Carrie Underwood is one of the biggest stars in country music today – but it's not just her catchy tunes that have won her an army of fans, it's also her incredible discipline towards fitness.
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The Ghost Story singer often causes a stir with her gym-honed physique, especially when she's showcasing her sculpted legs in tiny shorts and glittery ankle boots. However, while Carrie is happy with her health now, she hasn't always taken the safest approach when it comes to staying in shape.
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After winning American Idol in 2005, Carrie admitted that despite looking happy on the outside, she was plagued by inner turmoil over her weight.
"I knew that I weighed more than I had ever weighed before," she previously told People. "Then as soon as you start making little tweaks, people immediately start saying, 'You look so great!' Then you start wondering, 'How bad did I look before?' Then it's like, 'Well I guess I should keep on going'. Then you start eating less."
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She admitted that in her effort to lose weight at the time, she made unhealthy decisions and turned to weight-loss supplements. "I was taking things with ephedra in it," she explained. "It wasn't the best way. If I could go back and talk to myself, I'd be like, 'Here's how you do it the right way.'"
Carrie Underwood in 2005, and now
The FDA banned dietary supplements containing ephedra because of their serious health risks. According to WebMD, ephedra can cause severe side effects, such as high blood pressure, heart attacks, seizures, strokes, irregular heartbeat, and even death.
Carrie admitted that she wasn't intentionally starving herself, though. "I wasn't eating enough calories," she said. "But I just didn't know how many calories I should be eating."
Fast-forward 17 years and Carrie is now the healthiest she's ever been, despite weighing "more than when I was at my smallest".
Carrie works out daily in her home gym
The singer makes her health one of her top priorities behind being a mom to her two sons Isaiah, seven, and Jacob, three, who she shares with her husband Mike Fisher.
She even has her own fitness app, Fit52, which she founded in 2020. It's designed to encourage and support people on their wellness journey, offering a wide range of workout routines that can be done in as little as 30 minutes.
However, speaking to HELLO! recently, Carrie confessed that if she could turn back time, she would start her fitness journey sooner rather than later. "If there's one thing I could change about my life it would be making [fitness] a priority earlier," she admitted.
Carrie now has her own fitness app
"For me, for my physical health but also for my mental health, I enjoy working out – it's my stress relief, it's an important part of who I am and how I want to raise my boys," she added.
Carrie often talks about her health and fitness journey and previously gave an insight into her daily diet in an interview with Women's Health.
A typical breakfast for her is a tofu or egg-white scramble, Ezekiel toast, berries and coffee. Lunch is usually a sandwich with Tofurky, tomato, avocado, red onion, spinach and mustard.
Carrie is healthier and fitter now than she's ever been
Dinner tends to be roasted vegetables and a piece of vegan chicken or a tofu stir-fry, while snacks consist of green smoothies or protein bars.
Hoping to encourage others to live their best life, Carrie told HELLO! "[Health] is important, so hopefully, we can be encouraging to people. You know, when you say, 'Live your best life', like, live your best life. Make sure you've got a long time to live it."
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