A mum-of-two has explained how a special kind of breathing, HIIT workouts and a strict vegan diet have transformed her post-baby body.
Professional surfer Alana Blanchard, who lives between Kauai, Hawaii, and Queensland, Australia, with her fiancée Jack Freestone, gave birth to their son Banks Harvey in 2017 and Koda Riley in 2021.
In a recent YouTube video the 30-year-old opened up about her daily workout regime and diet, crediting plant foods and Les Mills fast-paced exercises for making her fitter than she has ever been.
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Professional surfer Alana Blanchard gave birth to their son Banks Harvey in 2017 and Koda Riley in 2021 (pictured here at 35 weeks pregnant with Koda)
In a recent YouTube video the 30-year-old opened up about her daily workout regime and diet , crediting plant foods and Les Mills fast-paced exercises for making her fitter than she has ever been (pictured after her pregnancy with Banks)
‘Being on a vegan diet has helped me so much. I don’t really have to think about calories or stress about how much I’m eating because plant-based diets are generally low in calories,’ she said.
If she wants to ‘slim down’ Alana concentrates on green smoothies, big salads and gorging on fruits and vegetables.
During the day she’ll complete some hypopressive breathing exercises, which she calls her ‘natural waist cincher’.
‘I’ve been doing this since Banks was born. It helps with your pelvic floor, lower back issues and targets those deep abdominals that you kind of lose during pregnancy,’ she said, demonstrating for the camera.
According to B-Wom , hypopressive breathing involves contracting your abdominal muscles after fully exhaling (Alana demonstrating the technique)
Alana said every time she tries the breathwork she notices an immediate difference in her abs and waistline (pictured after her pregnancy with Banks)
According to B-Wom, hypopressive breathing involves contracting your abdominal muscles after breathing out.
‘After fully exhaling you lift your organs up into your rib cage without breathing in and then hold the position for a few seconds before relaxing. You would then breathe back in,’ the website read.
Alana said every time she tries the breathwork she notices an immediate difference in her abs and waistline.
Her final tips are to drink a ‘tonne’ of water each day to boost your metabolism and be kind to your body in the first few months after giving birth.
She compliments this regime with high intensity interval training courtesy of the Les Mills app on her phone.
Usually she will do an exercise at maximum effort for 50 seconds before relaxing for 10 seconds, doing this for as little as 12 minutes or as long as 30 minutes.
These are completed four or five times a week alongside her regular surfing schedule.
Her final tips are to drink a ‘tonne’ of water each day to boost your metabolism and be kind to your body in the first few months after giving birth.
Alana is best known for surfing on the ASP World Tour as well as being involved in the design process of her own Rip Curl bikinis.
She has a net worth of $2million.
Source: DailyMail
