Rita Ora focuses on her "thighs and bum" when she works out.

Rita Ora

Rita Ora

The 26-year-old singer has upped her fitness "game" this year by exercising for "one or two hours" in the gym where she concentrates on her lower body area and by eating a balanced diet, but the star has admitted she doesn't exercise to get "skinnier" but to feel stronger and healthier.

Speaking to Shape magazine about her new lifestyle, the blonde-haired beauty said: ""I'm not going to lie and say I was completely happy with my body before. I knew I could change a few things to improve my stamina, especially onstage. I didn't start working out to get skinnier - I started working out to feel better. And I think it's important for women to know that. Don't be obsessed with being thin. You just have to be fit, healthy, and strong.

"I've been the girl on tour who eats when she can and goes along when the band wants to go out all the time. But you just can't keep that up. You start thinking, 'I miss feeling good!' This past year, I've really been on my game by eating right and going to the gym. As a result, I'm focused now, and I get a lot more done.

"I do circuit training. I usually work out for one or two hours, depending on how much time I have. I do three circuits and repeat that three times. I mostly focus on my thighs and my bum, so I do a lot of squats and weight lifting. And I do one circuit of cardio. What I've learned is that you can take your time with training. You don't have to beat yourself up as long as you get in the workouts that you need. I used to push myself until I felt sick. But I'm approaching it differently now. I enjoy working out. And I like the aftermath - that feeling of contentment.

"[But] I love my shape because it's curvy. I have thighs. I'm a size 28 in jeans. And that's an average, normal size. I'm proud that I'm normal."

However, the 'Black Widow' hitmaker sometimes struggles to wake up and immediately go for a run, and she has revealed she has to look at photographs of 47-year-old musician Jennifer Lopez or 43-year-old actress Kate Beckinsale to "motivate" her to work out.

She explained: "Sometimes it's hard. I don't just wake up and run to the gym. When I need to motivate myself to work out, I look at pictures of women like Jennifer Lopez and Kate Beckinsale. They look incredible! If they can look like that, I have no excuse.