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Meghan Markle received the title "Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex" when she married Prince Harry in May of 2018. But before she married into Britain's royal family, she was an actress on the hit show Suits, and ran her own lifestyle site called The Tig. Meghan has always been passionate about health, exercise, food, travel and the latest trends in all of it. And she's dropped her tips through the years on how she stays zen and balanced. Here are 40 pieces of her best health advice.
1Be chill about aging.
"As Im getting older, my approach to aging is quite different," she told Best Health in 2016. "I make sure that I take care of my skin and body, especially with the work hours I have. And I dont just take care of myself for aesthetic reasons but because how I feel is dictated by what Im eating, how much rest Im getting, and how much water Im drinking. If I dont have time for a long workout, Ill grab my dog and go for a quick run. Being active is my own moving meditation."
2Make fitness a priority.
"Meghan Markle's fitness definitely takes priority; shes very focused on her health," Meghan's trainer, Craig McNamee, CSCS, founder of Catalyst Health in Toronto, Canada, told WomensHealthMag.com in 2018. "When she gets to the gym, theres no real complaining. She gets down to business right away and really enjoys it." (Another reason the royal is #goals.)
3Try running.
"Meghan is an avid runner, so she already did a lot of treadmill work on her own," McNamee explained to WomensHealthMag.com in 2018. "Wed look at what her run frequency was like that week" and build workouts around that.
4Take your skincare seriously.
In an interview with Allure in 2017, Meghan revealed her tried and true exfoliator. "I really love the Tatcha Rice Enzyme Powder," she said. "It just sort of foams on your face and gives you a really subtle exfoliation." In addition to exfoliation, Meghan also mentioned being a fan of Jan Marini skincare products. "I've been using their serum lately," she said. "It's a nice glycolic one that makes your skin really glow-y."
5Enjoy motherhood.
She previously said about parenthood, "Its magic. Its pretty amazing. And here I have the two best guys in the world, so Im really happy."
6Be realistic about social media.
"You see photos on social media and you dont know whether shes born with it or maybe its a filter. Your judgement of your sense of self-worth becomes really skewed when its all based on likes, Meghan said on her trip with Prince Harry to New Zealand in October 2018.
7Focus on your posture.
"Generally speaking, we had a full-body approach," her trainer McNamee told WomensHealthMag.com in 2018. "And since Meghan was onscreen, we really focused on posture." To do so, he always included posterior chain (glutes, back, hamstrings) exercises, in addition to plenty of core (abs, back, obliques, pelvic floor) work.
8Pick up strength training.
Meghan is also into circuit-based strength training. When she was still filming Suits in Toronto, she and her trainer McNamee met up three to four days a week, for 45-minute training sessions. "For Meghan, we tried to schedule these workouts early in the day, to make it a priority," he told WomensHealthMag.com in 2018. McNamee took a high-rep (20 to 25), low-weight strategy for Meghan's fitness routinerather than heavy lifting.
9Stay close with your mom.
Meghan and her mom, Doria Ragland, have an incredible bond. According to Oprah, Doria also loves yoga (and is currently a yoga teacher).
10Make time to stretch.
"Yoga is my thing, she confirmed to Canadian magazine Best Health. I was very resistant as a kid, but she [mom Doria] said, Flower [her nickname for Meghan], you will find your practice just give it time. In college, I started doing it more regularly," she added.
11Find makeup and skincare that works for you.
Meghan shared with Allure in 2017 about her makeup routine. "I don't wear foundation in real life. My routine is very simpleI call it the five-minute face. It's just Touche clat, curled lashes, mascara, Chap Stick, and a little bit of blush. That is my favorite kind of look. If I'm going to amp it up for night, then I use M.A.C. Teddy eyeliner, which is a really beautiful brown that has some gold in it."
12Drink your greens.
"It's easy to fall into the trap of rushing for a coffee when you hit that 4 p.m. slump," she told Today. "But if I blend some apple, kale, spinach, lemon, and ginger in my Vitamix in the morning and bring it to work, I always find that sipping on that is a much better boost than a cup of espresso."
13Keep working on self-acceptance.
"My 20s were brutala constant battle with myself, judging my weight, my style, my desire to be as cool/as hip/as smart/as 'whatever' as everyone else. My teens were even worsegrappling with how to fit in, and what that even meant," Meghan wrote in a blog post on her 33rd birthday on her old website The Tig in August 2014, accodring to Marie Claire. "[I]t takes time. To be happy. To figure out how to be kind to yourself. To not just choose that happiness, but to feel it."
14Use resistance bands.
Meghan's trainer McNamee told WomensHealthMag.com in 2018 that she particularly loves doing lower-body exercises using a mini bandwhich can conveniently be used just about anywhere.
15Be a supportive friend.
This past summer, Meghan flew from England to the United States in order to support her close friend Serena Williams as she competed in the US Open final. Best. Friend. Ever.
16Learn to enjoy cooking.
"I grew up on the set of a TV show called Married with Children, where my dad was the lighting director," she told Best Health in 2016. "Because of the content of the show, my dad would have me help in craft services, which is where they make all the food and nibblesthats where I started to learn about garnishing and plating. After being there every day after school for 10 years and seeing the appreciation of food, I started to learn the association between food and happiness and being able to entertainI think thats where the seed was planted."
17Challenge yourself in your workouts.
"Wed take into account any yoga postures she was trying to improve, and focus our efforts in those areas," Meghan's trainer McNamee told WomensHealthMag.com in 2018. In other words, if Meghan was dead-set on mastering a headstand, McNamee would include some more core exercises in her fitness routine.
18Find a nutrition plan that works for you.
Meghan revealed to The Chalkboard in 2015 that her daily breakfast at the time consisted of a Clean Cleanse vanilla shake with blueberries or an acai bowl with fresh berries and Manuka honey. She also shared the recipe for her favorite smoothie, which also uses Clean Cleanse vanilla powder.
The Clean Cleanse powder is part of the Clean Program, a 21-day nutritional cleanse that, according to the program's website, can boost your skin, sleep, digestion, energy, weight loss, and mental clarity.
19Block out gossip.
Meghan has previously said she doesn't read anything in the press, and that she and Harry make any effort to drown out noise when it comes to their relationship.
"It has its challenges, and it comes in wavessome days it can feel more challenging than others. And right out of the gate it was surprising the way things changed. But I still have this support system all around me, and, of course, my boyfriend's support. I don't read any press. I haven't even read press for Suits. The people who are close to me anchor me in knowing who I am. The rest is noise. Of course it's disheartening. It's a shame that that is the climate in this world, to focus that much on that, to be discriminatory in that sense. I think, you know, at the end of the day, I'm really just proud of who I am and where I've come from and we have never put any focus on that. We've just focused on who we are as a couple. And so when you take all those extra layers away and all of that noise, I think it makes it really easy to just enjoy being together."
20Volunteer your time to a cause you care about.
This year, it was revelaed that Meghan regularly volunteered at a soup kitchen in Toronto when she was working on Suits.
"Meghan Markle was an active supporter and volunteer of St. Felix Centre during her time living in the city while working on Suits. She volunteered on a regular basis in our kitchen as part of our Community Meals Program. The duchess also donated food from the set of Suits, and on one Thanksgiving she brought in all the food, turkeys and the fixings for over 100 people."
21Experiment with different eating styles.
She told Best Health in an interview in 2016: "I try to eat vegan during the week and then have a little bit more flexibility with what I dig into on the weekends."
22Check out new fitness studios.
In Meghan's guest editor's letter in Vogue, she mentioned an affinity for London-based fitness studio Heartcore's Ritual class. "Heartcore's new Ritual class is a high-energy, cardio-based mat workout incorporating elements of yoga, Pilates and barre," the description in Vogue reads.
23Embrace your favorite food.
In an interview Meghan did with former First Lady Michelle Obama for British Vogues September issue (which Meghan guest-edited, btw), Meghan revealed she loves tacos.
"So, over a casual lunch of chicken tacos and my ever-burgeoning bump, I asked Michelle if she would help me with this secret project," the Duchess wrote.
24Be independent, even when you're in a relationship.
I can tell you that at the end of the day I think its really simple, she told Vanity Fair of her relationship with Prince Harry. Were two people who are really happy and in love. We were very quietly dating for about six months before it became news, and I was working during that whole time, and the only thing that changed was peoples perception. Nothing about me changed. Im still the same person that I am, and Ive never defined myself by my relationship.
25Make food a family affair.
"I am a big fan of Sunday suppers. Whether we're eating lamb tagine, pot roast or a hearty soup, the idea of gathering for a hearty meal with friends and family on a Sunday makes me feel comforted," she told Today. "I enjoy making slow-cooked food on Sundays, like Filipino-style chicken adobo. It's so easycombine garlic, soy (or Bragg Liquid Aminos), vinegar, maybe some lemon and let the chicken swim in that sauce until it falls off the bone in a Crock Pot."
26Speak about your passions.
Meghan said during a panel discussion on International Women's Day in 2019, Your confidence comes in knowing that a woman by your side, not behind you, is actually something you shouldn't be threatened about but, opposed to that, you should feel really empowered in having that additional support that this is really about us working together."
27Find a creative outlet, like writing.
Before becoming royal, Meghan ran a lifestyle site called The Tig. She shared with Allure in 2017, "The Tig has been sort of swirling in my mind for years as something I wanted to do. My mom was a travel agent, so off-the-beaten-path travel has always been a big part of my life. And growing up in California, farm-to-table dining was something that I experienced. I'm the person friends come to when they want to find the perfect restaurant or boutique hotel on the outskirts of Paris. As opposed to scouring the Internet for a travel guide, wouldn't you rather ask the people who are really cool who go there? That's what I do. So I wanted to get all of that and put it together on one site."
28Always have healthy snacks on hand.
She previously told Good Housekeeping what snacks she likes: "Hummus, carrotsbecause I love them and so does my dog, Bogart, strangelya green juice, almond milk, for sure, and a chia seed pudding I make every single week. So easy, so good. I really love to cook."
29Value your education.
According to Glamour UK, while speaking to students and staff at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, the Duchess of Sussex talked about the value of education and the cost of university.
As a university graduate, I know the personal feeling of pride and excitement that comes with attending university, she began. From the moment you receive your acceptance letter to the exams you spend countless late nights studying for, the lifelong friendships you make with your fellow alumni to the moment that you receive your diploma, the journey of higher education is an incredible, impactful and pivotal one. I am also fully aware of the challenges of being able to afford this level of schooling for many people around the world, myself included. Getting honest about the difficulties of paying for life as a student, she said, It was through scholarships, financial aid programs and work-study where my earnings from a job on campus went directly towards my tuitionthat I was able to attend university. And, without question, it was worth every effort.
30Start your day with hot water and lemon.
Meghan shared with Delish in 2018 that when she shot Suits, she'd have hot water with lemon right when she woke up, then eat steel-cut oats with bananas and agave syrup for breakfast.
31Spend time with furry friends.
The Duchess of Sussex had two dogs when she was living in Toronto at the time she met Prince Harryrescues named Guy and Bogart. According to Vanity Fair, Guy made the move with Meghan to London when she and Harry began seriously dating, and Bogart remained behind in Toronto with friends of Meghan's.
32Let yourself indulge.
Meghan shared with Delish in 2018, "I'm always hoping I'm having lunch with people, so we can share fries. It's its own food group for me."
33Practice moderation.
According to Harper's Bazaar, Meghan named her now-defunct lifestyle blog The Tig after her favorite brand of red wine, Tignanello. "God, do I love wine; a beautiful full red or a crisp white. But if its cocktails, I love a spicy tequila cocktail, negroni, or good scotchneat," she said. "Do the things you enjoy within reason," she says. "Know your body and what works for you and youll be fine."
34Define yourself how you want to.
"You don't have to play dress up to be a feminist. You are a feminist exactly the way you are. You can be a woman who wants to look good and still stand up for the equality of women. There's no uniform for feminism; you are a feminist exactly the way you are," she told Create & Cultivate in 2017.
35Practice meditation.
According to Bustle via Meghan Markles former blog, The Tig, she practiced Vedic meditation. Vedic meditation comes from the Veda, which is the ancient Indian system of knowledge from which yoga, meditation, and Ayurvedic medicine all stem, according to the New York Meditation Center.
36Mix veggies into your favorite dishes.
Meghan told Delish in 2018 that a friend convinced her to slow-cook zucchini for four to five hours, until it breaks down into a "filthy, sexy mush" to toss with pasta. "The sauce gets so creamy, you'd swear there's tons of butter and oil in it, but it's just zucchini, water and a little bouillon," Meghan said.
37Take breaks from your daily routine.
Meghan told Delish in 2018, "When I'm traveling, I won't miss an opportunity to try great pasta. I come back from vacation every year with a food baby, and I've named her Comida. I get to the set and I'm like, 'Hey, Comida's here, and she's kicking.'"
38Work on being kind to yourself.
"We just need to be kinder to ourselves. If we treated ourselves the way we treated our best friend, can you imagine how much better off we would be?" she said. "Try to find a space inside of you that reminds yourself that yes, you can have questions and self doubt, that's going to come up, that's human. But at the end of the day, you are enough exactly as you are."
39Try Megaformer workouts.
In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Markle shared her love for the Megaformer, a machine created by workout guru Sebastien Lagree, founder of the Lagree Method. "[It] is hands-down the best thing you could do for your body," Markle said. "Your body changes immediately. Give it two classes, and you will see a difference."
40Carry tea tree oil.
She told Allure in 2017, "The one thing that I cannot live without when I'm traveling is a small container of tea tree oil. It's not the most glamorous thing, but if you get a cut, a mosquito bite, a small breakout, no matter what it is, it's my little cure-all. It's inexpensive, it's small enough to carry on, and I bring it with me all the time."
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40 Meghan Markle-Approved Diet And Workout Tips To Try - Women's Health
