I don’t feel guilty about calories any more

Michelle Keegan reveals the secrets to keeping fit in lockdown and why she’s not obsessing over her diet

MICHELLE Keegan has admitted she used to feel “guilty” for overindulging and hit the gym for two hours to “work it off”.

The 33-year-old from Stockport has revealed her relationship with exercise has changed recently and she doesn’t get so caught up with having to get rid of calories.

She said: “I haven’t worked out for two weeks but I’m not punishing myself. If I want a cheeseboard one night, I’ll have it without feeling guilty.

“It was always the guilt for me a lot of the time and why I would be in the gym for two hours because I was like, ‘Oh, I’ve really been bad this week, so I need to go to the gym, I need to work it off ’.”

Of course, this isn’t a new slobby Michelle – she loves exercising – but it seems she has found different ways to keep fit without hitting the gym.

She said: “I’ve really got into walking in lockdown. I love going for walks with my dogs, getting a bit of fresh air, and getting coffee on the way round.

“With the dogs, in the sunshine, that for me is a big treat.”

Currently filming the third series of Brassic in Manchester, she also discovered cycling during lockdown.

The former Coronation Street star said: “I’ve never been into cycling in my life.

“I didn’t even know what cleats were. I really got into it and I really enjoyed it. So hopefully, when it gets a bit warmer, I’m going to start cycling again…sometimes I used to do it on my own and do 14 miles.”

Michelle also felt compelled to do her husband Mark Wright’s live virtual workouts last year.

She said: “The fact he would roll out of bed, go into the garden, and I could hear him setting up live outside and I thought, ‘I’ve literally got no excuse, I’m in the bedroom’.

“I did it there and then – got my gym mat on the floor and I did half an hour HIIT in the bedroom. It just set me up for the day and made me feel a lot more positive with what was going on at that time.”

While cycling and walking were her discoveries last year, Michelle has 2021 goals already lined up.

She said: “I really want to get into Pilates or yoga, that is my goal.

“It’s something I’ve always been interested in, I’ve always tried it, but I’ve never got into it where it’s become a regular form of exercise

I’m not punishing myself. If I want a cheeseboard, I’ll have it

for me. At the minute, I am doing it a couple of days a week and I’m really enjoying it.”

Speaking on Women’s Health UK podcast Going for Goal, Michelle also discussed her daily diet, which has a Scottish start-up.

She said: “Breakfast is normally porridge with oat milk and a few berries in there, or brown bread with avocado. Then for lunch, I normally have a protein base, whether it’s chicken or a fish with veg.

“For dinner, I make seabass or salmon with soya sauce and a bit of honey then I have asparagus and broccoli.”

She sometimes has a treat dinner which starts off with garlic prawns and crusty bread. “Then for my main,” she added, “I like pasta with garlic and chilli olive oil, and a bit of parmesan cheese on top.

“Then, for my dessert, I’d have a caramel cheesecake and a nice glass of Chardonnay.” ●Listen to the full Michelle Keegan interview on the Women’s Health Going for Goal podcast from today.