Maggie Q Workout Routine

A lot of female movie action stars are very unconvincing. They look good until it’s time to show off their combat moves. Then they lack speed, power, and believability, and it’s obvious they’re following a choreographed routine. Their opponents all but fall down in front of them.

Thankfully, there are some badass movie stars who actually look like they know what they’re doing in a fight. Scarlett Johannsson, Marvel’s Black Widow is one, and Maggie Q is another.

Maggie Q is in her early 40s, and yet, she is far more impressive than most of her much younger contemporaries. While she might lack some of the physicality of her male counterparts, Maggie Q certainly looks like someone not to mess with!

In this article, we discuss the Maggie Q workout routine she uses to stay fighting fit and also discuss her diet and supplement regimen.

Who is Maggie Q

Maggie Denise Quigley was born on May 22nd, 1979, in Honolulu to a Polish/Irish Father and Vietnamese mother.

At school, animal-crazy Maggie dreamed of becoming a veterinarian but, after doing some modeling in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, chose a career in acting instead.

Maggie Q initially found fame in Asia, where her surname Quigley caused some consternation and was often mispronounced, so she shortened it to Q, which soon stuck.

The youngest of five children, Maggie Q’s first movie break was a small part in Rush Hour 2 in 2001 and a more prominent supporting role in 2006 in Mission: Impossible III. Since then, she has appeared in many films and TV shows, usually in an action-orientated part, including the Divergent series, Nikita, and Designated Survivor.

Maggie Q is 5’ 6 tall and weighs between 110-120 lbs. She is an outspoken supporter of animal welfare organization PETA and an advocate of regular exercise and healthy eating. That’s probably why, despite being on the wrong side of her 40s, Maggie Q looks a whole lot younger than her years.

Her Weekly Workout Routine

Maggie Q does her best to be physically active every day. That’s because she genuinely loves working out! And that’s the key to a successful, life-long commitment to exercise; you MUST enjoy what you do.

Like most people, Maggie Q varies her workout routine to avoid boredom. However, a typical workout week for Maggie Q usually looks something like this:

• Day 1: Yoga
• Day 2: Spin class
• Day 3: Yoga
• Day 4: Swimming
• Day 5: Yoga
• Day 6: Cardio
• Day 7: Boxing or MMA training

Day 1, 3 & 5 – Yoga

Maggie Q is a massive yoga fan, and it’s the cornerstone of her workouts. It gives her the flexibility to perform seam-splitting, scene-stealing kicks in her movies and also develops full-body stability and strength.

Yoga is also good for core strength and helps injury-proof her body, which is vital during her action-packed films.

On her yoga days, Maggie Q also ensures that she accumulates at least 10,000 walking steps using a pedometer to track her progress.

Day 2 – Spinning

Riding a spin bike is one of the best lower body cardio exercises you can do. It’s high intensity, so it burns lots of calories and fat and is good for toning the legs and building stamina and fitness.

Maggie works out for 60-90 minutes on a spin bike, either at home or at a spinning studio.

Day 4 – Swimming

Swimming is a great way to tone up and build fitness. Coming from Hawaii, Maggie Q spent a lot of her formative years swimming in the sea and clearly has a love of the water. Maggie does most of her swimming in a lap pool but will swim in the ocean whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Day 6 – Cardio

Today’s workout depends on how Maggie feels but invariably involves some type of cardio exercise. Her favorite options include more spinning or swimming, rowing, or running. If she’s feeling tired, this could be just 30-40 minutes, but, more usually, it is another 60 to 90-minute workout.

Day 7 – Active recovery

While most people look for a rest day once or twice a week, Maggie Q prefers to work out again! Today’s workout is not as structured as the rest of the week and invariably involves something fun, like watersports, hiking, tennis, or bike riding.

Martial arts

As well as these workouts, Maggie Q spends varying amounts of time practicing the martial arts for which she is so famous. She trains in Taekwondo, Muay Thai, boxing. All of these fight-based workouts are superb calorie burners, are good for cardiovascular fitness, and are effective muscle toners, too.

Weekly Diet Plan

Maggie Q has been a strict vegan for over 20 years – long before plant-based diets became a popular health trend. She went vegan because of animal welfare concerns but has since embraced the health benefits of a plant-based diet. Eating all plant foods also keeps Maggie Q slim, and her vigorous workout routine helps too.

As we all do, Maggie Q varies her diet according to how she feels, her cravings, and whether she’s at home or on set. However, a typical day in the diet of Maggie Q usually looks something like this:

Meal 1: Acai bowl with coconut meat, aloe, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, goji berries, coconut oil, ginger, turmeric, fennel, and almond milk.

Meal 2: Smoothie with banana, peaches, pea protein powder, almond butter, maca powder, cashew milk, fresh mint leaves, and ice.

Meal 3: Kitchari with basmati rice, mung beans, vegetable stock, mustard seeds, cumin, ginger, sea salt, coriander powder, turmeric, and cilantro.

Snacks: Unsalted nuts, edamame, seeds, berries.

Being a vegan, Maggie Q does NOT eat:

• Meat
• Fish
• Dairy
• Eggs
• Animal byproducts
• Processed foods
• Foods with chemical additives or artificial ingredients
• Junk food

Which Supplements Does She Take

Maggie Q’s diet is very clean and healthy, and she uses a few supplements to ensure all of her nutritional bases are always covered. The supplements that Maggie Q uses include:

• Plant-based protein powder, i.e., pea and hemp protein powder
• Super greens
• Multivitamin and mineral capsules

Bottom Line

A lot of Hollywood stars are guilty of following faddy diets and trendy workouts. They lose weight and get in shape, posting pictures all over the internet, only to quit and regain all their weight soon after. They’re the personification of yoyo dieters and exercisers.

Maggie Q’s approach to nutrition and exercise is the antithesis of fads and trends. Instead of looking for quick fixes, she has adopted an approach that she has been able to maintain for over 20 years!

For Maggie Q, working out and eating healthily are part of her life and something she’ll continue doing even if she retires from acting.

Workout-wise, the main thing to note about Maggie’s exercise routine is that she does something every day. Really, that’s the only way to offset the negative aspects of what is otherwise probably quite a sedentary lifestyle. Daily exercise might sound daunting, but it’s very doable if you don’t work out too hard and vary your activities.

Regarding her diet, as a strict vegan, Maggie builds her meals around nutrient-rich plant foods and consumes no junk food at all. Giving up junk food may come as a shock, but once you get over the initial symptoms of withdrawal, you’ll soon start to feel healthier, and the weight will drop off.

That doesn’t mean you HAVE to give up eating meat to lose weight and get healthy, but it’s certainly worked for Maggie Q.

Should you diet and exercise like Maggie Q? There are certainly worse celebrity lifestyles to emulate. Just start slow and ease yourself in, and you too could enjoy all the benefits of Maggie Q’s workout plan and diet. Check out the Fitness Equipment Reviews homepage for more expert information and guidance.