Danica Patrick Workout and Diet

Professional Race Car Driver (Retired)
Born: 1982

Danica Patrick grew up in Wisconsin. At age 10, she got into go-karting after driving a friend’s kart, and she also dabbled in snowmobiles, motocross and midget car racing. Patrick won 10 regional titles including the World Karting Association Grand National Championship 3 times. In 1996, she was accepted into the Lyn St. James Foundation Driver Development Program. To have more time for her career, Patrick dropped out of high school in her junior year and obtained a GED. She spent 3 years racing in the UK. Patrick was named Rookie of the Year in the 2005 Indianapolis 500 and the 2005 IndyCar Series. She was also the first female to win the Japan 300 in 2008. In 2010, Patrick stared racing stock cars in NASCAR. She was the first woman to win a Cup Series pole position when she set the fastest qualifying lap for the 2013 Daytona 500. Patrick set the record for most top-10 finishes in the Sprint Cup Series in 2015. The most successful woman in the history of American racing retired in 2018. Patrick was named on Bloomberg Businessweek’s most powerful people list in 2008 and 2010, as well as Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. She has appeared on magazine covers such as Sports Illustrated and ESPN, and in several ad campaigns, including AirTran, Chevrolet, Coca-Cola and Lyft. She has a line of athleisurewear and a brand of wine called Somnium. Patrick has over a million followers on social media. She is 5 feet tall and weighs about 105 lbs.

Known For:

Danica Patrick’s Diet

Summary

Patrick follows a Paleo-style diet — Coca-Cola excepted. She eats about every 3 hours and fills up on protein and greens, starting with a kale smoothie or chia seed pudding at breakfast. She frequently cooks for herself, and even makes her own staples like almond milk and ketchup. She isn’t all spinach and superfoods, however, and has a whole drawer in her fridge devoted to cheese.

Estimated Macros

Low Carbs 20% 20%

Medium Fa 40% 40%

Medium-High Protein 50% 50%

Diet Details

DIY Diet

Patrick prefers to make her own food. One of her go-tos is a hash made from lean ground meat, sweet potatoes, kale, onions and apples which she’ll eat for any meal of the day.

Lean & Green

Patrick keeps several containers of spinach in her fridge at all times.

The Secret to a Scrumptious Smoothie

Patrick says to not use too much water or ice which helps keep the smoothie thick. She also adds a whole lemon (minus the peel and seeds).

Low-Sugar Life

To cut down on sugar, Patrick only puts a third of a banana or a quarter of an apple in her green smoothies. Besides spinach and kale, she also adds things like hemp seeds, maca, chia seeds, and coconut.

Enjoy Your Cheats

For Patrick, Coke is her cheat of choice. When she wants some-thing sweet but also wants to stay on track with her diet, she likes the Nature’s Bakery brand which makes non-GMO, dairy-free, soy-free baked goods with organic whole grains, fruits and veggies. Her advice is that, whatever you choose, make sure you truly enjoy it.

What to Eat

Vegetables

Eggs

Kale

Lean Beef

Chia Seeds

Acai

Maca

Almond Milk

Chicken Breast

Fish

Sweet Potatoes

Nuts

Berries

Fresh Fruit

Lemon

Protein Powder

Cheese

Water

Red Wine

Coca-Cola

What to Avoid

Processed Foods

Refined Sugar

Junk Food

Fast Food

Chemical Ingredients

Artificial Additives

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Patrick on Making Her Own Almond Milk

‘I like the taste of homemade almond milk better. It’s thicker and probably fattier, but it has a more full-bodied taste.’

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Patrick on Fat

‘My sister and I both agree that without fat, we die. Just make sure it’s the healthy kind!’

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Patrick on How To Make a Tasty Green Smoothie

‘The colder the ingredients, the better.’

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Patrick on her Diet

‘I worry about the scale like anyone else, but I have to make it through 5-hour races. It’s a constant battle for me.’

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Patrick on Cooking

‘I tend to get more creative at night when I’m cooking.’

Danica Patrick’s Workout Routine

Weekly Routine

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Helping Hand

Patrick works out with her trainer Bob Alejo 4-5 days a week, and follows his advice when she works out on her own.

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Yoga Enthusiast

Patrick discovered yoga as part of her rehab, and swears by it. She says as well as improving strength and flexibility, it can in-spire you to accomplish more in your life.

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CrossFit Queen

Patrick digs CrossFit because of its intensity, and because you can do with with minimal equipment.

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Daily Dose

Patrick works out virtually every day. She runs for an hour, and does upper body exercises to strengthen her arms, shoulders and back so she can handle a car.

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Block It Out

Patrick enjoys inventing workouts, and will do blocks of different kinds of exercises with compound moves that really get the heart pumping.

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Take It Easy

During the racing off-season, Patrick still works out with her train-er, but she might miss a day once in a while. She says that it’s okay to take a rest day when you need it.

Exercise Style

A Danica Patrick Routine

Block 1
Do 15 rounds of the following:
10 butt kicks
10 high knees
10 jumping jacks
10 wacky jacks

Block 2
Next, do 15 rounds of these exercises:
4 alternate side lunges
4 alt jumping lunges
4 alt step ups

Block 3
Move on to 15 rounds of:
1 wall walk
2 hand release push-up
3 Supermans

Block 4
Finally, 15 rounds of:
3 way 2-pillow stack
4 straight leg sit-ups

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Patrick on Fitness

‘Make exercise a regular part of your everyday life, not a big pro-duction you have to wedge into your schedule.’

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Patrick On New Routines

‘I love making up workouts…I love the creativity about it.’

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Patrick on Home Gyms

Home gyms are incredibly easy to set up…If you’re on a tight schedule, working out at home is often the best option.’

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Patrick on CrossFit

If you have a few basic items, you can done a ton of stuff with it. Start with a kettlebell, a jump rope, a box and a couple of weights.’

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Patrick on Taking a Day Off

‘I skip a day here and there and don’t beat myself up for it.’

Danica Patrick’s Supplements

Probiotics + Electrolytes

Patrick takes a hydrating electrolyte formula that also contains prebiotics and probiotics to support a healthy gut biome.

Get it here

Hydration + Energy Booster

Patrick also takes an energy and hydration blend with beetroot, green coffee bean and citrulline.

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Hydration + Recovery

Another hydration product Patrick likes is electrolytes with BCAAs, and non-GMO collagen which help with post-workout recovery.

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Maca

Patrick often adds maca root to her morning smoothie. Maca is chock-full of antioxidants, helps balance hormones, and boosts energy, memory and mood.

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Chia Seeds

Another favorite of Patrick is chia. Full of plant protein and omega-3s which combat inflammation, chia seeds are considered a superfood that are good for your heart, digestion, and to regulate blood sugar.

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Hemp Seeds

Patrick also adds hemp seeds to her smoothie. Hemp seeds fight inflammation, support cardiovascular health, aid digestion and may even help control weight. Hemp seeds do not contain CBD.

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Danica Patrick’s Lifestyle

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Multiple Ways to Recover

Back in the early 2000s, Patrick met and married her physical the-rapist Paul Hospenthal while she was taking yoga to recover from a hip injury. It wasn’t destined to last, however, and they divorced 7 years later.

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Big Spender

Patrick says NFLer Aaron Rodgers was the first guy she ever dated who made more money than she did. Although there had been discussion of wedding bells, the pair split in 2020.

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Disappointing Denouement

Patrick was sad to go out on a fizzle rather than a bang when she crashed in lap 68 of the Indianapolis 500 in 2018.

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Booted

Patrick was a cheerleader in high school, but kicked off the team for missing too many practices due to her racing schedule.

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Firing Your Parents

Patrick’s dad was her coach, mechanic, crew chief and contract negotiator while her mother acted as her assistant. Patrick says it got to be too much, so she fired them.

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‘Good Enough Diploma’

Patrick opted to get her GED in 11th grade, which she called her ‘good-enough diploma,’ to focus on her racing career.

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Not Chipper Enough

Patrick turned down offers to appear on Dancing with the Stars, not because she can’t dance, but because she says her personali-ty isn’t bubbly enough, like fellow racer Helio Castroneves.

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Insurance Policy

Patrick did IVF and froze her eggs in case she decides she wants to be a mom some day. She found the hormone therapy uncom-fortable and didn’t like that it led to weight gain, and she isn’t counting out other options for motherhood.

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Super Bowl Queen

Patrick has appeared in over a dozen Super Bowl ads, many of them due to her partnership with GoDaddy.

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Super-Charged Life

Patrick co-wrote a self-help book entitled Pretty Intense about how to transform every aspect of your life to reach your highest potential. She also hosts a podcast with the same name.

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