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Gemma Atkinson has revealed the daily workout routine that helps her to maintain her famous physique.
The model, 41, was a familiar face on lads’ mags during the noughties but she admitted she hardly worked out at all during that period.
But in more recent years, the former Hollyoaks star has developed a passion for fitness and follows a tailored plan from pher personal trainer Elliott Upton.
Speaking to Heat magazine, she said: ‘I do one lower-body strength session, which takes about 50 minutes; a metabolic day session, which is 22 minutes; workout three is glutes; and the fourth is another quick metabolic session. It’s really doable around the kids, plus I go on lots of dog walks and stuff.’
Gemma has been sporty since she was a kid, taking part in gymnastics, karate and running for the Manchester girls’ athletic team.
The actress, who cites Jennifer Lopez as her fitness inspiration, said she has found fasting to be a healthy way of balancing her nutrition.
Gemma Atkinson has revealed the daily workout routine that helps her to maintain her famous physique
Gemma has developed a passion for fitness and follows a tailored plan from pher personal trainer Elliott Upton
She will sometimes have her evening meal at 7:30pm and then not eat again until around 12:30pm the next day.
However, given her active lifestyle, Gemma said she eats ‘quite a lot’.
The star also insisted she ‘loved’ doing the lads’ mags back in her modelling days and never worried about how she looked at the time.
Gemma’s husband Gorka Marquez, who she met while taking part in Strictly Come Dancing, admitted it was a shared passion for personal fitness that drew them to one another as they embarked on the show’s subsequent UK tour.
‘We were both so into health and fitness,’ he told the December issue of Men’s Health.
‘When we were doing shows, I’d go into the hotel gym first thing in the morning and she would be the only other one in there. We used to chat, run on the same treadmill and so on.
‘So we developed a bond. I fancied her. Then I learned she fancied me, too. And soon we were spending everyday together. But she made me work hard.’
And Gorka said their additional responsibilities as parents to daughter Mia, six, and son Thiago, two, has further motivated them to stay in the best possible shape.
The model was a familiar face on lads’ mags during the noughties but she admitted she hardly worked out at all during that period (pictured in 2007)
He said: ‘We love it. We are both aligned. It’s not just for aesthetics, it’s for longevity and health. We want to stretch life as long as possible and be healthy, too.
‘We want to keep playing with our children.’
Gorka credits his muscular physique to the disciplines applied to his day job as a professional dancer.
He said: ‘Dancers have beautiful muscles, but they’re long,’ he explained. ‘It’s because we train with the full range of motion.
‘I spend lots of time in the gym but I also spend lots of time moving and stretching so the muscles will be more useful.
‘Some people train for pure aesthetics. But your muscles are really there for your strength, for your health. The aesthetics are the consequence of this.’
