I attended yoga classes to help replicate Meghan Markle’s lifestyle choices (Image: Hanisha Sethi)
Meghan Markle once again made headlines at the weekend when she stepped out in a gorgeous recycled Carolina Herrera gown.
The Duchess, 43, sparked a frenzy at the LA Children’s Hospital gala wearing the £4,595 with many complimenting her ‘glowing skin’ and ‘toned arms’.
But just how does Meghan achieve this flawless look? As the world awaits to see if Meghan Markle’s popular lifestyle blog makes a comeback, I read The Tig’s archived blogs to learn more about the Duchess of Sussex’s lifestyle routines and habits before she married Prince Harry – during her days as an actor on the TV series, ‘Suits‘.
Her blog, The Tig, which ran between 2014 and 2017, shared a number of heart-warming recipes with readers, such as pumpkin and lentil soup, ginger berry crumble, and the signature tig cup, which is essentially “the tig’s take on a Pimm’s cup” as she once described.
Throughout her countless media appearances over the years, Meghan has shared wellness tips with fans and has never been afraid to boldly state her love for hot yoga, weighted hikes, and passion for cooking hearty dishes such as “a solid Bolognese sauce”.
To put the former actor’s fit and healthy lifestyle to the test, I attempted to follow a few of her classic recipes to see if I could keep up with the routine of an athletic celebrity, and I documented my progress along the way.
I usually begin my morning routine, like most Londoners, with a cup of strong coffee, notably a cappuccino with dairy milk. I knew I instantly had to change this habit as Meghan Markle prefers a healthier morning alternative.
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Meghan Markle documented recipes on her lifestyle blog, The Tig. (Image: Getty)
Every morning, I replaced my coffee with a cup of warm, filtered, lemon water. Author of Finding Freedom (2020), Omid Scobie, claims the Duchess enjoys this healthy drink on a daily basis. According to Holland and Barrett, warm lemon water is a good source of vitamin C, is said to improve digestion, and can provide a “much-needed hydration hit”.
Swapping my light breakfasts for a Markle-approved alternative was the trickiest accomplishment during the week. With having a few 7am starts for work, I knew I had to find the time to make a Meghan-friendly breakfast, and for me, this process was a little gruelling.
Back in 2015, Meghan revealed: “Don’t get me started on açai bowls; I am so deeply in love with them – thick and creamy açai berries blended and topped with fresh fruit, coconut, a drizzle of honey, some granola, and a sprinkle of bee pollen…”
Making my own version of an açai bowl which included coconut flakes, raspberries, sliced banana, with a drizzle of honey, did kick-start my mornings in a positive way.
On some occasions, I found that instead of mixing milk in the bowl, I used yoghurt to create a thicker consistency and ended up preferring the taste.
I enjoyed making bolognese sauce for hearty suppers (Image: Hanisha Sethi)
I baked a lemon olive cake recipe, following Meghan Markle’s methods (Image: Hanisha Sethi)
During the Duchess of Sussex’s interview with US Variety magazine in 2022, she claimed one of her best dishes was a “solid Bolognese sauce”. It seems to be a classic choice among royalty, as it is suggested Prince William also used to make this dish for Princess Kate whilst they were studying at the University of St Andrews in Scotland.
Bolognese is a dish I would have usually made for an evening meal. I absolutely love the aromas of fresh herbs, minced lamb, and a classic ragu, simmering for hours on an autumn evening.
With Meghan Markle and Prince Harry having two wonderful young children, Prince Archie, four, and Princess Lilibet, two, I can imagine a good Bolognese with spaghetti could potentially be a fun meal for them to enjoy together in their family home.
Although it is claimed the 42-year-old mainly enjoys a plant-based meal, her go-to dish is fish tacos, as she is a proud Californian girl at heart. Meghan is a huge fan of sushi and has also been spotted heading into sushi restaurants in her hometown as well as when she lived in Toronto.
I followed a fish taco recipe one evening, and I was impressed by the outcome. Grilling white fish, with oven-baked red pepper and fried red onion, I placed the ingredients into flour tacos, but I included a naughty dollop of sweet salsa to spice up the dish.
I made blended green juices and on ‘cheat days’ purchased a green smoothie from juice bars (Image: Hanisha Sethi)
There was one lifestyle routine of Meghan Markle’s I was dreading to follow – yoga.
Both Markle and her mother, Doria Ragland, share the hobby together. It is said Doria introduced the Duchess of Sussex to yoga when she was a young girl, and Meghan’s mum continues to teach classes in Los Angeles.
It is no secret that Meghan loves yoga, in particular hot vinyasa flow yoga, and she has often been pictured coming out of studios in notable outfits.
I much prefer team sports, such as tennis and volleyball because I have a competitive edge and I therefore find yoga a little tiresome. I must admit, it was painful to fit the classes into my routine.
Previously speaking to Express.co.uk, Health and Fitness expert, Sarah Campus, has spoken about Meghan’s exercise routine.
Ms Campus said: “Yoga is more than just a physical workout. Yoga itself means union between body and mind, and taking even just a few minutes to practice can help refuel one’s spirit and sense of self which has been reflected upon Meghan.”
“Yoga generates heat within the muscles, which reduces the risk of injury so that you can safely burn as many as 600 calories a session while conditioning your entire body.”
Acai Bowl (Image: Getty (Stock Image))
There is speculation whether Meghan Markle will relaunch her social media and her blog (Image: Getty)
Overall, snacking was my favourite part of the Meghan Markle lifestyle challenge. The Duchess has been known to bake lemon cakes, and sometimes nibble on apple slices with peanut butter throughout the day.
Meghan recently lifted the lid on her lemon olive cake recipe, which went viral online, so I couldn’t resist trying out the method at home. The mother-of-two’s sweet treat includes fresh lemons being plucked from citrus trees in the garden of her Montecito mansion.
I made my version with an extra dollop of extra virgin olive oil, halved the sugar, and the results were fantastic. Having made the cake at the beginning of the week, I had slices in the afternoon to consume whenever I felt a little peckish.
Overall, my week closely following Meghan Markle’s lifestyle was tiresome having a naturally hectic journalism lifestyle, but I did prefer opting for healthier food choices when I had the chance. Many of Meghan’s dinner choices, which took longer to prepare, such as a roast chicken, or soup, were preferable to make over a weekend, rather than on a busy weeknight.
If Meghan Markle does re-launch her lifestyle blog and brand, I will be interested to see how her food tastes have evolved and where and who she has gained inspiration from, for new recipes.