If you think Shakira is looking better than ever, hey, you're not alone!
The star, who welcomed her second son with husband Gerard Piqué in January, got her body back into fighting shape after baby by adopting a diet and fitness routine catered for her by trainer Anna Kaiser, creator of the AKT inMotion method (the program has over 800 minutes of workouts to stream online, if you need inspiration). We got the scoop from Kaiser on how the singer bounced back just eight weeks after giving birth, as well as her favorite workouts and go-to meals. Kaiser, by the way, is also the fitness mastermind behind Kelly Ripa and Sarah Jessica Parker's trim figures. (More recently, she's started working with Emmy Rossum and Sofía Vergara.)
"These workouts are done in one hour and it's always changing," Kaiser told E! News. "I wanted to create a workout that changes and you never get bored. You change courses every two weeks, [doing] power hip hop, ballet, etc. You get results in fun and efficient ways."
Shakira lost ten centimeters around her waist in eight—count ‘em—weeks. Since the post-baby bounce back, Kaiser has been traveling to Barcelona to train with Shakira every two weeks, or once per week if need be. (She also skypes with and preps workout videos for the star when they can't physically meet.)
"Time is always a challenge," the trainer admitted. "She has two kids now. She's an international star, she's a business woman, she's a CEO. She has a lot going on. With all of that it's hard to make yourself a priority."
Happily, Shakira has the work-self-baby trio in balance. For her routine, Kaiser implements a dance-based interval workout that alternates between strength and cardio intervals with yoga and stretching in between. Sessions are between 60 and 90 minutes or twice a day, depending on how the trainer reads Shakira's energy.
"One of her favorite moves is a jack knife on the treadmill," Kaiser said. "She loves to constantly switch it up. Every session is different. She needs that stimulation as we all do. And then we can always throw in new challenges. Right now we're really focused on hip hop [dance routines]."
"We do small meals all throughout the day. She's so busy she has to keep her energy up. [She eats] all throughout the day—really healthy clean food so her body can absorbs the nutrition as much as possible," Kaiser added.
Shakira's typical breakfast may include coffee and a slice of Ezekiel bread topped with avocado and tomato. A go-to post-workout snack is coconut water and some source of protein. For lunch the singer usually opts for a hearty salad (think veggies with lots of colors) and one hundred grams of chicken and or fish. An afternoon snack could be beef jerky or cucumber and melon. Dinner might be steak or fish with asparagus, and then a couple pieces of dark chocolate for dessert.
The trainer also shared some workout dos and don'ts with us (thankfully, because it's summer and bikini season and we still don't feel quite ready):
1. Do show up. Meaning, don't let your hangover keep you from working out the next day. "Give yourself a time period," Kaiser said. "Give yourself specific goals, like ‘I'm going to show up for four weeks and really commit even if it's just for fifteen minutes.'"
2. Don't drink too much alcohol. "Drinking is one of the ways we consume the most sugar," Kaiser said.
3. Do make working out fun. "Even if it's a long walk in a new city or a new machine or new class. You shouldn't be talking yourself into it," Kaiser said.
4. Do buy a new awesome outfit. "You will feel good—you should like what you see for you and not for the other people in the room," she said.
5. Don't make getting to your workout challenging with a long commute. "Do exercises at home or do something close to you," Kaiser advised.
6. Don't do a workout just to check the box and burn calories. "[Working out] should be something you do to reach your goal," she said.
Sounds reasonable. And if it gets us in Shakira shape, we're all in. For a first-hand demonstration of Shakira's body-after-baby workout, watch the video above!