Zendaya, iconic in her roles in Dune and The Challengers, recently gave her fans a glimpse of her fitness lifestyle with a fun social media post. Showing off her toned body in workout gear while enjoying a toboggan run in Switzerland, she captioned the post, “When in Switzerland Dream @on ✨.” While Zendaya’s carefree spirit shines through in moments like these, her approach to diet, fitness, and self-care is a blend of discipline and indulgence. From her relaxed attitude toward food to dancing and tennis workouts, Zendaya proves that staying healthy can also be enjoyable. Here’s a look at how she maintains her incredible physique and well-being.
Zendaya learned how to play tennis for her role in The Challengers. She trained for three months with Brad Gilbert, a professional tennis player. “I’m not the hugest fan of having to work out, I don’t necessarily look forward to it, but I had to because my character’s supposed to be a tennis pro and clearly I’m not giving tennis pro!” she told Elle. According to ACE Fitness it blends together cardio and aerobic exercise, as there is a lot of running around, and hand-eye coordination. “While tennis provides numerous health benefits—improved aerobic fitness and anaerobic endurance, muscular fitness (grip strength and endurance), flexibility, multiple skill parameters (balance, speed, agility and quickness), reactivity, and power—it also is psychologically demanding,” they say.
Zendaya is not a dieter. In fact, she often orders food instead of making it and doesn’t count calories. “I just a) don’t like following directions, and I’m b) too lazy,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “I use Postmates to order food. I can have anything I want; that’s the beauty of ordering food.”
Zendaya maintains a plant-based diet. However, there is a catch. “I’m a vegetarian who doesn’t like vegetables too much—makes it challenging!” Zendaya told Cosmopolitan. She also admits to having a sweet tooth. “If I’m having my favorite meal, I’ll just skip right to ice cream. In fact, I get in trouble with my assistant a lot. He says I shouldn’t do that,” she added to Harper’s Bazaar. She isn’t big into breakfast, but if she does eat in the AM, “it must have some Nutella on it: pancakes, berries and Nutella.” She added to Harper’s Bazaar that there is only one drink she likes. “I don’t drink coffee; it doesn’t do anything for me. I don’t drink energy drinks or soda, either. And I hate water. I’m a juice drinker, but not fancy-people juice. Like Tropicana or lemonade—not fancy.”
Zendaya will occasionally hit the gym and lift weights. “Workout mood…” she captioned a photo of herself messing around during an exercise session. According to the Mayo Clinic, strength and weight training help reduce body fat, preserve and increase lean muscle mass, and burn calories more efficiently. Strength training may also help you:
- Develop strong bones
- Manage your weight
- Enhance your quality of life
- Manage chronic conditions
- Sharpen your thinking skills
“I enjoy dancing and doing choreography, stuff like that. So, that’s how I get my exercise,” Zenday told Justine Magazine. “Find something that’s really fun for you. Whether that’s Jazzercise or whatever.” Dancing is a great workout for many reasons. Not only does it build strength and promote flexibility, but helps you lose weight and even promotes cardiovascular function. A 2016 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine determined that people who engaged in moderate-intensity dancing were 46 percent less likely to develop heart disease or die from it than non-dancers. In comparison, moderate-intensity walkers were just 25 percent less likely to suffer heart health issues.