Inside Carrie Underwood's Fitness Transformation - Women

Jason Davis/Getty

If Carrie Underwood’s leg-baring outfits tell us anything, it’s that she eats right and goes hard in her workouts. “[Carrie] is the most dedicated, consistent human being,” her trainer Eve Overland told E! News in 2023. She further praised her famous client the following year, telling E! News, “Carrie has been so consistent. For her, it’s just part of who she is. There’s not one ounce of her that doesn’t love fitness.”

But it hasn’t always been that way. Though Underwood began thinking about what she put in her body at an early age (she became a vegetarian aged 13, telling Women’s Health in 2010, “Animals were my pets, and the thought of eating my pets freaked me out”) her passion for working out didn’t start right away. The star has been open about developing some unhealthy habits after finding fame, but she’s since kicked her fitness journey into high gear to be her healthiest self. And her transformation is nothing short of inspiring.

2005: She turned to unhealthy weight loss techniques after American Idol

Vince Bucci/Getty

Though Carrie Underwood was an active child and enjoyed playing softball at school, she didn’t take health and fitness quite to seriously as she entered her 20s. But that changed after her 2005 “American Idol” win. In 2020, she explained to Women’s Health she became more focused on her appearance after fame brought unkind comments about her weight. “I was tired, and I kept buying bigger clothes. I knew I could be better for myself, and I let my haters be my motivators,” she shared. The Grammy winner began counting calories and working out more — but her new regime was far from perfect. She told Glamour in 2007 she started a food journal in 2006, but didn’t use it in the best way. “I’m slightly obsessive-compulsive about what I eat, more than I should be. I write down everything that I eat,” she said.

But Underwood found she wasn’t eating enough and her routine wasn’t sustainable. The singer turned to weight loss supplements around this time and wasn’t practicing a balanced lifestyle. “I was taking things with ephedra in it. It wasn’t the best way,” she admitted to People in 2015, revealing exercise wasn’t her main priority. “I’d do 20 minutes on the elliptical and think I was doing awesome.”

Fortunately, she learned to strike a better balance. “I do exercise. I’ll use whatever’s in the hotel fitness room: the elliptical machine, maybe lift some weights. Then I’ll take [my dog] for a walk. And it’s important for me to know when enough is enough,” she told Women’s Health in 2007.

2010: Carrie Underwood started working out with a trainer

Carrie Underwood on the red carpet in 2010

Jon Kopaloff/Getty

By 2010, Carrie Underwood was more invested in being healthy and not just losing weight to look better. She told Oprah.com she exercised with a trainer twice a week and alone the other days. “I think clearer throughout my day if I get a good workout, and I sleep better at night,” she said.

That same year, she spoke to Women’s Health about learning more about nutrition, telling the outlet, “I’m very health conscious.” She confirmed she’d hired her own personal trainer, Eve Overland, so she could get gym sessions in even while on tour. “I can get up and have a workout, which makes me feel awesome for the rest of my day,” the “Good Girl” singer explained, adding performing on stage was also a good form of exercise. “There’s just something sexy about feeling strong,” she said. Speaking to E! News in 2015 about being hired by the “Soul Surfer” actor, Overland recalled, “She wanted to tone up and not get winded while singing and dancing.” Shortly after the duo began working together, Overland began tailoring their sessions to Underwood’s body and needs. “Carrie’s workouts change every time we work out! She never does the same workout twice,” she said.

Underwood’s dedication to a healthier lifestyle and staying active clearly paid off. Fitness magazine included the star on its list of Best Celeb Bodies of 2010, with the singer landing the title of Best Bridal Body (she tied the knot with Mike Fisher that year).

2014: She launched a fitness brand and adapted her workouts after becoming a mom

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Carrie Underwood was so invested in fitness by 2014 she was ready to help others be their best selves, too. She teamed up with Dick’s Sporting Goods to launch the athleisure line Calia by Carrie Underwood, which included comfortable workout gear. The following year, Underwood became a mom, but still made health a priority. She shared an adorable Instagram video showing her in the gym with her son, Isaiah, joking in the caption, “Sometimes we just have to make it work!”

Underwood gained 30 pounds during her pregnancy, but continued to be active and eased back into her routine following her C-section. “Within 10 days [of giving birth] I was able to begin walking slowly on the treadmill and around my neighborhood,” she told Shape in 2016. “It felt so good to be active! When I got the OK from my doctor, I started exercising with my trainer,” she added. Nazneen Vasi, PT, physical therapist, and owner of Body Harmony Physical Therapy, recommended to The Bump waiting at least six weeks after a C-section to exercise again.

The “Undo It” hitmaker had a more positive approach to feeling her best than right after her “American Idol” days, too. “I will take any type of workout I can get, whenever I can get it,” she said. “For me, it’s the key to being happy and healthy.” Underwood revealed her post-birth activities consisted of boxing and hiking, and she credited Tabata for helping her stay in shape. “It’s hard, but it really works. I choose seven different exercises, like squats, lunges, or push-ups, and do eight rounds of each — 20 seconds on, 20 seconds off for eight rounds. It really revs up my metabolism,” she said.

2020: Carrie Underwood brought her fitness tips to the masses

Carrie Underwood took another major step in her transformation in 2022 when she launched her Fit52 brand. She released the book “Find Your Path: Honor Your Body, Fuel Your Soul, and Get Strong with the Fit52 Life,” which featured workout advice and her favorite recipes for a healthy, balanced diet. The star also launched the Fit52 app, a fitness platform featuring sessions curated by Underwood and Eve Overland.

But the country star’s life had changed a lot since she won “American Idol.” Not only did she have an incredibly busy career, she was also the proud mom of two boys (she welcomed son Jacob in 2019). That meant exercising had to be adapted to her busy schedule. “For me, working out is a stress reliever, and it makes my whole day better. My ideal is a good hour in the gym, but sometimes that doesn’t always happen because I have kids and life happens,” she told Forbes. Luckily, skipping weekday workouts may not be so bad, as even just two sweat sessions a week is good for heart health.

The most important part of her fitness transformation though has been learning being healthy isn’t about how she looks, but how she feels. Speaking to People in 2023, Underwood shared, “I feel like earlier in my career I was working out more to be a certain size or fit into a certain aesthetic that I thought I wanted to be. And now I feel like I work out more to be strong and to have energy and longevity.”