Fitness queen Kate Ferdinand does 500 sit-ups a week to get her sexy curves.
And the reality TV star, wife of former footballer Rio, admits she loves exercising to boost her mental health.
Kate, 28, has become an Instagram fitness sensation, with 1.1million followers, and regularly posts videos of workouts with her husband.
But she insists she’s not as gym-obsessed as people might assume.
“I’m a lot more relaxed than people think,” says Kate. “Everyone thinks I’m this regimented person who has to go to the gym at 4am every day but I’m not.
The reality TV star, wife of former footballer Rio, admits she loves exercising to boost her mental health (Image: MDM)
“I love working out, I love feeling active and it’s really good for my mind, but I also have a day off and I don’t beat myself up about it. I don’t cry if I don’t do it.”
But former Towie star Kate, who says she has been going to the gym since she was “13 or 14”, also admits that her new “sensible attitude” is a recent development.
She says: “I used to feel like something terrible would happen if I didn’t work out and it used to really take over my life.
“I suffer with anxiety and I added to that by thinking I’d get anxious if I didn’t work out.
“It’s something I’ve only learned recently but the world isn’t going to end if I don’t go to the gym today.
Kate and Rio are both hard workers (Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
“Last year I had an injury and Rio and everyone else were really worried about me because they knew I wasn’t good when I didn’t work out.
“I just thought, ‘This is pathetic’. But I’ve only just got this sensible attitude – it’s my 2020 mantra.”
There’s no denying Kate works hard to get that toned figure – including a punishing 100 ab exercises per session.
She says: “I work out four or five times a week, doing a mixture of high-intensity interval training and weights depending on how I am feeling. I do squats and lunges and I feel my bum is getting there – it’s a work in progress.
“At the end of every workout, I do an ab finisher, which has five ab exercises – 20 of each so 100 in total. I think the best one is the bicycle crunch, which is good for the obliques on the side of your body.”
Kate also admits to being competitive with Rio (Image: Instagram)
Kate has teamed up with sports brand Dare 2b to launch a fitness range, which she models here.
She says: “There’s everything – crop tops for when you’re feeling good and want to get your stomach out, baggy tops for when you’ve had a Chinese the night before. I’m really happy with it.
“And the bum-sculpting leggings are unbelievable – they give you a boost. If I feel good, I always have a better workout.”
Kate also admits to being competitive with Rio.
“If he’s working hard then I think I need to do a bit better,” she says.
There’s no denying Kate works hard to get that toned figure – including a punishing 100 ab exercises per session (Image: PA)
“Who works the hardest? Obviously we’re both going to say ourselves but we’re both hard workers. We’re on the same level and we’ve got the same goals, so it works. We both have days where we can’t be bothered and we motivate each other.”
While Kate loves Jennifer Lopez – “If I look like her when I’m 50 I’ll be happy,” she says – she also has a more surprising fitness inspiration.
The Instagram star laughs: “I know it sounds crazy but I’ll look at old pictures of myself and be my own motivation rather than striving to be like someone else.
Kate’s confidence in herself has been hard-earned (Image: PA)
“I’ll look at videos of myself and think, ‘I can’t wait to get back to that.’ You can only compare yourself to the best you can be.”
But that confidence in herself has been hard-earned.
“I’m softer on myself than I used to be,” says Kate. “As women we always have days where we don’t feel good.
“I feel much more confident but I think I will always have days where I’m not 100%. But I don’t let that affect my overall mood.”
Kate says she loves chocolate, sweets and Chinese takeaways but just eats them in moderation.
Kate also has some more recently learned advice as a wife and stepmother to Rio’s three kids (Image: BACKGRID)
“I try to make it a lifestyle rather than a diet,” she adds. “If I fancy some wine gums I will have them – I just won’t eat three packs.
“My life revolves around the next meal. I go, ‘What’s for lunch?’ and Rio goes, ‘We’ve just had breakfast, Kate.’ But I enjoy eating.
“When I was younger, I tried every fad diet and it would always end up with me bingeing at the end and being unhappy because I’ve gained double the weight. Now it’s not about the weight – it’s about how I feel.”
Kate also has some more recently learned advice as a wife and stepmother to Rio’s three kids.
“Just make some time for you,” she says. “I always get caught up in trying to make other people happy.
“But don’t always worry about everyone else all the time – you need to make yourself happy.”
● Dare 2b – The Kate Ferdinand Edit is available now.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
