Julianne Hough, one of the new judges on “America’s Got Talent,” is one of the most inspiring celebrities when it comes to health and wellness. With her gorgeously glowing skin, strong-is-sexy physique and super-positive personality, the dancer-slash-actress-slash-singer is clearly living her best life possible, and we can all gain something from her wellness wisdom.
Here are all of Hough’s best tips, tricks and tactics for looking and feeling her very best — from everything she eats in a day, to how she works out and how many hours of shut-eye she gets every night.
Hough Sleeps a Lot
Hough makes sure to get her beauty sleep — thanks to her husband, NHL star Brooks Laich. “He is the champion of championing our healthy living,” she previously told Yeahlivestrong.com. “He wakes up early and goes to bed early, so if I want to hang out with him I have to go to bed early and wake up early.”
Hough generally goes to bed around 10 pm and wakes up around 7 am, aiming for at least eight hours of sleep per night.
Hough Is a Fan of Priming
Hough likes to start the day off stress-free, relying on the Tony Robbins promoted morning breathing exercise known as priming. “I breathe in and out of my nose 30 times, for three times, and I think of things that I’m grateful for,” she told LIVESTRONG. “Or things I want to achieve that day. And by achieve, I mean put a smile on someone’s face.”
Taking the time to do some breathing exercises is not only beneficial for your mental health, but can also improve physical health as well. Multiple studies have shown that deep-breathing exercises can lower blood pressure and improving memory function.
Setting Goals — Every Day
After her priming session, Hough sets daily goals, making sure they are attainable. “I think when sometimes we put goals that are so big out there and they feel so far away it can be discouraging,” she told LIVESTRONG.
Hough Juices
Hough starts her morning off right by downing a glass of energizing fresh juice, full of essential vitamins and minerals, concocted by her husband. The ingredients? Beets, celery, cucumber, lemon and ginger. In a blog written by Laich and posted on Hough’s website, the hockey star explained that it’s crucial to leave “skins intact” on all the fruits and veggies. Also, for optimal absorption it’s best to drink the juice on an empty stomach within 12 minutes of preparation. “After too long, the juice starts to oxidize and lose valuable nutrients and antioxidants,” he wrote.
Hough’s Breakfast
Hough revealed to Delish that she likes to switch up her breakfast. Some of her go-to’s include eggs, avocado toast and yogurt with granola. She also likes to drink tea in the morning — English Breakfast with a splash of skim milk and sweetened with stevia.
Mixing Up Her Workouts
Hough, who likes to exercise in the morning, explained to Health that she keeps her body challenged by changing up her workouts. “It’s not one specific trainer who does everything,” she said. “I work with a trainer at Body by Simone or one at Tracy Anderson, or I’ll do SoulCycle or CorePower Yoga with different trainers. I’m a dancer, so I remember different combinations, so I’ll sometimes take what I’ve learned in classes and make my own workout.”
Drinking Protein Shakes and Smoothies
Right after completing her workouts, Hough recharges with a protein-packed shake, either with added protein powder or made out of protein-rich ingredients.
One of her favorites is an Apple Pie smoothie, courtesy of trainer, Harley Pasternak, made with five raw almonds, one red apple, one small frozen banana, six oz. fat free plain Greek yogurt, ½ cup almond milk and ½ tsp ground cinnamon.
Hough’s Lunch
Hough revealed to People that she keeps her lunch simple, pairing a lean meat with greens and veggies. An average mid-day meal would be a boneless, skinless chicken breast, over mixed green salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, hearts of palm, almonds, edamame, banana peppers, and olive oil and squeezed lemon.
Another one of her favorite concoctions is a lemon garlic shrimp salad with high-fiber whole-grain bread croutons and a dressing made out of Greek yogurt, EVOO, lemon juice, anchovy paste, Dijon mustard and garlic. You can get the full recipe on her website.
Hough’s Dinner
Hough revealed to People that her final meal of the day is quite similar to lunch. You can expect her to nosh on something like a 6 oz. piece of salmon baked with sliced lemon and rosemary, with olive oil and 2 cups sautéed spinach sprinkled with pink salt.
She also told SELF that one of her favorite dinners is pretty simple: sweet potatoes, chicken and veggies.
If she has a hankering for dessert, she will munch on 5 dark chocolate covered almonds.
Drinking Lots of Water
Hough knows the importance of drinking plenty of water. In order to ensure proper hydration her water bottle is basically attached to her at all times. “I have this water bottle that goes everywhere with me,” she revealed to Delish. “Every night, before bed, I put ice in it and fill it to the top — it holds 40 ounces of water — and I drink it throughout the night. Not all of it, obviously, but I have to have cold water before I go to bed.”
In addition to flat water, she also enjoys sipping on LaCroix seltzer throughout the day.
Hough’s Cheat Meal
Hough eats extremely healthy most of the time, but even she has a vice — and it may surprise you. She and her brother, Derek, have a very unique lunch they like to indulge in: peanut butter, honey and banana sandwiches stuffed with salt and vinegar potato chips for added crunch and tanginess. “I had peanut butter and banana sandwiches as a kid, and in England, we’d put chips in our sandwiches, so one day, we just combined them, and it was so good,” she explained to Delish.
Relying On Healthy Fats
Because Hough suffers from endometriosis, a disease in which the uterus lining that normally grows on the inside of the uterus grows on the outside, causing extreme pain and fertility complications, and healthy fats are scientifically proven to help with it, she makes sure to fuel up on them throughout the day. “I love avocados so much,” she told Yeahlivestrong. “Sometimes I’ll just scoop it right out of the shell — which my husband hates. I’m like ‘give me all your avocados!'”
Loading Up On Carbs
While some people cut carbs out of their diet to lose weight, Hough maintains that adding carbs — the good kind — helped her achieve her best body ever. In fact, she told Us Weekly she consumes good carbs such as sweet potatoes, whole grain bread and vegetables, “every single meal.” “I thought they were my enemy, but they’re actually my best friend.”
She points out that when you deprive yourself, you start craving “bad” carbs, such as pasta and pizza. “Everybody is so afraid of carbs — they talk about them in a negative way, like, ‘Carbs make me fat or bloated’ — but just pick the right one and have a little bit.”
Moving All Day Long
While it might not be realistic to exercise every hour of the day, Hough tries to incorporate movement into every activity. “I work out while I’m brushing my teeth, while I’m making dinner. I do little things around the house while I’m there. Or if I’ll be out all day and won’t be about to get in my normal workout, I’ll just do a couple little exercises on my own to get my body moving,” she told PopCulture.
Her on-the-go moves include holding on to the side of a wall for calf raises, “or I might do a little squat or two or lunge forward or a couple side oblique crunches,” she says.
Hough’s Dance Workouts
While she enjoys lots of workouts, Hough’s true passion is dancing — not only because of the emotional release and building endorphins, but also because of how it strengthens her body. “With dancing, you use every muscle in your body. Even muscles you didn’t know you had because they’re so deep,” she told Yeahlivestrong. “The way that you move your body is what makes a dancer’s body.”
Wearing a Fitness Tracker
You probably won’t catch Hough without her fitness monitor on, as she explains it helps keep track of her every movement — ranging from washing the dishes and brushing her teeth to dancing or exercising — as it “helps you, reminds you,” she says. “When I have a reminder and I see I’ve only done 4,000 steps, I know I have to get up and move,” she told AOL. She also wears it to sleep at night, which helps her ensure the proper amount of shut eye.
Fitness Pact with Husband
The couple who sweat together, stay together, according to Hough. Before she tied the knot to Laich, the two made a fitness pact. “When I first met Brooks, he told me that we both need to protect the things that are important to us, and we both sat down and thought about it and asked ourselves, ‘What are the things that I need to protect that I would eventually get resentful over?'” she told PopCulture.
While the two don’t always work out together and have different times they like to break a sweat, they agree to support each other and their commitments to healthy living — even if it means sneaking away for two-hour workouts. “He is the champion of championing our healthy living,” she gushed to Yeahlivestrong.com about her husband.
Never Skipping a Workout
There’s no excuse good enough to skip your workout, claims Hough. “Wouldn’t you rather take an hour off and ask a neighbor to watch your kids or something so that you can have some space and time for you to then be a better wife or mom?” Hough told Popculture. “I think it’s important to have your own space and your own time to be the best version of you.” To her, healthy living isn’t just “a vanity thing.” Instead, it is crucial if you want to have “clear thought, make good choices, be positive, be a great example for your family or friends and be courageous enough to take risks.”
Taking “Me Time”
Life can be pretty demanding, which is why self-care is super important for Hough’s mental health. “If I don’t have my space for an hour, I feel overwhelmed and I need to just chill,” she confessed to Health. “That can be having a cup of tea by myself outside, going and getting gas — it doesn’t matter; I just need some time every day where I can think and put myself in a good place.”
Thanks for all the fitspiration, Julianne Hough!
Source: By Leah Groth | livestrong.com
