At 54, Amanda Holden reveals the 6 habits keeping her fit and strong
Although she has a successful acting career to her name, Amanda Holden is perhaps now best known for her TV hosting and judging credits – most notably on the fan-favourite talent contest Britain’s Got Talent. And now, she’s taking on the world of quiz shows – namely, BBC One’s new Traitors-meets-Weakest Link show, Inner Circle, where contestants are randomly assigned a secret stash of cash before having to outsmart their fellow contestants to win.
Amanda’s hosting duties on Inner Circle add to an already hectic work schedule, including her weekday Heart breakfast show, which requires her to be up every day at 5am. So, amidst her incredibly busy weeks, how does the 54-year-old also manage to keep on top of her health and fitness?
She won’t restrict anything
Balance, she told MailOnline in a recent interview, is key. ‘I have said this before, but with lockdown and all that nonsense, there were so many rules and conditions put upon us – there is in life anyway – and you have to allow yourself to do what you want within your own life, and that is how I stay happy,’ she said.
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And what exactly does balance look like for Amanda? Mid-week Aperols and late-night cheese sandwiches, apparently. While filming Amanda and Alan’s Greek Job in Corfu over the summer, Amanda also revealed that, behind the glossy bikini pictures she posted on Instagram, she would enjoy a drink most nights with her co-star, and that she had been skipping her Peloton workouts.
‘I haven’t been on my Peloton since July 18, when I went to Corfu, and I have drunk every day. In the summer, that’s what I do, I let it all go and then I get it back in time for Britain’s Got Talent, and everything else in the lead up to Christmas,’ she explained.
However, she has developed some staple habits that help her stay in shape while balancing her busy work schedule and family life.
She does regular Peloton workouts
While she may let her workouts take a backseat during the summer, from previous interviews, we know Amanda loves her Peloton bike, preferring it over a more traditional gym session.
‘I’m not actually a fan of this sort of organised fitness. I like a Peloton because I can choose when I do it, and I can choose my instructor. But I’m not a gym bunny. I wouldn’t go to something where someone’s telling me what to do. I’m not into that,’ she recently told Hello. Finding ways of moving that you genuinely enjoy? We’re here for that, and we know it means you are much more likely to stick at something in the long run.
In her recent MailOnline interview, Amanda also credited her childhood gymnastics training with keeping her active by ‘default’.
‘I did gymnastics for years, it was what I wanted to do more than anything, I didn’t finish it until I was 15, so I think my body has always retained some sort of a figure,’ she reflected.
She follows a vegetarian diet
Another thing Amanda believes has kept her ‘healthy by default’ is her vegetarian diet. She has previously revealed that she particularly enjoys avocado, chickpeas and quinoa salads, and has also spoken about how she eats fish, too, which would make her a pescatarian, if we are being picky.
However, the point here is that she follows a mainly plant-based approach to nutrition – likely based on the principles of the Mediterranean diet.
On social media, Amanda has also shared that she enjoys hard-boiled eggs with a drizzle of Marmite. ‘I don’t understand why everyone thinks this is a gross thing to do. This is my favourite thing to do,’ she said at the time before urging baffled fans to try it.
Hey, protein is protein, right?
She limits her coffee intake
In moderation, we know caffeine can boost concentration and alertness – two things Amanda requires when recording her weekday breakfast radio show. However, it’s a fine line and too much caffeine can make you anxious, jittery and affect your sleep.
Amanda told MailOnline that she limits herself to two coffees per day and drinks them both before 9am.
Caffeine has a quarter-life of around 10-12 hours, which means that if you consume it at lunchtime, a quarter of the caffeine is still in your brain close to midnight, potentially disrupting sleep. So, Amanda’s coffee regimen is likely a sensible one – especially when she has to be up so early.
She drinks *a lot* of water
While she might ditch the coffee post-9am, Amanda drinks water all day long and told MailOnline that, by 1pm, she’s already drunk the amount you’re recommended to for the whole day.
She (inadvertently) fasts
Due to her busy schedule, Amanda also revealed that she often ends up ‘accidentally’ fasting.
‘Accidentally, I do the 16-hour fasting thing because I have my tea at six or even earlier sometimes with the girls when everyone’s at home, and I won’t have my breakfast until 9am when I’m on Heart. Then I realise I have fasted. I am busy, I never stop, and I eat loads,’ she explained.
While fasting or time-restricted eating works for some people, it might not for you. The science on this is generally mixed, with some studies highlighting potential benefits and others demonstrating potential risks.
Echoing Amanda, it’s about balance, individual happiness, and finding what works for you.
Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Nutrition Writer across Women’s Health UK and Men’s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis.
She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner’s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity.
A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She’s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.
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