Quick answer: Audrey Hepburn trained in ballet from age 13 and later stayed fit with long, target-free walks, often with her dogs. Zendaya prepared for Challengers (2024) with about two hours of tennis, then up to two hours of gym work, five days a week. Both built routines around movement they enjoyed.
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How did Audrey Hepburn stay fit?
Her son Luca Dotti wrote in Vanity Fair that “at 13, she wanted to become a ballerina and began working hard toward achieving that goal.” Later, in Rome, he said many people knew her “as a woman who was fond of taking her children to school and of going on long walks with her dogs.”
Her partner Robert Wolders told People: “We’d walk for miles. She could outwalk me. She never said, ‘I have to do five miles today.’ She didn’t diet.”
What did Audrey Hepburn eat?
Wolders described a typical day as “brown bread with jam for breakfast, lunch would be chicken or veal or pasta, often with vegetables from the garden, and for dinner we often had soup with chicken and vegetables.” She finished with a little baking chocolate after dinner.
Dotti told Salon that she ate little meat and that vegetables, “from carrots to potatoes to green peas to salad, were always on the table.” He told People she “always bought what was in season” and believed “you should take your time for meals.” Her favourite dish was spaghetti al pomodoro.
How did Zendaya train for Challengers?
According to the ATP Tour, tennis coach Brad Gilbert spent seven weeks with Zendaya in Malibu before the cast moved to a camp at the Weymouth Club near Boston. Gilbert told the ATP Tour: “We would practise from seven to nine … Right away they had to go to the gym from nine to 11,” with lines rehearsed in the afternoon.
Strength coach Bryan Doo told Women’s Health the gym work ran up to two hours a day, five days a week. Each session opened with about 30 minutes of sprints and ladder or slide-board drills, then full-body strength: overhead slams, curtsy lunges, Romanian deadlifts, chest presses, TRX work and squats with 15 to 20 pound weights, finishing with stretching. “She was up for anything that would make her look like a tennis player,” he said. Between sessions she refuelled with sandwiches, smoothies or protein bars.
A note on the schedule: Gilbert told GQ the court sessions ran Monday to Saturday, while Women’s Health reports five days a week. We use the Women’s Health and ATP Tour figures here.
Where does dance fit into Zendaya’s fitness?
Zendaya starred in Disney Channel’s Shake It Up (2010 to 2013) and finished second on Dancing with the Stars season 16 in 2013. She told Vogue that tennis clicked when “I started treating it more like dance … copying mannerisms, copying footwork.” She also told Variety, honestly, that working out “isn’t necessarily something I do without having the motivation of work to do.”
Then vs now: side by side
| Habit | Audrey Hepburn (Rome, 1970s to 1980s) | Zendaya (Challengers prep, 2022) |
|---|---|---|
| Movement | Long daily walks, often with her dogs, no mileage target | Tennis 7 to 9 am, gym 9 to 11 am, coach led |
| Skill base | Ballet from age 13 | Dance: Shake It Up and Dancing with the Stars |
| Strength work | None reported | Curtsy lunges, Romanian deadlifts, squats with 15 to 20 lb |
| Food | Seasonal vegetables, little meat, pasta, a little chocolate | Extra calories: sandwiches, smoothies, protein bars |
| Mindset | “She never said, I have to do five miles today.” | Treated tennis “more like dance” |
Gallery: Audrey Hepburn and Zendaya
Then vs now: what can you borrow?
- From Audrey: walk often, somewhere you enjoy, without chasing a number. Eat seasonal food and take your time at meals.
- From Zendaya: when you have a goal, commit to a fixed training block, and learn new skills the way a dancer learns choreography.
- From both: pick movement you like, because that is the routine you will keep.
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Related on Beauty of Health: Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow workout vs Marilyn Monroe’s 1952 protein plate, home workout equipment, and how to track sleep and blood oxygen at home.
FAQ
Did Audrey Hepburn work out?
Not in a gym sense. She trained in ballet from 13 and later relied on long walks, with no mileage target, according to Robert Wolders.
How long did Zendaya train each day for Challengers?
About two hours of tennis in the morning, then up to two hours in the gym, five days a week, according to Brad Gilbert (ATP Tour) and Bryan Doo (Women’s Health).
Did Zendaya’s dance background help with tennis?
Yes, in her words. She told Vogue she started treating tennis like dance, copying footwork and mannerisms.
Is walking enough exercise?
Walking is a good base for most people. Check with your doctor before starting a new routine, especially if you have a health condition.
Glossary
- Curtsy lunge: a lunge where the back leg crosses behind the front leg.
- Romanian deadlift (RDL): a hip hinge with soft knees that works the hamstrings and glutes.
- Shadowing: copying a stroke or movement without the ball, like rehearsing choreography.
Sources: Vanity Fair (Luca Dotti, 2013); People (Robert Wolders, 2017); Salon (2015); People (Luca Dotti, 2015); ATP Tour (2024); GQ (2024); Women’s Health (2024); Vogue (2024); Variety (2024).
Image credits: Then vs now chart by Beauty of Health. Title cards by Beauty of Health. Audrey Hepburn photos: Bud Fraker/Paramount (1953, used in the title card), MGM publicity (1959) and Maureen Keating/Library of Congress (1991), all public domain. Zendaya photos: Gage Skidmore (CC BY-SA 2.0, used in the title card) and Glenn Francis (CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped), via Wikimedia Commons.