For Lea Michele, embracing a 360-degree approach to enhance how she looks and feels has been a long journey that didn’t just happen overnight.
“My quest with wellness has really grown over the past 10 years that I’ve lived in Los Angeles,” the New York City native tells Us Weekly exclusively. “It’s not one thing, it’s not two things, it’s a lot of things combined that I feel all together really contribute to making me look and feel my absolute best.”
The Glee alum, 31, implements key wellness pillars into her daily life: a healthy diet, regular workouts, plus ample sleep and mental breaks. “It’s not rocket science, it’s the basics … it seems simple because it’s like ‘Work out! Eat right!’ But that’s what it is. That’s what you have to do,” she says.
Michele attributes her ability to stick to a superhealthy diet with her mindset toward food. “Every single thing that I put into my body is to nourish and fuel my body. I have always felt that food is fuel,” she tells Us. “What you’re eating is going to help your body so I don’t eat junk food, I don’t eat processed food. I keep only fresh, healthy ingredients in my home so I can feel my absolute best.”
Surprisingly, many of her healthy go-tos are extremely simple. Case in point: Every morning, she drinks a cup of warm water with lemon as well as a celery juice. “Just to flush out your body is so important,” she notes. “Celery juice is so incredibly good for your liver and it is a great cleanse first thing in the morning. I’ve seen it improve my digestion so much.”
The Scream Queens star — who cops to being a big fan of the Goop Podcast: “It helps me so much” — also spends a lot of time in the kitchen. “I’ve been cooking more lately than I ever have in my entire life … there’s no food that can give me better nutrition than the food that I can make myself because I know every single ingredient that I am putting in,” she reveals to Us.
To whip up some of favorite healthy meals (veggie breakfast scramble, grilled salmon with asparagus, homemade veggie soup, and peach and goat cheese salad to name a few), the self-proclaimed pescatarian hits up the farmer’s market for the freshest ingredients. “I don’t crave fast food or fatty foods or salty foods because I am giving my body so many incredible nutrients that I never feel deprived yet the majority of the things I am eating throughout the day are vegetables and greens,” she tells Us. “I feel so energized by the food that I’m eating … it enriches my body and gives me every single thing that I need.”
The OLLY Vitamin ambassador says that, for her, even though she knows she gets tons of vital nutrients via her daily diet, “I’m superbusy, so for me to have vitamins that are packed with such goodness is so great — I love their Women’s Multi because it has everything that I need all in one thing … you do need that extra boost.”
To work up a sweat, Michele hits up SoulCycle and hot CorePower Yoga (with her bestie and fellow Glee alum Becca Tobin) two times a week. “I like any workout that not only is taking care of my body from a physical aspect but is also mentally [beneficial] as well,” she says. She also loves to hike with fiancé Zandy Reich. “He’s a great workout buddy,” she tells Us. “We have so many trails here on the West Coast so I love being outdoors and getting in a workout outside.”
Every night before bed, the Mayor actress follows a series of rituals to ensure she gets her beauty sleep — first a bath followed by a cup of tea before cozying up in soft pajamas. “My fiancé is so sweet. Before bed, he’ll be like ‘Is it routine time?’ I’ll be like ‘Yep! Starting the routine!’” she says. “It’s so important and you wake up feeling so good and you have all the energy you need to conquer your day.”
