In six short weeks, former Suits actress Meghan Markle will walk down the aisle to literally Prince Charming – Harry. And while she looked a million bucks before her debut into royal life, with the whole world watching her nuptials on May 19, the 36-year-old is kicking things up a notch get her best body ever in time for her big day…
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Meghan’s best moves
Her mum, Doria Ragland, was once a yoga teacher so it’s no surprise that Meghan adopted a love of the ancient Indian exercise a long time ago. She gets her yogi on “a couple of times a week”, and hot yoga is preference.
“That practice is in my blood,” Meghan says. “I love an intense vinyasa class – and even better if it’s blasting hip hop and done in a dark room with candelight.”
But while she soothes her soul with low-intensity yoga, Meghan also likes to work up a sweat with running, which she explains is “my form of moving meditation”.
Meghan loves a beachside yoga stretch!
When she was filming Suits in Toronto, Canada, Meghan would often be seen walking to and from her go-to yoga classes.
“For me, running, I need it as much for my head as for keeping in shape,” she says.
Pilates is another big body winner for Meghan, whose long-time trainer Heather Dorak runs a 55-minute class called Pilates Platinum, a cardio and strength training session, which can burn up to 700 calories.
In Meghan’s words, it’s “the best thing you could do for your body”.
In between wedding planning, Meghan’s no doubt been fitting in some exercise at home thanks to her Tracy Anderson workout DVD, which features core-toning exercises the actress swears by.
But the fit princess-in-training is going the extra mile ahead of her big day, adding a weights session into her pre-wedding workout regimen.
“Meghan is doing serious high-level strengthening exercises,” says a UK source.
“Meghan spends the morning doing a program of 45 minutes of intense weight stations, and then finishes the day with an early evening session of 30 minutes of cardio, dead lifts and a full 15 minutes of squats.”
Meghan’s healthy menu
Back in her acting days, Meghan had a simple trick for slimming down in a hurry – going meat and dairy free for five out of seven days.
“I try to eat vegan during the week and then have a little bit more flexibility with what I dig into on the weekends,” she says.
On a whole, Meghan’s pretty healthy when it comes to her food, which helps her stay trim and toned year-round. “I definitely try to eat as clean as possible,” she says.
“I definitely just try to avoid the things that I know are going to make me feel lethargic or sluggish.”
Meghan fuels up to keep fit!
On the ‘yes’ list are plenty of fish and vegies, but the self-confessed foodie admits that her vices can sometimes make clean eating hard, saying, “I could eat French fries all day.
And I love pasta. I love carbs – who doesn’t love a carbohydrate?” But while she’s cutting down on her guilty treats in the lead up to her wedding, Meghan’s allowing herself the occasional cheat meal.
No French fries here!
“It’s all about balance,” she insists. “Because I work out the way I do, I don’t ever want to feel deprived. I feel that the second you do that is when you start to binge on things. It’s not a diet – it’s lifestyle eating.”
How Meghan stays motivated
Think about the end goal! Megs says, “Sometimes the idea of working out sounds absolutely dreadful, but I always remind myself of how good it will feel afterwards. Euphoric, almost!”
When it comes to working up a sweat, anything is better than nothing. “If I don’t have time for a long workout, I’ll grab my dog and go for a quick run,” she says.
The pre-wedding diet
WAKE UP: Hot water with lemon
BREAKFAST: Steel-cut oats with banana slices and agave syrup drizzled on top
LUNCH: Salad with some kind of protein
SNACK: Apple with almond butter and sea salt
LATE AFTERNOON SNACK: Green juice, an energy booster which Meghan describes as “a food-as medicine philosophy for me”.
DINNER: Something light, like soup. “I’m more peckish at lunch, so I usually go lighter for dinner,” she says.
