Singer Meghan Trainor had a huge 2024: Not only did she release her sixth studio album Timeless, but she embarked on her first headlining concert tour in over seven years. But in doing so, the mom-of-two, 31, realized that she needed to majorly overhaul her workout routine.
Meghan wanted to feel “fit” for her shows, she previously told People. So, she got into strength training—and lost some weight in the process.
“I just look at all the years that I wasted doing hard cardio or trying to be a runner. My body was always just angry and inflamed. I was like, ‘What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I do this?'” Meghan exclusively told Women’s Health while chatting about her partnership with Bobbie. “I know now that my body enjoys lifting weights and it doesn’t make you big and bulky.”
Luckily, she immediately saw results. “On tour, I lost even more weight and I got stronger, so I could do the show and it was easier at the end,” she says. “I could still wake up at 7:00 a.m. and chase after my kids all day at a park while we were traveling. I definitely saw the benefits.”
Here’s Meghan’s new routine—plus, why she wants to “grow [her] butt back” after losing weight.
She strength trains three times a week with husband Daryl Sabara.
Meghan and her husband Daryl hit the gym three times a week at 9 a.m. But if she doesn’t have time for a formal sweat sesh, she’ll use an Apple Watch to track her steps and get some in while cleaning her house.
“I’ve been begging [Daryl] to join me so I’m not alone,” she says. “It’s funny, I do hard stuff and he’s like, ‘I don’t want to work that hard.’ I’m like, ‘But you should!'”
Typically, the couple’s nanny will watch their sons, Riley, 3, and Barry, 1, while they’re in their home gym. But they always stop by to watch their parents working hard, even lifting some “pretend kid weights” while they’re at it.
“They always pick them up and go, ‘Wow, look how strong we are!’ I’m like, ‘Do your lifts, do your squats.’ And then they leave,” she says. “I’m like, ‘Get out of here, it’s dangerous!'”
She’s ‘trying to grow my butt back’ after her weight loss.
Lately, Meghan has been working out with a singular goal in mind: booty gains.
“I’m trying to grow my butt back, because I lost so much weight that my booty is looking different,” she says. “I was like, ‘Wait. I’m the ‘Bass’ girl with a big butt!'”
To grow her butt, Meghan’s been trying to “lift heavier and do glute activities,” but those tend to activate her sciatica, which began during her pregnancies. “I’m in a weird pickle of trying to be more flexible and trying to do a lot of glute stuff,” she says. “That’s my goal.”
She’s eating more protein to support her workouts.
Recently, Meghan’s trainer told her that she needs to be eating 100 grams of protein a day to boost her gym goals. And now, it’s become a conversation topic amongst her team.
“My managers and I are always talking about like, ‘Oh my God, this is how I got 30 grams of protein at lunch today,'” she said. “It’s a goal and it’s a dream when we actually hit our protein counts now.”
For breakfast, Meghan typically eats two eggs and some organic turkey bacon. “I want to mix it up, but I’m such a creature of habit that we’ll do the same thing every day,” she says.
For lunches and dinners, Meghan and Daryl tend to lean towards recipes from any meal delivery services that pack in proteins and carbs. “I wish I knew how to cook. I make bland stuff,” she says. “But my husband is a nerd about finding food delivery companies that give you protein and help you out with a journey like that. So we’re always looking for a new one.”
While on tour, Meghan is especially strict with her diet. “I couldn’t ever eat anything super bad,” she says. “We went to one restaurant and we loved it, but I noticed I had heartburn. I had to be very strict with my eating before shows especially, because I would be burping on stage!”
She takes care of her mental health.
To support all of this work, Meghan and Daryl make sure to get seven or eight hours of sleep. “When we put our kids to bed at night, my husband and I run to bed. We are in bed at eight,” she says. “Sometimes we don’t sleep until 10 and we’ll have date night and watch movies, but we try to sleep as much as we can.”
Sleep—and exercise—also help Meghan take care of her mental health, which is something that Meghan has struggled with throughout her adult life. She got her first panic attack when she was 22 and was nervous she’d get postpartum depression by the time she got pregnant with her older son Riley.
“I was hearing all these warnings about postpartum or depression during pregnancy and how hard it was, so I went in scared. But I’m glad I had all those panic attacks before, so I knew what I could expect,” she says. “Going into my pregnancies, I was talking to a psychiatrist, a therapist, my family, my support team, my managers—everyone. I was like, ‘All hands on deck! I need help!'”
Ultimately, Meghan decided (alongside her doctors) that she would continue her antidepressant throughout both pregnancies. But afterwards, she struggled with her self-esteem when she experienced issues breastfeeding. It’s why she partnered with Bobbie, whose formula she used with both of her sons, to get the word out about the importance of taking care of your mental health postpartum. As part of the initiative, Meghan and Bobbie are offering 50 parents a “Bobbie Care Package,” including gifts from companies like Care.com, DoorDash, Thrive Market, and more.
Overall, Meghan hopes that new moms ask for help, no matter where they can get it. “At least turn to a family member or a friend and ask for help,” she says. “I do it all the time—daily!”
Charlotte Walsh (she/her) is an associate news editor with Women’s Health, where she covers the intersection of wellness and entertainment. Previously, she worked as a writer at The Messenger, E! News, and Netflix. In her free time, she enjoys reality television, tennis and films starring Nicole Kidman.
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