Miley Cyrus says working out helps her manage the highs and lows of life. “If I don’t work out, I’m not a great person,” she told Joe Rogan during an episode of his podcast in 2020.
Throughout her career, the singer discovered that physical movement is a non-negotiable part of her daily routine.
“We don’t do calls or work meetings before I work out. We know this. We’ve learned from the past that that’s very important,” she said.
Cyrus is also passionate about living an “extremely clean” lifestyle, as she told W Magazine in 2024.
Curious to know how Cyrus maintains this wellness routine? Here’s everything the 31-year-old has shared about her favorite workouts and her diet.
She practices Ashtanga yoga
Cyrus has become insanely flexible (don’t just take our word for it, see it for yourself) after doing Ashtanga yoga for years. She even gave Jimmy Fallon a lesson during a 2016 interview on “The Tonight Show” and explained that the practice requires a lot of commitment.
“It does take a lot of training,” she admitted.
While describing the precision it takes to nail certain Ashtanga yoga moves, the singer said, “Sometimes it can be really uninspiring because the teacher will say, ‘Oh, don’t worry that’s just going to take you 10 years (to get), and you’re like ‘Wait, what?’”
She works out in heels
While she’s rocking out on stage, Cyrus often wears sky-high heels. To prepare, she sometimes works out in the same fashionable footwear.
“My mantra is, like any athlete, ‘Practice how you perform.’ So that’s why I practice in my heels. The gym looks really tough, but then I’ve got my ivory Gucci slingbacks because they remind me of Marilyn Monroe. I train in heels, mostly. I’m interested in feminizing the workout space, because so much of the workout equipment is ugly,” she told W Magazine in 2024.
She’s been practicing Pilates for years, especially for core strength
Ever wonder how Cyrus’ body is so toned? She can thank Pilates for that. The singer’s former Pilates instructor, Mari Winsor, told Self that her client saw such impeccable results thanks to her “commitment, hard work and (everyday) workouts.”
“Miley is a fan of all Pilates exercises, in particular those that sculpt the abs,” she said in 2012.
The following year, Winsor told People that a tight core was a huge priority for Cyrus.
“It’s at least a half an hour of working out … You have to learn how to not just tighten up your tummy but actually pull your tummy in to your lower back as much as you can,” she said. “Just doing 40 crunches a day isn’t gonna do it for you.”
She often sings while running on the treadmill
Running around a stage for several hours during a concert can test even the most active singers. To prepare for her shows, Cyrus has been known to walk or run on the treadmill while belting out some of her tunes.
The performer showed off her multitasking skills in an Instagram video in 2021 as her instructor said, “See if you can match the pace with the rhythm of the band.”
In another video, Cyrus also took things up a notch by sending a text message while she sang on the treadmill.
She proved that she’s ultra fit in her ‘Flowers’ music video
If you’re looking for some fit-spiration, just watch Cyrus’ music video for her song “Flowers.” The performer runs through a series of exercises in the video, incorporating swimming, Pilates, battle ropes, resistance bands and jumps into her routine.
She enjoys hiking
Sure, Cyrus is a pro at Pilates and she’s dedicated to Ashtanga yoga, but the singer also enjoys the simpler workouts in life, including hiking. Over the years, she’s snapped many selfies while hiking in stunning landscapes.
Cyrus has even hiked in some questionable footwear in the name of fashion.
“When I told my godmother, Dolly (Parton), that I hiked to the Hollywood sign in heels, she said, ‘Honey, I do everything in heels!’” Cyrus told Vogue in 2024.
Dolly Parton says Miley is more ‘picky’ about her diet these days
As Cyrus’ godmother, Dolly Parton has been privy to her eating preferences for a long period. In a 2022 interview with Insider, the country crooner revealed that her goddaughter loves “Southern food, like mashed potatoes, coleslaw, and a big ol’ hunk of cornbread.”
The dynamic duo once enjoyed making meatloaf together, but Parton admitted that she hasn’t done that with her goddaughter in a while.
“I haven’t cooked for Miley in a long time because she’s a little more picky now than I am,” she said.
The singer went on to explain that Cyrus has become more discerning about her diet over the years.
“Miley’s trying to watch what she eats now — she’s gone through a lot of phases of being vegetarian or being vegan or whatever,” Parton said. “But in the earlier days, or when her defenses are down, we still eat that good ol’ food like meatloaf.”
She’s tried veganism before
After following the “strictest” vegan diet between 2013 and 2019, Cyrus realized the lifestyle wasn’t for her.
“I was vegan for a very long time and I’ve had to introduce fish and omegas into my life because my brain wasn’t functioning properly,” she said during an appearance on “The Joe Rogan Experience” in 2020.
Although she did fill up on supplements and protein drinks while she was vegan, Cyrus noticed a big difference in cognitive ability when she reintroduced fish.
“Now I’m so much sharper than I was and I think that I was, at one point, pretty malnutritioned,” she said. “I remember going to Glastonbury (music festival) and that was a show that I loved—I loved my performance—but I was running on empty.”