At 50, Elsa Pataky continues to turn heads with a fitness level built on consistency, not quick fixes. Her active lifestyle goes beyond time in the gym, shaped by training habits and routines that keep her strong. Some of the details behind it are more practical than you might expect.

The Fast and Furious star recently shared her workout routine. Pataky shared a full session she completed on board a boat using nothing but a resistance band and a foam roller, one of her favorite routines for building a strong core and glutes. 

While talking to Kate Cheng of Women’s Health magazine, Pataky opened up about her go-to routine that requires minimal equipment. 

"I used my time on the boat to do some of my favourite exercises for a strong core and glutes. You don't need a gym. You don't need perfect conditions." Pataky told Women's Health. 

The foam roller carried most of the workload. Moves like the body saw and plank pike targeted her abs and shoulders, while foam roller variations of hip thrusts and leg raises kept the effort concentrated through her core and glutes. 

The exercises work because the roller's instability forces the body to fight for balance throughout every rep, turning familiar moves like planks and push-ups into a much tougher core challenge.

 The resistance band added the finishing touch, powering split squats, banded curls, and glute kickbacks that brought the lower body and arms into the mix. 

Whether it's a boat deck or a home gym, Pataky's routine makes one thing clear. Staying fit doesn't require anything complicated, just consistency and a willingness to make do with whatever is on hand. 

How Elsa Pataky stays in shape besides working out

When it comes to food, Elsa Pataky skips the trends. She follows a Mediterranean-style, plant-based diet built around vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and olive oil, a choice rooted in sustainability rather than quick results. 

While in an interview with Marie Claire in 2020, Pataky opened up about her philosophy on nutrition, which takes a far more consistent approach. 

"I don’t believe anything about diets, like quick diets that you do before summer. Those miracles don’t exist," she told Marie Claire during an interview in 2020. "Mediterranean food every day, not just [for] periods of time."

She has also added intermittent fasting to her routine, something that she picked up from her husband, Chris Hemsworth. 

"[Chris], he got me into fasting. So I’ve started fasting now, I was always like, ‘Hmmm, I don’t know!’, and it’s really hard, but then I started reading about it." 

She further explained that weight loss was never her motivation since fasting only works that way if the body actually needs it. What ultimately won her over was reading about its potential anti-aging benefits, which convinced her to follow her husband's lead and give it a real shot. 

"But I read that it was amazing for anti-ageing, so I was like, 'I’m in! I’m in!'. So he started it, and then I followed."

For Pataky, food isn't about chasing results fast. It's about habits she can stick with for good. 

Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco