The singer and actress opens up about her go-to diet strategy, how she improves a bad mood, and the advice she'd give her 20-year-old self.
Kelly Rowland is starring in a new Lifetime movie and launching a makeup line—yet she never misses a good sweat session to find her calm and turn a lousy mood around. And the 35-year-old music phenom also makes a point to focus on her greatest blessings: Titan, her 2-year-old son, and husband Tim Witherspoon. Health recently caught up with Rowland at Ulta Beauty during an event supporting the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, where she shared secrets about her fitness routine and how she makes self-care a priority.
My food philosophy is…
Someone taught me the 80/20 rule, and I truly believe in it. Eighty percent of the time, you eat the food that your body needs—to nourish it, for you to have energy. Twenty percent of the time, you treat yourself and eat for pleasure. My 20 percent is stuffed with wine and cheese and bread.
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The truth about “body after baby” is…
It does not happen overnight. I am sick of people saying, “Oh yeah, I’ve bounced back.” That bounce back is BS. It took me 10 months to a year to get back to where I felt comfortable—like my old jeans fit. You have to work really hard to get there. I would much rather eat a doughnut, but I know I need to have myself on a treadmill or bike or doing yoga. And celebrities have money for trainers!
My bad-mood cure is…
Exercising, because it makes me happy. I’m mad while I’m thinking about having to do it, but then I get happy afterward.
I wish I had known at age 20…
To really get into a sport so my body could be built like an athlete. If I had thought about it at 20, I would have been running around like the track stars from the Olympics. Their bodies are so sculptured and beautiful.
I hope my son inherits my…
Trustworthiness. And I want him to have a great work ethic. I think I’ve been taught that. I just want him to be a great person.