Britney Spears may be taking a break from performing, but that doesn’t mean she’s not getting after it in the gym. This weekend, the 37-year-old singer shared some major fitspiration in a sequence of photos revealing exactly how she’s maintaining her amazing figure through barre work, ab exercises, and strength training.
She may be the queen of the gym (and of ’90s babies’ hearts everywhere), but the star still has insecurities like everybody else. In an Instagram post, Spears explained that she doesn’t have much experience lifting weights and was super nervous when it came time to face the barbell—but she went for it, thanks to a few encouraging words from a stranger. (Relatable? Next read: The Beginner’s Guide to Lifting Weights)
“I get so excited when I lift the bar ??♀️ I’ve done it one other time in a private room but never with a lot of people around ?!!!! I was at Equinox here and my legs were shaking…until a guy walked by and said ‘Go for it,’ so I did it!!! Just think about it…that one guy changed my whole day because he believed in me for literally two seconds!!!!! If you’re out there in this big world today I thank you for telling me to go for it ???❤️!!!” she captioned her post.
While you most likely can’t tear your eyes away from her toned body (hiiii, abs), check out the A-lister’s cute gym style. Spears rocks a seafoam green sports bra, patterned running shorts, and a pair of Hoka One One Clifton 3 Sneakers (Buy It, $155, amazon.com). And it isn’t the first time she’s laced these up for her sweat session—Spears has been wearing the same pair of Hoka One Ones on repeat for years.
In October 2018, the singer shared an at-home workout on Instagram jumping rope in the Clifton 3 sneakers. In March 2018, she posed in a hot pink zip-up sports bra, white athletic booty shorts, and the same teal, blue, and pink shoes. And in June 2017, she posted a video of her gym session while on the road in Hong Kong wearing her favorite Clifton 3 kicks in baby blue.
Other celebrities, including Reese Witherspoon and Pippa Middleton, have stepped out in Hoka One One sneakers over the years. Witherspoon has been spotted in a bright purple pair of running shoes (Buy It, $150, ) and Middleton has rocked various Hoka designs, including the brand’s logo on a t-shirt.
Podiatrists are also huge fans of the brand, thanks to the wide toe box. “Most of the problems that occur with our feet—particularly for women, and often for runners—are because our shoes don’t have a wide enough forefoot,” says Miguel Cunha, D.P.M., podiatrist and founder of Gotham Footcare. With tighter toe boxes, you can suffer from bunions, hammertoes, neuromas, and ingrown toenails, he adds. Yikes. In order to determine whether the forefront is wide enough, Dr. Cunha suggests tracing your foot onto a piece of paper at the end of the day when your feet are most swollen. Then place the shoe over the tracing of the foot. If the tracing of the foot is external to the periphery of the shoe, you know that your shoes are too narrow.
Dr. Cunha also likes that the Hoka One One Clifton sneakers (both the Clifton 3s and newer versions) have rigid heel counters for extra support and thick rubber soles for shock absorption, lessening the impact on your ankles, knees, and legs as you run. “Good shock absorption prevents heel pain—in particular, plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the tendon that runs underneath your foot,” he explains.
Courtesy of manufacturer
Hoka One One Clifton 4 (Buy It, starts at $142; amazon.com); Hoka One One Clifton 5 (Buy It, starts at $103; amazon.com); Hoka One One Clifton 6 (Buy It, starts at $89; amazon.com)
Hoka One One sneakers are designed for walkers, runners, and anyone on their feet for an extended period of time—which makes sense, considering the brand was founded by French trail runners Nicolas Mermoud and Jean-Luc Diard as a super cushioned alternative to a minimalist running shoe. They were made with both novice runners and athletes in mind, and many wearers who suffer from foot and heel pain, like plantar fasciitis, find them extremely comfortable.
“I have wide feet and plantar fasciitis—a tough combination to find comfortable shoes. I LOVE my Clifton 6 shoes! They are super padded to help with heel and foot pain and the toe box is wide enough to not cramp my baby toes,” wrote one customer on Amazon.
“If you have plantar fasciitis these are THE shoes to buy,” shared another of the Clifton 5 sneaker. “They are light and like walking on clouds. I work 13 hour shifts on my feet in a hospital and I can go all day without so much as a twinge from my feet. Fantastic!”
Unfortunately, Spears’s go-to Clifton 3 sneakers are an older edition and only available in limited sizing, so we recommend taking the fitness guru’s lead and upgrading your workout gear with a current pair of Hokas. Since the brand has the stamp of approval of both celebrities and podiatrists, there’s no reason to not make an investment and snap up a pair.
