Why Mya Runs On a Treadmill In Heels
The 46-year-old singer shares the exercise routine that keeps her tour-ready.
Reported by Women's Health Magazine.
At 46, Mýa is still doing things most people wouldn't attempt in sneakers — let alone stilettos. The Grammy-winning singer has been a fixture in the gym for over 25 years, and her training philosophy is less about aesthetics and more about survival. Touring, she'll tell you, is brutal. "I definitely saw a difference, but also felt a difference, regarding my stamina and endurance for tour, which can be very brutal and demanding on the body," she said, according to Women's Health Magazine.
With her new album Retrospect out now, Mýa's routine is as intentional as ever — built around the specific demands of performing live for hours in heels. Her workouts aren't generic. They're engineered. Jump rope comes first, every time, because she's also a boxer and cardio before stretching is non-negotiable for injury prevention. From there: squat pulses, high-knees, fire hydrants, and hip stretches before she ever touches a weight.
The Method Behind the Moves
Glutes, she says, are the foundation of everything. "There's something about my posture that also changes when the glutes are fired," she explained — and as a dancer, strong glutes mean fewer knee injuries. It's not vanity training. It's structural maintenance for a body that has to deliver, night after night, on stage. Once she's warmed up, she moves into upper body work: reverse flys, bicep curls, tricep dips. The full picture is a routine that hits every system a performer needs — power, endurance, stability.
And then there's the treadmill moment that breaks the internet a little: Mýa runs and dances on it in heels, sometimes while singing, specifically to simulate concert conditions. It sounds extreme. It also makes complete sense. If your job requires you to hit a high note while executing choreography in four-inch platforms, you'd better train exactly like that.
Her stated goal isn't a number on a scale or a specific physique — it's longevity. "I want to be strong. Injury prevention, that's a key of mine." Two and a half decades in, Mýa is proof that the most sustainable fitness routine is one built entirely around your actual life — not someone else's idea of what your body should do.
Read the original at Women's Health Magazine.
