Body Watch: Beyonce's Devoted to Cardio, Doesn't Recommend the Cleanse Diet

Beyonce Knowles is bigger than life. She's won 16 Grammys, Forbes ranked her as the #9 Most Powerful and Influential musician, and she's married to hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, who's worth over $450 million. Her body, though, isn't so superhuman. Her realistic curves have set a healthy, athletic, and of course, bootylicious standard for women.

A quick Google search for "Beyonce" and "diet" brings up articles about a lemon juice and cayenne pepper fast, which has become known as the "Beyonce Diet." The mega-star turned to the cleanse to quickly drop pounds for Dreamgirls, but she doesn't want to be the diet's poster girl. Beyonce's diet is really a lifestyle choice. She sticks to low-carb, low-cal foods, runs everyday, circuit trains, and we've all seen her dance.
Diet: In 2006, Beyonce candidly talked about relying on the "Master Cleanse" (also known as "Lemonade Diet," "Maple Syrup Diet," and now the "Beyonce Diet"), to drop 20 pounds for her role as a svelte '60s singer in Dreamgirls. Since then, she's been associated with the 10-day detox, which consists of lemon juice, cayenne pepper, grade-B maple syrup and no food. “It was necessary to lose weight really fast. My nutritionist suggested the only way to do that was the (lemonade diet) fast," she told China Daily. “I would never recommend it to anyone unless you are doing a movie and it’s necessary."

She said after drinking up to 12 lemon juice and cayenne pepper concoctions a day, she was "cranky" and couldn't wait to eat again. "As soon as it was over, I gained the weight back," she said. But Beyonce wasn't pining for the skinnier version of herself. "I'm very conscious of being a curvy woman and I'm very happy that I am a curvy woman," she told People at the time.

When Beyonce's not trying to magically drop 20 pounds, she sticks to a low-carb, low-fat, low-calorie diet that consists mainly of lean proteins and vegetables. She tries to avoid red meat, bread and alcohol, but she's not immune to cravings. She's said walnut ice-cream and soul food are her biggest guilty pleasures.

Exercise: Beyonce works out five times a week: each day she goes on a four-mile run (or does high-incline intervals on the treadmill) and then does 45 minutes of free weights. Her trainer adds 100 squats, step-ups, walking lunges, bicep curls and boxing punches into some sessions. Beyonce fits in a yoga class each week, which she finds "therapeutic." She said: "Every time I take a class, I want to cry. I don't know if it's because I'm relaxing, or if it's that by the end of the class, your body can do things it couldn't do in the beginning, so you feel accomplished and emotional."

When the holiday season rolls around, Beyonce, like most Americans, usually lets herself go. She then finds herself becoming a fitness buff for three months after Christmas, only to taper off again. "All New Years I do stairs – they are the best thing for butt cheeks," she told Self.

The singer, who's latest album centered around her courageous alter-ego, "Sasha Fierce," gets an intense workout from high-intensity dance routines. While rehearsing for tours, she practices her choreography nine hours a day, seven days a week – in sky-high heels, of course.

Bring It To Politics: Earlier this year, Beyonce helpedMichelle Obama ramp up her cool factor when they teamed up for the "Let's Move! Flash Workout!" campaign, which fights childhood obesity. The R&B icon put together a dance/exercise routine video to her 2007 song, "Get Me Bodied" that was later distributed to school children. It was a great moment of political and pop culture synergy when the First Lady busted out Beyonce's moves at an elementary school in DC.

It's All About Confidence: If Beyonce's re-glamorized the hourglass figure, she's done the same for female confidence. Thanks to her strong influence on young women, Beyonce's made it cool to feel really good about your true self. She's also not afraid to own up to her own insecurities. Beyonce told Self: "I go through stages like every woman. I like being curvy but sometimes I get curvy in the wrong places."

The star doesn't feel comfortable being labeled as the "most beautiful" or "most sexy" woman; she believes the words hold different meanings for everyone. But she does believe in confidence. "The most attractive quality a woman can have is self-confidence," she toldCosmopolitan. "You have to feel good about yourself so that others feel good about you." And even if you don't have the time or resources for yoga, expensive training sessions and daily runs, anyone can adopt that kind of self-love.

Body Watch gives the dish on how Hollywood's hottest women get their bodies, keep their bodies, and create their own healthy lifestyle mantras. 

See more photos of Beyonce strolling the beach:

Beyonce and Jay-Z take a vacation in the French Riviera with friends. They take a tour of the Ile Sainte-Marguerite, the largest of the Lerins Islands, riding together in a motorboat. Later on Beyonce goes off jet-skiing on her own. (Bauer Griffin)
Beyonce and Jay-Z take a vacation in the French Riviera with friends. They take a tour of the Ile Sainte-Marguerite, the largest of the Lerins Islands, riding together in a motorboat. Later on Beyonce goes off jet-skiing on her own. (Bauer Griffin)Wearing a crop top on vacay:

Beyonce and Jay-Z enjoy lunch with friends at the famous Eden Roc Hotel before taking a boat back to their yacht. (Bauer Griffin)Performing with her hubby at Coachella:

Beyonce joined her rapper husband Jay-Z onstage to perform together at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California. Beyonce stayed at the stage side for most of his set before dueting with her hubbie on his finale song 'Young Forever'. (Pacific Coast News)
Beyonce joined her rapper husband Jay-Z onstage to perform together at the Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California. Beyonce stayed at the stage side for most of his set before dueting with her hubbie on his finale song 'Young Forever'. (Pacific Coast News)Filming a music video in a bedazzled bikini:

Singers Beyonce Knowles and Alicia Keys are decked out in authentic Samba costumes as they film their new music video for their duet "Put it in a Love Song." . (Bauer Griffin)more pics »Sporting a bright yellow bikini:

Beyonce Knowles shows off her toned body in a bright yellow bikini. (Bauer Griffin)
Beyonce Knowles shows off her toned body in a bright yellow bikini. (Bauer Griffin)more pics »
Beyonce Knowles shows off her toned body in a bright yellow bikini. (Bauer Griffin)And looking high-couture glam on the red carpet:

Singer Beyonce attends the "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty" Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2011 in New York City. (Getty Images)
Jay Z and Beyonce attend the "Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty" Costume Institute Gala at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 2, 2011 in New York City. (Getty Images)