Hilary Duff graced the cover of Australian Women’s Health in a swimsuit for the magazine’s January 2023 issue – and the 35-year-old mother-of-three looked absolutely stunning during the photoshoot.
Nearly two decades after recovering from an eating disorder and one year after giving birth to her third child – the actress showed just how far she has come by flaunting her toned figure, taut stomach, and ripped biceps as she beamed with joy on the front of the publication.
But how exactly did the former Disney star achieve her remarkable physique? Hilary has certainly worked hard for it.
For years, she has stuck to a rigorous workout routine – which sees her hitting the gym four to five times a week, and participating in ‘strength and stability’ exercises that focus on building up her ‘muscle mass’ through weight lifting, rather than cardio, which would often leave her ‘tired and hungry.’
Hilary Duff graced the cover of Australian Women’s Health in a swimsuit for the magazine’s January 2023 issue – and the 35-year-old mother-of-three flaunted her toned figure, taut stomach, and ripped biceps during the photoshoot
But how exactly did the former Disney star achieve her remarkable physique? As Hilary (seen in May) shows off her glorious bod on the cover of Australian Women’s Health, FEMAIL has revealed everything we know about how she stays in shape
She also stays in shape by dieting – using a method called macro counting, which involves restricting the amount of macronutrients that she intakes each day. The technique allows her to still eat things like ‘chocolate and bread’ as long as she keeps track of the amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fats she is consuming daily.
Hilary’s hard work, determination, and consistency have helped her achieve her incredible body – and the Lizzie McGuire alum has said that keeping up with her meticulous workout routine has also ‘kept her in a good mindset.’
She recently revealed that she is finally ‘proud of her body’ after putting ‘pressure on herself to be perfect’ for many years – something that stemmed from her being thrown into the spotlight at such a young age.
As Hilary shows off her glorious bod on the cover of Australian Women’s Health, FEMAIL has uncovered everything we know about how she stays in shape. From her go-to gym routine to her firm meal plan, here’s how Hilary has achieved her amazing figure.
Hilary’s diet: The actress swears by a method called macro counting, which she says allows her to eat things like ‘bread, chocolate, and wine’ and still stay thin
When it comes to her diet, Hilary swears by something called macro counting, which means she keeps track of the amount of macronutrients – dietary components that give your body energy, including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats – she intakes
When it comes to her diet, Hilary swears by something called macro counting, which means she keeps track of the amount of macronutrients she intakes each day.
She has been working with nutrition coach Erik Young (pictured) since 2019, after she enlisted him to help her prepare for her wedding to Matthew Koma
Macronutrients, or macros for short, are are dietary components that give your body energy, including carbohydrates, proteins, and fats – and according to the actress, limiting the amount that she consumes of all three is one of her secrets to staying so thin.
‘It’s truly helped me stay lean, even while eating bread, chocolate, and wine,’ she wrote on Instagram back in 2020.
She has been working with nutrition coach Erik Young since 2019, after she enlisted him to help her prepare for her wedding to Matthew Koma.
While speaking to Women’s Health in December of that year, the former Disney star explained that Erik creates a customized weekly menu for her – which limits the amount of macros she consumes, but also lets her eat things that she enjoys.
‘He basically counts your macros for you – and it’s been amazing because it’s basically like a mathematical equation that I just follow, and it’s been really successful for me,’ she gushed.
She added that ‘being more conscious’ and cutting out ‘snacking’ helped her ‘lose 10 pounds’ before the nuptials.
‘I had no idea how much I was eating throughout the day, snacking, [before I met Erik],’ she continued. ‘[But once I started working with him], I lost 10 pounds and I was not starving myself – I was just eating things that I like and being more conscious.
While speaking to Women’s Health in December of that year, the former Disney star explained that Erik creates a customized weekly menu for her – which limits the amount of macros she consumes, but also lets her eat things that she enjoys
Hilary (seen in 2020) added that ‘being more conscious’ and cutting out ‘snacking’ helped her ‘lose 10 pounds’ before the nuptials. She gushed of macro counting: ‘It’s been amazing. It’s been really successful for me’
‘It’s been cool to retrain my mind and figure out that this works. I can eat normally and live normally and enjoy food, but still get the results I’m looking for.’
Erik explained to Good Morning America in 2020 that keeping track of the number of carbs, proteins, and fats that Hilary consumes in a day can allow the actress to treat herself to things like sweets or bagels – while still staying in shape.
Erik explained to Good Morning America in 2020 that keeping track of the number of carbs, proteins, and fats that Hilary (seen in May) consumes in a day can allow the actress to treat herself to things like sweets or bagels – while still staying in shape
He also said the method has resulted in her having a more healthy relationship with food, versus people who simply ‘cut out carbs or sugar’ altogether.
‘It’s like a budget with finances. You get a budget of protein, carbs and fat,’ he explained. ‘The theory behind macros is you can eat what you want, as long as you stay within the recommended ranges, so it gives you more flexibility where you can eat what you want and still lose weight.
‘If you’re trying to cut out the carbs or cut out sugar, it’s going to be very hard to live a normal life and enjoy being social with your friends.
‘I never want a client to feel like if they go out to eat or they go somewhere, they say, “I can’t eat that. I’m on a diet.”
‘At the end of the day, whatever approach you take, you need to do the weight loss approach that doesn’t seem like a diet. Whatever approach people take has to be something that works for them and has to be something that doesn’t feel restrictive.’
He added that each person is different, and that the number of macronutrients that should be eaten each day depends on a number of factors, including your current diet, weight loss goal, and size.
‘There are no magic macro percentages. It’s all going to be based off of what your body is doing and what you’re used to,’ he said.
Back in 2018, Hilary made headlines when she revealed that she had eaten her placenta in a smoothie after giving birth to her daughter Banks.
‘It was the most delightful smoothie I’ve ever had,’ she said during an appearance on Dr. Elliot Berlin’s Informed Pregnancy podcast.
‘I haven’t had a smoothie that delightful since I was ten. It was calorie-filled with juice and fruit and everything delicious.’
And while she later admitted that she was ‘repulsed’ by the fact that she ate one of her own organs, she explained that it had a lot of nutritional value while chatting to Whitney Cummings on her podcast, Good for You.
‘They say that it stops your body from hemorrhaging after you have a baby. They say that it gives you all kinds of energy and nutrients and [it] helps balance your hormones and stuff like that,’ she explained. ‘I know it sounds gross, but it’s so bad**s a woman can grow a temporary organ. And then you can eat it.’
Hilary’s workout: She makes sure to hit the gym four to five times a week and focuses on weight training, rather than cardio
In addition to keeping track of her macro intake, Hilary (seen in 2018) makes sure to hit the gym four to five times a week. And while her workout routine has varied over the years, one thing has remained consistent – her focus on strength training
She also told Shape magazine in 2016 some of her favorite gym activities were ‘squats with heavy weights, kettlebells, deadlifts, and medicine ball slams’ – as well as ‘hip thrusts.’ She is seen in the gym 2018 (left) and 2019 (right)
In addition to keeping track of her macro intake, Hilary told Cosmopolitan in 2016 that she makes sure to hit the gym four to five times a week – even though she admitted that she doesn’t always enjoy it.
She also revealed that on days when she can’t go to the gym, she still tries to stay active by doing ‘mini workouts’ in her home – which includes ‘200 jumping jacks, pushups, triceps, dips, and squats.’ She is pictured during a workout in 2017
‘I don’t really love to work out. I just do it because I have to,’ she said at the time. ‘I do a lot of strength training stuff. A lot of jumping, medicine balls, dead lifts, hip thrusts. I’m a pretty strong little gal.’
While Hilary’s workout routine has varied over the years, one thing has remained consistent – her focus on strength training.
She also told Shape magazine in 2016 some of her favorite gym activities were ‘squats with heavy weights, kettlebells, deadlifts, and medicine ball slams’ – as well as ‘hip thrusts.’
‘They’re so awkward to do because you’re basically humping the air, but if they work, I’ll do them,’ she said of the hip thrusts.
‘It literally changed my whole butt – I’ve always had a pretty good butt and some meat there but it’s made it so much higher than it was, so I’m loving that.’
In addition, she told the outlet that using a foam roller ‘changed her life,’ and that she was a big fan of the rower machine, admitting in the interview that she ‘literally almost puked the other day on it.’
She also revealed that on days when she can’t go to the gym, she still tries to stay active by doing ‘mini workouts’ in her home – which includes ‘200 jumping jacks, pushups, triceps, dips, and squats.’
In 2019, the actress spoke to Women’s Health about her updated workout routine, and she revealed that it was still heavily focused on ‘lifting, squatting’ and using barbells ‘with lots of weight.’ She added at the time, ‘I’ve never felt so strong but lean.’
She also told the outlet that she had recently cut out cardio-based workouts because they were making her ‘tired and hungry.’
In 2019, the actress spoke to Women’s Health about her updated workout routine, and she revealed that it was still heavily focused on ‘lifting, squatting’ and using barbells ‘with lots of weight.’ She added at the time, ‘I’ve never felt so strong but lean’
She also told the outlet that she had recently cut out cardio-based workouts because they were making her ‘tired and hungry.’ She is seen rock climbing in 2019
Hilary has worked with many personal trainers over the years, but most recently, she revealed to Women’s Health in May 2022 that she had hired Dominic Leeder as her trainer ahead of a fully-nude photoshoot she did for the publication.
Hilary has worked with many personal trainers over the years, but most recently, she revealed to Women’s Health in May 2022 that she had hired Dominic Leeder (seen) as her trainer
‘[In preparation for the shoot], they stuck to routines that emphasized strength and stability to concentrate on lean muscle mass,’ the outlet reported.
‘A workout might focus on weighted squats followed by supersets of squats on a Bosu ball. Other days he’d have her do lat pulldowns followed by single-leg bent-over dumbbell rows, or tricep pushdowns with a stability ball skull crusher.
‘She’d perform 30-second cardio blasts of, say, jumping lunges, in place of runs. Leeder incorporated stretching, rolling, and Theragun massage into her routine, knowing she’d likely skip it on her own. On days off, Hilary would go hiking or play tennis.’
While Hilary previously admitted that working out is not her favorite activity, keeping up with her routine – even on days when she doesn’t want to – is another way that she has kept her stunning figure.
‘I know how hard it is once you get off your routine to get back on it,’ she explained to Self in 2016. ‘Working out is just really good for my brain, my mind. [Working out] is good for me, it keeps me in a good mindset.’
She added to Women’s Health that she ‘sleeps better’ and ‘feels better’ overall when she sticks to a strict workout regimen.
Hilary’s relationship with her body: The mother-of-three tries to avoid putting pressure on herself to be ‘perfect’ after overcoming an eating disorder at age 17
Hilary (seen in 2005) told Women’s Health back in May that she battled an eating disorder at the age of 17 for a year. ‘It was horrifying,’ she admitted. ‘Because of my career path, I couldn’t help but be like, “I am on camera and actresses are skinny”‘
She also told Health back in 2020: ‘When I was 17, I weighed, like, 98 pounds. I was totally obsessed with everything I put in my mouth. I was way too skinny. Not cute.’ She is seen in 2005
Hilary told Women’s Health back in May that she battled an eating disorder at the age of 17 for a year.
But now, Hilary (seen in 2020) is proud of her body and is at peace with the ‘changes’ it has gone through, especially after welcoming three children. ‘I’m proud of my body. I’m proud that it’s produced three children for me,’ she said to Women’s Health
‘It was horrifying,’ she admitted. ‘Because of my career path, I couldn’t help but be like, “I am on camera and actresses are skinny.”‘
She also told Health back in 2020: ‘When I was 17, I weighed, like, 98 pounds. I was totally obsessed with everything I put in my mouth. I was way too skinny. Not cute.
‘My body wasn’t that healthy – my hands would cramp up a lot because I wasn’t getting the nutrition I needed. That constant pressure of wanting something different than I had? I regret that.’
But now, she is proud of her body and is at peace with the ‘changes’ it has gone through, especially after welcoming three children.
‘I’m proud of my body. I’m proud that it’s produced three children for me. I’ve gotten to a place of being peaceful with the changes my body has gone through,’ she continued to Women’s Health.
‘I also want people to know a makeup artist was there putting glow all over my body and someone put me in the most flattering position.’
She also told Cosmopolitan that she tries not to put ‘a ton of pressure on herself to be perfect’ – something she learned to do as she got older.
‘When I was younger, I felt a lot more pressures. I probably cared a lot more of what people said or thought about me,’ she explained.
‘After having a kid, I don’t come first anymore. I don’t have as much time to worry about it. Obviously, I care about how I look, and I care about taking care of myself and being in a good mental place, and working out really helps that, but I also like to eat food and drink drinks and enjoy my life.’
‘I’ve gotten to a place of being peaceful with the changes my body has gone through,’ Hilary (seen in May) added. ‘I also want people to know a makeup artist was there putting glow all over my body and someone put me in the most flattering position’
She also told Cosmopolitan that she tries not to put ‘a ton of pressure on herself to be perfect’ – something she learned to do as she got older. She is pictured in January
‘When I was younger, I felt a lot more pressures. I cared more of what people said or thought about me,’ she explained. ‘After having a kid, I don’t come first anymore. I don’t have as much time to worry about it.’ She is seen in 2021 (left) and 2022 (right)
She also spoke about her relationship with her body to Shape in 2016, and she explained that learning to accept the fact that she’s ‘never going to be that super skinny girl’ was an important lesson for her.
‘I’m short and always going to be a curvier gal, unless I just decide not to eat anymore, which is not a fun (or healthy) option,’ she said.
‘I’m cool with how I look. I have really strong legs. I’m a mom so I can toss my kid around and go hard with him all day long, and I love that.
‘Of course there are always things I wish I could change or improve, but I love my strong legs and my bum. I have a gymnast body – I’m never going to be that super skinny girl. I just want to be strong and feel good.’
