,” he told People. “I bring a constellation of things. That, in itself, is quite challenging because she has to be ready almost (to) improv. It can break a lot of people, who don’t see the workout the day prior.”
Berry has mastered a number of workouts, ranging from martial arts and boxing to yoga.
“If Halle wasn’t an actress, she would very easily transition into becoming a professional athlete if she was coached the right way,” Thomas told People. “She’s also not afraid to experiment and explore and take risks when it comes to fitness because she understands that in order for there to be potential growth and change, she’s going to have to do things that are commonly difficult to do.”
She thinks fitness should be accessible for everyone
Sure, Berry has access to a professional trainer and she likely has a pretty swanky at-home gym. But she regularly reminds her followers that getting fit is about the quality of your workout, rather than the price of your equipment.
“You don’t need a fancy gym to get started — all you need is a living room, a patio, a kitchen floor, a driveway or a backyard and a water bottle,” she wrote in a 2018 Instagram post then proceeded to demonstrate a move called a plank pull.
In 2022, Berry teamed up with Thomas to show Instagram users how to use a towel as a workout tool.
“This is the perfect at-home, non-weighted, resourceful workout you’ve been looking for!” Thomas captioned the post. “These moves will truly turn up the heat making great use of our cooling towel during and after training.”
She’s shared plenty of her workout secrets in her series #FitnessFriday
Berry’s fans are always asking for her health and wellness secrets, so she decided to start an Instagram series called #FitnessFriday with Thomas in 2018.
“So many of you are asking how I have managed to stay in great shape over the years. Well, part of it is genetics, that’s true. I was a gymnast growing up and that certainly has helped as I have always been very athletic. I have worked with many trainers over the years and learned a lot from each of them,” she captioned the post.
“However, now I’d like to introduce you to my favorite trainer and what I call my secret weapon! Peter Lee Thomas! This man has changed my life. Besides being an all around wonderful human, he’s a trainer, martial artist, fellow actor and nutrition specialist!”
She launched her own wellness platform in 2020
Berry’s passion for health inspired her to create an online wellness community called rē•spin, where she shared workout tips, recipes, product recommendations and more.
In 2024, the star rebranded the website to focus on the journey women go through during menopause.
“My goal is to empower women to embrace this natural transition and become inspired by the eternal beauty that comes with it. 🤍,” she wrote.
She adopted a keto diet when she was diagnosed with diabetes
When she was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of 22, Berry decided to try a keto diet, which involves eating a high amount of fat, a moderate amount of protein and a low amount of carbs.
“I wanted to get off of insulin, so I decided to say goodbye to processed carbs and sugar like baked goods and white bread — and it has seriously paid off,” she told Women’s Health in 2020. “For more than 15 years, eating this way has helped me manage my diabetes — but it’s also given me a ton of energy and helped me maintain my weight and stay in shape.”
The diagnosis also inspired Berry to revamp her entire wellness routine.
“Being diagnosed with diabetes at such a young age — it put my focus on my health, and it put me on a wellness routine that has allowed me to not only age gracefully, but also to be in better shape than most people,” she told Shape in 2023. “It was a negative that I was able to turn into a positive.”
She still likes to splurge with a glass of wine
Berry doesn’t have a sweet tooth, but she is a fan of wine and loves to savor a glass after a delicious meal.
“I still want to do my body good when I treat myself, and a nice, clean glass of wine helps me do just that,” she told Women’s Health.
While chatting with Harper’s Bazaar in 2023, Berry called red wine her “guilty pleasure.”
“I think red wine for me is the healthiest that you can drink since its usually low in sugar and has less sulfites. And if you’re drinking wine for heart health, which I do, having a glass of red wine a day can be good. Heart disease actually runs in my family, so my cardiologist is always reminding me about that,” she said.
She works out to be ‘strong and healthy’ for her kids
Berry is known for her toned physique and she’s certainly reaped the benefits of her workout routine over the years. But at a certain point, her fitness motivation shifted.
“Back in my 20s (and 30s), though, I mostly worked out in order to look a certain way. I was young and appearance was a big part of my early acting career,” she told Women’s Health in 2020.
After she found out she had diabetes, the star “began to see fitness as a way to care for my health and my body.”
“I began to focus on feeling fit more than looking fit and my workouts became acts of self-care. Then, from the moment I became a mother onward, I wanted to be strong and healthy for my kids. I wanted to be around for them for as long as possible. I wanted to be able to carry them out of a burning house if I needed to.”
She never skips stretching
When you’re as active as Berry is, stretching is even more critical if you want to fend off injuries. In 2018, the star shared the following reflections on her stretching routine along with a photo of herself doing a yoga move called the shoulder stand.
“After I work out, it’s important for me to stretch and lengthen. Fitness is not just about running, lifting and punching. For me, being athletic and super fit is also about being still, stretching and breathing. Including stretching in my fitness program helps my muscles stay long, limber, improves my mobility and range of motion and, most importantly, helps me avoid injuries,” she wrote.
She typically fasts in the morning
For many people, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but Berry prefers to start her morning off by fasting. In 2020, she told Women’s Health she usually brews herself some Bulletproof coffee and blends it with collagen, butter and MCT oil.
“I sip on my frothy drink throughout the morning and love that the fat in it fuels my body and that it gives me a steady stream of caffeine and energy to start the day with,” she said.
Occasionally, Berry does need something more than coffee to hold her over until lunch, and on those occasions she typically has a keto protein bar or an electrolyte drink.
“If I just do something light, though, that bulletproof coffee usually keeps me going until lunchtime,” she said.
She loves nutritional supplements
Berry eats a well-balanced diet, but she also relies on supplements to sneak in extra nutrients. In 2022, the star talked about gut health and explained why she’s such a fan of supplements.
“When your GUT is healthy, your whole body can be healthy. By taking 2 little pills a day, you take control of your power and body by prioritizing your wellness in the easiest way possible. Healing my GUT has changed my life,” she captioned an Instagram post.
In 2018, Thomas told People his client loved to take supplements before her workouts.
While talking with Shape in 2023, Berry said she enjoys taking various supplements because there are “a lot of things you start to lack as you go down the path of life.” She cited protein powder and a glucose control probiotic as two of her must-haves.
She believes in the power of a workout support system
On days where you’re tempted to skip the gym, working out with a friend can keep you motivated.
“A partner holds you accountable so you won’t quit halfway through. A partner can spot you so you don’t injure yourself, but most of all, working out with a partner just makes it all more fun!” Berry captioned one of her #FitnessFriday posts.
She all about spreading body-positive messages
Berry regularly posts sexy selfies and often infuses them with a body-positive message for her followers.
“The way you see yourself is what matters most!” she wrote in one.
“Finally, I love wholeheartedly, without judgement who I see in the mirror…do you?” she captioned another.
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