If you are a fan of Gossip Girl and you ever wondered how Leighton Meester stays in shape, keep reading to find out all about her diet and workout routine.
Leighton obviously has a great body. Of course, she’s lucky in the looks department, but she also puts in work to be healthy and slim. Now that she’s 34 and a mom of two, some of her priorities are different than they were when she was acting in Gossip Girl. But she still follows a regular workout plan and eats a healthy diet.
Here’s what she does:
LEIGHTON MEESTER’S DIET
Leighton didn’t spend a lot of time focusing on her diet in her teens or early 20s. However, once she hit her mid-20s, she did a total overhaul of her diet.
She worked with her friend, who was a nutritionist, to completely re-evaluate what she was eating. Together, they put together some healthy recipes that Leighton could cook at her home.
Switching up to a healthier, less processed diet helped Leighton feel better. She didn’t realize that feeling sluggish or off could be connected to what she was eating.
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EATING HEALTHY, MOST OF THE TIME
Leighton is a mother, and is also very focused on her career as an actor, model, and philanthropist. In other words, she’s busy.
Making healthy eating a priority can be a challenge for her, and she’s ok with that. Some nights, she has cereal for dinner because that’s all she has time for.
In general, though, Leighton sticks to a 70:30 ratio of healthy food to treat foods. She tries to eat healthy 70 percent of the time, and then she allows herself to indulge the rest of the time.
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WHAT LEIGHTON EATS IN A DAY
Leighton doesn’t follow any specific diets. Instead, she tries to eat well-balanced foods that are minimally processed. In general, most of her meals are made from natural, raw ingredients. Some of the staples in her fridge and pantry are brown rice, whole grains, greens, and fresh fruit.
Leighton values taking care of herself. In interviews, she always emphasizes her desire to eat well in order to honor her body. She tries to eat intuitively, and she chooses not to be hard on herself with her diet.
Here’s what she typically eats in a day.
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BREAKFAST
For breakfast, Leighton normally keeps it simple and healthy. She keeps smoothie ingredients in reusable bags in the freezer, so that she just needs to blend it together in the morning.
She blends together:
- Kale, spinach, and collard greens
- Spirulina and chlorella powder
- Flaxseed and chia seeds
- Mango cubes
- A banana
It’s helpful for Leighton to start her day off with a really healthy meal. With her busy schedule, this helps her have the energy and motivation to push through meetings, filmings, and other demands.
Leighton is also a regular coffee drinker. She drinks hers with raw milk or heavy whipping cream.
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LUNCH
While she’s at work, Leighton will normally take a break for lunch. She tends to eat a salad with fish, chicken, or turkey.
DINNER
For dinner, Leighton is more flexible. She tends to eat what she is craving or what she has time for (like the occasional bowl of cereal!). One of her and her husband’s go-to meals is tacos.
She likes to end her dinner with a fudge mint cookie. This is normally her daily indulgence. :)
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LEIGHTON’S WORKOUT ROUTINE
NO MORE PILATES
Leighton did Pilates regularly in the past. Now, however, she says she doesn’t like to do it. She’s tired of it, and she focuses on doing workouts that are fun for her.
Now she has a personal trainer come to her house once a week. The trainer makes sure she’s doing workouts correctly. She said that this helps her enjoy exercise, instead of dreading it. She likes the simplicity of working out from her home (I do too!).
WORKING WITH A TRAINER
Leighton has trained with celebrity trainer Justin Falahi. Together, they’ve created a workout plan that helps her stay toned, emphasize her slim yet curvy body, and feel healthy.
Here’s what their typical workout routine looks like:
- They work out in the park or outside, instead of at the gym. There, they run, use benches instead of gym equipment, and do bodyweight moves. Being outside helps Leighton avoid feeling bored.
- They don’t follow a set exercise schedule. Justin doesn’t have Leighton count reps. Instead, they aim to keep her heart rate up for a set period of time.
- They relax. At the end of each workout session, they spend at least 5 minutes meditating as a way to relax the mind and body.
HER WORKOUT ROUTINE
Leighton is a mesomorph body type, and her trainer has adapted this routine for her.
I suggest that mesomorphs do the following:
- Mix low-intensity and high-intensity workouts.
- Focus on bodyweight resistance training 3 times a week. Bodyweight workouts prevent mesomorphs from getting too bulky.
Justin’s routine for Leighton follows these guidelines well. Leighton typically does a mixture of HIIT and bodyweight training 3 times a week. Each session lasts 45 minutes, and it trains her entire body. Here are the moves that she does:
- Jumping squats
- The flamingo (this targets her core and butt)
- Planks
- Frog jumps
- Push up variations
- Pull up variations
Leighton begins the session with a cardio workout and ends with stretching.
In addition to this, Leighton also goes on lots of walks, she swims, and she goes on bike rides.
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SURFING
Leighton’s husband Adam Brody taught her how to surf, and she says this is one of the best ways she gets exercise. At first, she would just go on the weekends. However, surfing has slowly started to replace some of her other workout routines.
Leighton enjoys surfing because, instead of focusing on changing her body shape, she’s been able to focus on learning a new skill. She feels connected to herself, and she feels relaxed unplugging from her phone while she surfs.
Physically, surfing has helped her improve her balance and coordination. It’s also been great for her core and legs.
ADAPTING TO A NEW STAGE OF HER LIFE
As a busy mom, Leighton doesn’t have time to spend hours and hours working out. But she doesn’t need to. By being gracious with herself, Leighton is able to stick to an overall healthy diet and regular workout routine.
I admire how down-to-earth she is with this approach. She looks amazing, and seems to be living a life that she loves. :)
I loved learning more about Leighton! Let me know in the comments if you have other actors, models, or celebrities you’d like me to write about.
Love Rachael xx
Featured Image credit: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
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