Carrie Underwood Shares Some Of Her Fitness Secrets — See How She Gets Those Legs

Carrie Underwood is known for her fit physique — especially those famous legs — almost as much as she’s known for her amazing voice. The former American Idol recently shared her love of fitness, along with some of her workout secrets with Today‘s Jenna Bush Hager.

Jenna spent some time with Carrie Underwood in the country superstar’s hometown of Checotah, Oklahoma. Carrie was there shooting the fall campaign for her women’s athleisure clothing brand, Calia by Carrie Underwood.

Can’t wait for you to see the fall line of @CALIAbyCarrie that we shot this week in Checotah, OK! pic.twitter.com/qBi5TwldjB

— Carrie Underwood (@carrieunderwood) June 3, 2016

Underwood told Jenna that Checotah will always be “home” to her, and that she feels like it is the only place where she is truly able to “turn off.” It is where her foundation of a healthy lifestyle began as just a young girl. Carrie shared fond memories of an active childhood being able to climb trees and play outside a lot.

Carrie was also a Girl Scout and played both softball and basketball. Her experience as a young athlete sparked her lifelong interest in health and fitness. It also taught her the values of teamwork and dedication.

Underwood told Today that working out is very important to her and she makes it a priority. She enjoys pushing herself to improve and says being fit boosts her self-confidence.

“I love seeing progress. I feel better about myself because I feel like, ‘Oh my clothes fit me. That’s awesome.'”

https://www.facebook.com/carrieunderwood/photos/a.182441419567.123128.5240049567/10154073142234568/?type=3

The busy singer and mom of 16-month-old Isaiah even put a mobile gym on her tour bus so she can remain active on the road, as Taste of Country reported. However, Carrie Underwood explained in her Today interview that workouts don’t have to be confined to a gym with fancy equipment.

Underwood loves to go for walks with her son, who already loves being outside. She said she is “lucky to live in a place where there are lots of hills” she can take advantage of to push herself even harder.

As far as her diet goes, even Carrie Underwood struggles with guilty pleasures once in a while. She follows a mostly vegan diet but admits that “sometimes cheese is a problem. And it’s a problem!”

Carrie took Today outside where she shared some of her favorite workout moves. But first, Carrie surprised Jenna by revealing her favorite workout song — “Kickstart My Heart” by Motley Crue.

Underwood then demonstrated how she earns those shapely legs, which she said she really likes to work on.

“I feel like it’s just a big muscle group and you can see that when you start workin’ ’em,” she told Jenna.

Carrie’s workout is no joke. It involves a lot of walking lunges, stadium stairs, and her favorite move: a very intense variation of the burpee. For those who want to start working out but aren’t ready for such a rigorous routine, Underwood says to start with a walk. She encourages beginners to start slow and build from there.

“Go walk. Go walk and see how you feel. And then the next day — try to beat your time. Walk faster.”

The Calia by Carrie Underwood shoot featured female athletes from Carrie’s alma mater. While there, Underwood surprised the middle school and high school student athletes with a $100,000 grant.

Carrie and her company, in partnership with Dick’s Sporting Goods, plan to donate an additional $400,000 to various female sports teams across the nation through their Sports Matter grant.

Carrie Underwood said in a press release that sports fueled her passion for fitness today and taught her valuable life lessons along the way. She, along with Dick’s Sporting Goods, want to help ensure the girls growing up in her hometown get the same opportunities to be active in sports.

“Being active in youth sports while growing up helped set the foundation and passion for making fitness an important part of my life today. Participating in sports also taught me important life lessons about dedication and teamwork. Through this donation, we want to make sure there are plenty of opportunities for girls to play sports in Checotah for years to come.”

Calia by Carrie Underwood can be purchased exclusively through the company’s website or at Dick’s Sporting Goods.

[Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images]