How Halle Berry looks SO good at 60 – her only ab exercise, £12.99 gadget and the food she’s avoided for 40 years

AGE is just a number for actress Halle Berry, who looks just as phenomenal in her recent 60th birthday celebration snaps as she did 10 years ago – and beyond. The actress makes staying svelte look effortless. But as her personal trainers reveal, specific diet and exercise tips have been learned along the way, that have helped Halle keep her figure trim through menopause, ageing and motherhood. Halle Berry has been celebrating her 60th birthday in Mexico Credit: halleberry/Instagram She posted pictures of her big day wearing little to nothing, and showing her svelte figure Credit: halleberry/Instagram The Oscar-award winner posted photos of her birthday celebrations with musician fiancé, Van Hunt, 56, stripped back into a skimpy lace robe and eating chocolate-covered strawberries. Halle, who is mum to daughter Nahla, 18, and son Maceo, 12, has always maintained an unapologetic attitude to ageing. Just before turning 60, Halle told American publication The Cut: “I am not going to allow myself to be erased. “I’m going to be louder than I have ever been.” Her long-time personal trainer Peter Lee Thomas, a martial activist, action actor and fight coordinator, previously told US People magazine that, “she (Halle) has the discipline and athleticism of a 25-year-old. “She’s putting in the work. She doesn’t mess around.” The former Bond girl is famous for fighting back against menopause stigma, recently captioning an Instagram post: “Best part of menopause? I don’t give a f*ck. “Not about opinions. Not about playing it cute. “I move how I want, wear what I want, and do it for me. That’s the freedom no one tells you about ‘til you’re living it.” The Hollywood A-lister even launched Re-Spin – a health and wellness platform aimed at menopausal women. It offers advice on everything from nutrition to mindset and exercise. So what does Halle practise herself, to keep herself in such good shape? And how can you follow in her footsteps? Halle, who posted this picture on Instagram, said of her ageing, “I’m going to be louder than I have ever been” Credit: Instagram It’s 24 years since Halle wowed Bond fans in an orange bikini as NSA agent Jinx Johnson in Die Another Day Credit: Rex Features The Bond Girl A-lister looked stunning in pictures from her birthday celebrations Credit: halleberry/Instagram Her ‘boring’ workout Speaking on the US’ Tamsen Show in 2025, Halle admitted that she’d shifted her focus from cardio to weight training, in a bid to put on muscle mass. She said: “This is a necessity during menopause, where muscle mass naturally declines due to the drop in oestrogen. “Now I just do pretty much boring – what I find boring – but it’s necessary for this stage of life, really just heavier weights than I’ve ever lifted, and I do it probably two days a week at least.” Will Duru, personal trainer and founder of workout app, 12Reps, says muscle is essential to achieve Halle’s figure. He says: “Having muscle, while losing fat, is how Halle looks lean and ‘toned’. “Weight training is important here. Plus, muscle helps to maintain balance as you age, to reduce the risk of falls and injuries. “Muscle also protects bones. Bones can naturally weaken during menopause thanks to the loss of oestrogen, which is why osteoporosis rates are so much higher in menopausal women.” So what’s the workout you should follow? Seeing as Halle weight trains at least twice a week, Will recommends at least one full body workout, one lower body and one upper body workout each week, guaranteed to hit all areas at least once. Halle's favourite strength training menopause exercises Another of Halle Berry’s trainer Maria Luque, previously shared some of Halle’s favourite strength-training menopause exercises…. Reverse lunge with a twist Stand with a dumbbell in each hand resting on each shoulder. Step back into a lunge, and rotate your torso over your front leg. Then rotate back and step back up. Plank pull-through This is for your whole body and balance. In a high plank position, keeping your body as still as possible, drag a dumbbell from one hand to the next continually. Flamingo shoulder press This is for your core, balance and upper body Start standing on one leg. Hold a dumbbell facing forward and reach it up and change the dumbbell to the other hand. Quit ‘cold turkey’ When she was just 22, Halle was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. It led to her switching from what she described as, “sugared up all the time”, to a low-carb, high-fat diet – which can be helpful for people managing type 2 diabetes. “My health was on the line, so I went cold turkey on my sugar-filled ways,” she told Women’s Health Australia. “Out the window went the candy, the desserts and even super-sweet fruit.” Halle’s comments about type 1 diabetes – and how she has “cured” herself – have ruffled a lot of feathers over the years [type 1 diabetes is not curable and requires injecting insulin]. But regardless, Halle sticks to her low-carb diet, avoiding refined, ‘white’ carbs, including bread, rice and pasta. She has spiralised vegetables instead of pasta, swaps mashed potatoes for cauliflower mash, and tends to stick to a diet of steak and chicken, eggs, dark leafy greens, avocado, bone broth and courgette. Halle said eating this way has helped her manage her condition, “but it’s also given me a ton of energy and helped me maintain my weight and stay in shape”. Will explains that carbs aren’t something to completely slash from your diet, unless there’s a medical reason. Will says: “With my menopausal clients, I recommend cutting back on added sugars rather than carbs generally. “Sugary foods can provide a lot of calories without filling you up, making weight management hard around menopause. “Eating the right kind of carbs can help to give you energy and support your digestion. “Look for high fibre carbs such as wholemeal bread, brown rice and pasta, beans and lentils, rather than refined carbs with sugar. “Aim for a source of high fibre carbs with each meal.” Halle uses a weighted hula hoop as part of her workout routine Credit: Amazon Another of Halle’s trainers, Maria Luque, revealed that she uses a weighted hula hoop. “This is a great thing to do every day to get your heart rate up,” said Maria. “Because it’s weighted, you have to really work at keeping it up. And it’s fun!” According to Will, a hula hoop requires constant movement through your waist and hips. “Having the extra weight also makes it more challenging than normal and will no doubt help Halle achieve that ‘snatched’ look.” Aim for 10 to 15 minutes at a time or build it into your routine in short bursts. Weighted hula hoops can be bought online for as little as £12. All-rounder Hula-hooping isn’t the only playground activity that Halle throws into her workout routine. The actress previously shared a workout on Instagram showing herself skipping before doing a dumbbell workout. She’s also shared her love of trampoline jumping, which offers most of the benefits of jumping on ground, but absorbs some of the shock, placing less stress on your joints. Will says: “Skipping is a great full-body workout as it works all the muscles in the legs as well as the core and arms. “It’s also great for working on your agility and reaction time. “For women such as Halle, who are going through or have been through menopause, jumping is a great way to protect bones; it’s a high-impact, weight-bearing exercise which encourages bones to grow stronger.” If you’re new to skipping, start without a rope. Do small jumps on the spot for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of rest, and repeat five times. As you get used to the movement, introduce a skipping rope. Singular best arm exercise Halle Berry, pictured with her personal trainer Peter Lee Thomas Credit: Halle Berry/Instagram You might think Halle has a huge roster of arm exercises to keep her arms lean and toned. But Peter admitted that Halle’s number one arm move is something we can all do at home, with zero equipment. “She likes to do push-ups. I don’t think there is a push-up out there that she can’t do,” he said to E! News. Will explains that despite being a bodyweight exercise, push-ups can be surprisingly hard. He says: “Start on your knees, rather than a high plank position, and focus on getting your chest as close to the ground as possible. “Keep your hands slightly wider than your shoulders and point your elbow behind you. Think about pushing the floor away as you come back up.” Short and sweet Although pounding the treadmill or pavement might burn a lot of calories, it’s not always the best way to stay in shape, particularly as you get older. Instead, Halle’s trainer sticks to shorter, sharper runs. Speaking to E! News, Peter said: “We stay away from running far distances. “She’s not really a long distance runner. Not to say that she couldn’t do it, but we try to keep things explosive and really metabolic. “For longevity purposes, it saves your knees and joints. We’d rather do sprints rather than run five to 10 miles.” WiIll says shorter bursts of running “can really work your heart and lungs to keep you fit without the repetitive impact of running, which can end up causing damage to joints”. “Plus, shorter, quicker sessions are said to burn more calories after you’ve finished the workout, like an ‘afterburn’ effect,” he says. If running isn’t for you, try the stationary bike or elliptical machine. Will recommends 20 to 30 seconds of hard work, followed by a minute’s rest, repeated five to 10 times. Never skip a stretch Halle Berry with her fiancé Van Hunt at The Oscars in 2023 Credit: Getty In 2018, Halle revealed on her social media that she always stretches after a workout. She captioned the impressive photo with: “Fitness is not just about running, lifting and punching. “For me, being athletic and super fit is also about being still, stretching and breathing. Including stretching in my fitness program helps my muscles stay long, limber, improves my mobility and range of motion and, most importantly, helps me avoid injuries.” Will says that stretching is essential for moving comfortably as you age, which in turn, helps improve exercise. “Mobility and flexibility can naturally decline as you get older, so it’s important to keep muscles and joints working as they should, through their full range of motion, to avoid everyday movements becoming difficult,” he says. “Just five minutes every day is enough to help.” Ab-tastic Halle, pictured more than 20 years ago, has always had an enviable figure Credit: Reuters Halle’s toned abs have starred in Die Another Day (2002), Catwoman (2004) and Bruised (2021). How has she retained them for decades on end? Rather than endless situps and crunches, there’s one stand-out move that Halle relies on to keep her midriff in shape. “I never did planks back in the day, but they’ve made a huge difference for my core strength and definition,” admitted Halle to Women’s Health Australia. “Sometimes, I’ll just hold a plank for as long as I can. My abs start to ache first, but pretty soon my entire body feels like it’s on fire.” Will says: “Planks work every muscle and they’re harder than they look! The aim is to keep your body straight, without your hips sagging or rising.” A plank starts in an all-fours position on the floor. Drop down to rest on your forearms, while extending your legs straight behind you. Keep your gaze down to the floor, body straight (no dipping hips), and elbows right underneath your shoulders. Squeeze your core and glutes, too, to stabilise and remain still. Aim to hold for 30 seconds and gradually increase the time.