HEALTHCountry Strong! How Singers Kacey Musgraves, Miranda Lambert, Carrie Underwood, More Managed To Stay In Shape During The Pandemic
April 18 2021, Updated 12:01 a.m. ET
The pandemic has been tough for many of us who try to stay in shape. With fitness centers shut down for months and the endless opportunities for home snacking, staying fit during quarantine proved to be a challenge. However, the top names in country music made it a point to not let go of their healthy habits.
So how did they do it? The secret lies in exercises and healthy eating, along with a lot of mindfulness.
Scroll through the gallery below as your favorite singers reveal how they stay Country Strong.
CARRIE UNDERWOOD
As the co-founder of the Fit52 workout app, Underwood was determined to avoid the quarantine 15. "I tried to focus on keeping myself healthy, rather than sitting on my rear end at home and snacking all day," Underwood, 38, said of sticking to her mostly vegan diet and HIIT sessions during the pandemic.
Her advice for anyone looking for a reset? "It is a marathon. It's not a sprint. Don't do anything you can't see yourself doing a year from now." Noted!
KELSEA BALLERINI
Ballerini takes a balanced approach to fitness. The 27-year-old songstress does 45-minute strength-focused sessions with celeb trainer Erin Oprea three days a week and follows the 80/20 rule. She eats well 80 percent of the time and "the other 20 percent of the time, I just enjoy my life," the blond beauty said, adding that an occasional trip to McDonald's is no biggie.
"I just try to be nice to myself and do what's good for me," she explained. "And when I don't, I start again the next day."
KACEY MUSGRAVES
The secret to Musgraves' fab figure and enviable abs? Tabata-based workouts, a form of high-intensity interval training that involves periods of all-out effort followed by short moments of rest, along with Pure Barre DVDs, which focus on lengthening and toning.
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"I can do the workouts everywhere," the 32-year-old Grammy winner explained. Diet-wise, she avoids carbs and processed foods when she can, noting, "I try my best."
MIRANDA LAMBERT
The "Bluebird" singer admitted she struggled with her weight for years before finally finding a plan that helped her lose 20 pounds in 2014. "I tried everything," Lambert, 37, has said, "[but] you get tired of every diet." Instead, she began eating sensibly (think: grilled chicken with sweet potatoes and green juices) and doing Pilates, jumping jacks and run-walk sessions.
"I'm a size 6, give or take five pounds," she added. "I've hit a comfortable place."
CARLY PEARCE
Staying healthy while on the road can be a challenge, but Pearce has it all figured out. The 30-year-old hitmaker revealed she makes oatmeal and baked chicken on her tour bus (which features a hot plate, fridge and oven) so she's not "tempted to eat fast food" and gets up at 6 a.m. for a run before things get too hectic.
"I feel better when I work out," she shared. "I feel better when I eat right and I feel like my mind is in a better spot."
MAREN MORRIS
"The pressure we put on mothers to 'snap back' is deeply troublesome," new mom Morris recently wrote on Instagram. After welcoming son Hayes last March, the singer, 31, took her time getting in shape, starting with simple moves like lunges, squats and walking.
"No one took [my body], I didn't lose it like a set of keys," she added alongside a photo of herself doing plank twists on a Bosu ball. "And yeah, I'm proud." Go, mama!
