Six years ago, fitness icon Paige Hathaway had never set foot inside a gym. But now, the impossibly toned 29-year-old model boasts a following of over four million Instagram followers who are in awe of her ripped, lean physique.
The Ohlahoma-born beauty visited Australia to celebrate her appointment as the face of F45 gyms and spoke to Daily Mail Australia about her remarkable rise to stardom and laser-focus commitment to keeping fit.
‘When I first started working out and lifting weights there was this stigma that if you had muscles you looked like a man,’ Paige told FEMAIL.
Global fitness icon Paige Hathaway (pictured) spoke to Daily Mail Australia about her rise to fame
The 29-year-old admits she was intimidated by the gym before embarking on her fitness journey
‘Being a pretty girl and wearing makeup and being feminine but also having muscles… it really was a new thing a lot of people weren’t used to.’
The US social media star admits to have virtually zero experience working out or going to the gym before her passion for fitness was ignited.
Paige says she – like most women – found gyms to be a very intimidating place, but finally plucked up the courage to kick-start her health journey.
‘From there I just become addicted to working out and living that type of lifestyle,’ she said.
Careful weight training helped Paige to tone her body and perfect the rock-hard abs she is now famous for.
Her lean physique is also a product of a strict diet. The model has been a pescatarian for six months and says she follows the simple 80-20 method for healthy eating.
Paige (pictured) says she – like most women – found gyms to be a very intimidating place, but finally plucked up the courage to kick-start her health journey
Careful weight training helped Paige to tone her body and perfect the rock-hard abs she is now famous for
‘I have an 80-20 mentality, so I’ll eat a lot of fish including salmon and white fish and I love making fish tacos or bean burritos with avocado and salsa,’ Paige said.
‘I will still have a dessert every now and then… it’s all about balance. I do enjoy healthy eating though because it makes me feel amazing. It’s not a chore to me.’
Paige warns one of the biggest mistakes people make – and one she was guilty of herself – is not taking a break or allowing yourself to live your life.
She says eating in moderation and having rest days is key to maintaining a balanced lifestyle and limits binges or relapses.
‘Don’t overtrain at the gym. Your body needs to rest and recover, and if not you won’t end up building the muscle,’ she said.
‘Slow down, breathe, be more balanced. Go out to dinner with your friends, don’t miss out on life.’
‘I have an 80-20 mentality, so I’ll eat a lot of fish including salmon and white fish and I love making fish tacos or bean burritos with avocado and salsa,’ Paige said
But Paige warns one of the biggest mistakes people make – and one she was guilty of herself – is not taking a break or allowing yourself to live your life
Paige’s tips for those wanting to follow in her footsteps are simple: Live in moderation and fall in love with the process.
According to the Instagram sensation, the worst habits people can get into is forgetting to pair dieting with exercise and laying too much guilt after slipping up.
‘If you mess up, don’t feel guilty. It can have a trickle effect and you end up at square one again,’ she said.
‘Results aren’t going to happen overnight. And find something that really works for you, whether it be the 80-20 method, going vegan, keto, pescetarian or the 5-2 diet.’
According to the Instagram sensation, the worst habits people can get into is forgetting to pair dieting with exercise and laying too much guilt after slipping up
For anyone dipping their toes into the fitness world, Paige recommends F45 gyms which centre around the 45-minute workout philosophy.
‘I prefer using HIT training and strength weights and I don’t believe in doing cardio for a long time. I never workout longer than an hour either,’ she said.
‘With F45 you never go into the same workout twice. It constantly changes every single day and you’ll never bored.’
F45 began in Australia and now has thousands of locations worldwide, now including 250 in America.