Massy Arias is crushing leg day – in her two-piece workout gear. In a new social media post the fitness influencer and trainer shows off her incredible physique during an intense workout session. “Come train Legs with me to one of the hardest sessions I’ve had in a long time. Getting ready to be very explosive, strong, and athletic because there is no way I will ever stop trying to become the best version of myself. Although this workout is to increase my athletic performance, these movements all target 🦵 and Glutes,” she writes in the Instagram caption. “Crush it.” How does she approach diet, fitness, and self-care? Here are her top diet, fitness, and lifestyle tips. 

Massy highlights the importance of stretching. “I’ve been sitting a lot lately so after my workout I decided to mobilize my spine before I sit again. This one stretch I find to be one of the best selections lately to really get some decompression after my workouts,” she wrote in a caption. Stretching helps keep the muscles “flexible, strong, and healthy, and we need that flexibility to maintain a range of motion in the joints,” says Harvard Health. “Without it, the muscles shorten and become tight. Then, when you call on the muscles for activity, they are weak and unable to extend all the way. That puts you at risk for joint pain, strains, and muscle damage.”

Massy has revealed that she battled depression when she was younger, and tried herbal remedies and cognitive therapy. However, exercise made the most difference. “Fitness saved my life,” she told Muscle & Fitness. She started with the elliptical machine and then bodybuilding. “That first pushup felt great!” she revealed. 

Massy’s workout method is a mix of resistance training, calisthenics, yoga, and HIIT, but focuses mostly on weights. Why should you lift? Strength training help reduce body fat, preserve and increase lean muscle mass, and burn calories more efficiently, explains Mayo Clinic. Strength training may also help you develop strong bones, manage your weight, enhance your quality of life, manage chronic conditions, and sharpen your thinking skills.

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Massy encourages self-love. “I honestly think if you’re not happy with who you are and you’re always trying to fit into something that, structurally, you’re never going to be, then you’re never going to be happy. It took me a little bit just to understand I have to love the body that I’m in because it’s still beautiful. And I have to understand that women come in different shapes and different body types. I’ve used exercise to help me feel more confident inside and out, to help me build the areas that I can actually enhance so that I can feel more comfortable,” she tells Elle.

You can’t transform your body overnight, says Massy. “It’s really hard to put on muscle. It took me about two and a half years to actually really develop the muscle mass that I have today,” she told Elle. “Imagine if you start your journey and in three months you’re not seeing the results that I’ve been able to accomplish in two or three years. You’re going to get discouraged and you’re going to quit, and fitness for me is not about just achieving a body. It’s more than that. Fitness is about health and wellness and happiness—because if you take care of yourself, you’re gonna live longer, you’re gonna be happier. Taking a picture of my butt or taking a picture of my abs every single day? That’s not helping you. I’m focused on performance. From time to time you want to encourage and motivate people, but I choose to do it in a different way. I choose to do it with the things that my body can do because I was just a ‘regular’ girl, and I’m showing people, hey, you can also become an athlete.”