How did Miss USA Deshauna Barber get her pageant-winning body? By embracing water and ab workouts, saying goodbye to sugar and getting an assist from the Army.
Barber shared her tips for pageant-queen fitness during a Facebook Live interview with USA TODAY.
1. Drink water.
“I drink a lot of water. I try to push people to drink two and a half liters of water at minimum a day. It’s good for cleansing your pores, getting the sweat out, and that cleansing prevents (facial) bumps.”
2. Ginger is your friend
“I try to make sure I include ginger in as many different food items I eat throughout the day. Ginger’s really good for your skin.”
3. Embrace apple cider vinegar
“I like apple-cider vinegar. Every now and then, I take a shot of apple-cider vinegar, add a little water and wipe my face with it. That’s a really good cleanser as well if you don’t want to do a full skincare routine.”
4. Start early
“I know it’s a little difficult for most girls, when they’re transitioning to consistently working out and eating healthy. I was kind of already doing that because the military requires a certain physical standard. Your sit-ups, your push-ups and your two-mile run that you’re required to do once a year? It’s very difficult to be required to do that out of nowhere. You’d have to be consistently living a very healthy and physical lifestyle, I was already doing that, so I had a head start.”
5. Say goodbye to sugar
“I wouldn’t say it’s good to have too much sugar. And I am a sugar eater. I feel a person’s pain if they’re nervous to cut sugar. But if you can cut as much sugar as you can, it affects your skin and the glow you have. When you’re onstage and the light hits you, you can really tell in the hair and skin.”
6. Abs, abs, abs
“I like to focus on my abdominals. When you walk onstage in heels, you already look muscular in your legs. Your stomach is kind of the representation of how you’ve been living. Usually, you can’t deny someone’s physical fitness when they have a six-pack. They’re no denying you’ve been doing what you need to do.”
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7. Get low with these mat exercises
“I really like flutter kicks, I like doing planks. I also love — they’re called leg downs, where you’re laying straight on your back, you lift your legs up, and you slowly go down, but don’t touch the ground, and come right back up. I usually do that around 200 times. It’s a tough one.”
8. Know your weaknesses
“Everyone has problem areas, certain parts of their body they feel self-conscious about. So if it’s not your abdominals, maybe focus on that, and then go to your abdominals.”
