Former NASCAR driver Danica Patrick has revealed the diet and exercise routine behind her athletic physique in a series of social media posts.
The 44-year-old retired racing star shared details of her weightlifting schedule and high-protein diet with followers on Instagram following a summer vacation across southern Europe.
Addressing frequent inquiries about her fitness after posting a picture of herself in a bikini aboard a boat, Patrick explained that her daily meal choices focus heavily on protein intake while avoiding strict restrictions on carbohydrates.
"I eat the s*** out of protein. I don't care about vegetables," Patrick wrote in a caption on her Instagram story. She added that she does not avoid carbs, writing: "I eat sourdough bread, rice and potatoes."
When discussing her training regimen in the gym, Patrick said she keeps her exercise schedule surprisingly straightforward rather than spending long hours working out every day.
"Lift weights three times a week at most," Patrick revealed. She noted that taking extended time off during the summer did not derail her physical condition. "Took six total weeks off this summer and still have abs," she wrote. "It is much easier to keep muscle than build it. Put in the work."
Patrick also shared a photograph showing her relaxed side at home, posing with a glass of white wine while covered in pet fur. "And I love wine!!!! I put up with the dog hair," she wrote in the accompanying caption.
European Travel and Motorsport Career
The fitness updates follow a whirlwind travel schedule for the former driver, who recently returned from vacationing along the Amalfi Coast in Italy and the south of France alongside her boyfriend and close friends. She shared a slew of pictures from the trip on social media.
Patrick is widely recognized as the most successful female driver in the history of American open-wheel racing. She became the only woman to win an IndyCar Series race following her victory at the 2008 Indy Japan 300, and she achieved the highest career finish by a woman in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500 before retiring from competition.
Aaron Rodgers Podcast Comments
Her social media posts come shortly after her ex-boyfriend, NFL legend Aaron Rodgers, publicly criticized their past relationship during an appearance on the "Not Just Football" podcast hosted by his Pittsburgh Steelers teammate Cam Heyward earlier this month.
Rodgers hit out at Patrick and other former partners during the interview, claiming they only attract public attention by mentioning his name. He rejected Patrick's past description of him as a "monster partner," an accusation she made in an interview last year when she described their relationship as "emotionally abusive" and said it "wore me down to nothing."
"No one cares what they have to say until they say my name," Rodgers said during the podcast appearance. "I dated two women who nobody gives a f*** about unless they drop my name - and they like to say their version of the history of what actually happened."
Rodgers added: "So I'm this monster of a partner and it's just f***ing horses***. Number one: Why are you still talking about me? It's been years."
He claimed Patrick was struggling after retiring from motorsport in November 2017 when they were together. "I dated Danica. She had just retired. She was depressed and not fun to be around. But I didn't leave her because I was trying to be there and be a good partner. Then it was going a certain direction obviously. There was no intimacy; there was nothing," Rodgers said.
Describing the end of their relationship, Rodgers recalled: "I'm buying a house in Malibu and she goes, 'Do you want to buy it together?' And I said no. And she said, 'You know what that means then?' And I said, 'Yeah, that's the way things are going.' She said, 'Well, let's get counseling.' Then we got counseling. Then Covid hits and we're stuck together."
He disputed her account of their breakup, adding: "She tells a story that she was so blindsided and getting left by you, and that he leaves a trail of blood around him. And I'm like, what are you talking about? That's not what happened."
Relationship Timeline and Background
Patrick and Rodgers began dating in January 2018 and made their red-carpet debut together at that year's ESPY awards.
At the end of 2019, the couple bought a home together in Malibu, California, where they spent the first few months of 2020 living together in the beach town during the initial COVID-19 lockdowns. However, the pair split in July 2020 after just over two years together.
Rodgers, a longtime NFL quarterback and Super Bowl champion who spent 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers before spells with the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers, is currently two games into his final NFL season.
