This Low-Impact Workout Made Kristen Bell, 44, Feel ‘Physically Strong’ For The First Time Ever
Kristen Bell is currently starring in the new Netflix romantic-comedy series Nobody Wants This alongside Adam Brody, and people are legitimately freaking out over the Veronica Mars-Seth Cohen pairing. In the series, Kristen plays podcast host Joanne, who falls in love with “hot rabbi” Noah.
Naturally, there’s plenty of drama (he’s devoutly Jewish and she’s not)—but it’s also hard to miss the fact that Kristen looks seriously fit right now. Recently, she even joked in her Instagram Stories about how jacked her biceps look in one scene (because they totally do!).
So, what does the 44-year-old do for workouts? Here’s what she’s shared.
She attends Pilates classes three days a week.
Back in 2019, Kristen told Women’s Health that she’s a big fan of doing Pilates classes at Studio Metamorphosis, which was the first workout routine that she’s done consistently.
“I’ve always felt mentally strong because I’m adept and can banter and hold my own in a good conversation,” she said. “But I’ve never felt physically strong. I felt waifish…or pregnant. And I’m loving the fact that if we ever get attacked by ninjas, I would be a valuable asset.”
Kristen—who shares children Lincoln, 11, and Delta, 9, with husband Dax Shepard—tries to do classes three times a week. “It’s about the muscle in my body. Having children obliterated my abdominal wall,” she said. “Good night. That’s a wrap. And I thought, ‘Well, it’s never going to come back. What do I need it for? I’m married. Spanx exist. You don’t get everything all the time.’”
But Kristen said that Pilates brought back her strength. “I feel so much stronger, and it’s a physical feeling, but it’s also a mental one,” she said. “It should be the first stop for anyone who experiences depression or anxiety because it encourages serotonin and endorphins. I feel so much more centered, patient, capable. It sets the next 48 hours for me.”
She’s also a fan of cardio and strength training.
When she’s not crushing it in Pilates, she tries to get in and out of the gym in half an hour, Kristen previously told Shape. “Most days, I run or lift weights for at least 30 minutes,” she said. “Or I’ll take a CrossFit class.”
But Kristen is also realistic about her motivation. “If I don’t have the energy, I refuse to beat myself up,” she said. “Instead, I’ll do a 10-minute meditation or stretch class on YouTube to prioritize myself.”
She’s not super restrictive about her diet.
Kristen is a healthy eater, but this vegetarian isn’t scared of carbs. Breakfast might be egg whites, spinach, tomato, and feta, plus a salt bagel with cream cheese for a snack, she told WH. Her typical lunch, meanwhile, is a “garbage disposal salad,” featuring lettuce, avocados, raisins, carrots, blue cheese, and cucumbers.
“I’m not super restrictive. If they make au gratin potatoes, I’m going to have some, but I am mindful of the portion I take,” she said. “I find that through conscious eating, I’m able to have all the rewards and also maintain a healthy, steady diet.”
Back in 2012, Kristen told WH that she likes acorn squash, too. “I’ll make, like, eight acorn squash—they’re single servings—and put them all in a bowl, and that’s a cool thing to have instead of a salad,” she said.
But Kristen prefers to prepare her meals herself (versus ordering in or hiring a chef).
“I get too much joy out of cooking,” she told WH in 2019. “I wouldn’t actually feel comfortable coming home and having a meal served to me.”
She loves to try new workout tools.
Kristen is all about mixing things up when it comes to fitness, and she loves to cruise Instagram for inspiration. “If I see it, I’m getting it,” she told WH. “I can’t tell you how susceptible I am to it—I just want to try everything.”
As a result, she’s wound up with resistance bands, gliding discs, foam rollers, and more. “That algorithm works,” she joked.
Go, Kristen, go!
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
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