Grammy Award-winner and certified “Queen of Hip-Hop Soul”, Mary J. Blige is known for her gritty songs of real love, loss and life. Through the years, the music superstar’s look has constantly elevated herself by improving her style and her body. Now, 54 years young, Mary shares “the 4-1-1” to her keeping her body “Just Fine” (see what I did there?).
As a matter of fact, singer and presenter Jamie Foxx took the stage at the BET Award just a few years ago right after her performance and couldn’t help but gush over the singer. Especially now that she has remained a single woman after splitting from her husband of 12 years. The actor declared, “She got that breakup body. You know when ladies breakup they’re in the gym like…” making sit-up and crunch motions with his body.
“Ladies, if you’re mad at your ex-boyfriend make some noise right now,” Jamie instructed the audience as he got a wild round of applause from the female members of the crowd. Mary is a serious body inspiration, as she has never looked better. It doesn’t matter if she belts out some of her famous soul-filled ballads from the 90’s or she’s making us get on the dance floor with her uptempo hits, Mary does it all while flaunting her killer abs that shows off her hot cleavage and toned torso.
During a photoshoot with famed photographer, Robert Ector, Mary stripped down to her birthday suit and showed off all her curves. She was styled by her longtime friend Misa Hylton who draped her in jewels around her neck, and down her waistline. It was a beautiful sight to see. Some say it’s a breakup body, while other even call it her “Revenge Body” for all the heartache she had to endure over the years.
“If it wasn’t for these pictures they wouldn’t see me at all – Jay Z,” she captioned her photo.
So how does she stay so fit?
Mary told SELF magazine that she starts her morning with a prayer, before getting dressed and going to the gym. “I drink a protein shake. I drink a lot of water. I try to drink at least half a gallon of water at the gym,” she said.
Mary gets the small amount of carbohydrates her body needs by eating a healthy breakfast, lunch, and light dinner mixed in with the protein shakes. The rest of her diet consists of meats, cheeses, greens and healthy fats while maintaining the carbohydrate levels at a minimum. Avoidance of highly processed and refined foods is advised. Mary J. credits this diet in helping her lose more than 40 pounds.
It’s her focus on protein and veggies that has really helped her with her revenge body. “I eat a lot of protein,” she said. “I drink a green juice every day. I’ve been a vegetable eater since I was a kid.” Mary also shared with SELF that fish and salads are in heavy rotation. “Through the day I try to eat as healthy as possible,” she added.
Blige likes to keep her workout routine simple, sticking to weight lifting to build muscle definition. “I like to look a certain way [with or without clothes on]. So I have to do what I have to do,” Blige previously told Health Magazine. “I do a lot of weights—heavy lifting. It keeps everything firm.” As far as her daily nutrition, protein and veggies are key. “I eat a lot of protein,” Blige says. “I drink a green juice every day. I’ve been a vegetable eater since I was a kid.” But her love of veggies doesn’t mean she never indulges. Her favorite dessert? “Vanilla ice cream and Coke. Or a fudge cupcake.”
Mary lifts weights four times a week focusing on her arms, legs, and glutes. She does a lot of squats and bench presses. She also does a serious Cardio workout on a different day or sometimes the same days running four miles. Currently, she is trying to incorporate Core Secrets to her routine by the recommendation of her personal trainer, Gunnar Peterson. This workout involves full body and body-part-specific exercises concentrating on strengthening the core and toning the body.
“My main exercise is cardio,” she says in her interview with SHAPE. “The treadmill is fine but running outdoors gives me the best results. I try to log 6 to 8 miles a week. I could be in the worst mood, but when I do my cardio I feel much, much better.”
“Sometimes I’ll tell them, okay, well, let’s concentrate on the legs, well let’s concentrate on the arms, or let’s go hard on the abs.” But she switches to focus on cardio by the end of the week. “I mean, you have to train like an athlete,” she said. “This is the game.”
Mary joined her friends Gabrielle Union and Tracee Ellis Ross in a workout session to get even more finer. Let’s just say there’s no signs of Mary slowing down or letting these 20-something instagram models get anything on her anytime soon.
“I’m still a work in progress.” She says. “I don’t love exercise and dieting but I appreciate what it does for me. All the stuff you hate to do just pushes you further.”
It’s also worth noting that Mary is big on self-love, too. “That’s learning how to love and hug yourself and say, ‘You know what? I love you, Mary. I love you, Beautiful. I love you, Gorgeous. I love you, Smart Woman. I love you, Talented Woman,’” she told Health. “That’s a practice I do every single day.”
Here’s a few more of her Revenge Body pics below:
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