When it comes to diet and fitness, Leighton Meester is living her best life, finding that sweet spot between obsessive dedication and relaxed follow-through — and the results show in her beautiful photos in Shape’s April 2019 issue.
“I usually eat a ratio of 60:40 or 70:30 of healthy foods versus whatever I want. If I have a really nice, fulfilling breakfast and lunch, then for dinner, all bets are off,” the actress told the magazine of her daily eating regimen.
Starting the morning off right with a time-saving smoothie recipe hack sets her up for flexibility. “For breakfast, I keep all the stuff for my morning smoothie in the freezer in resealable bags, so it’s pretty much all measured off,” she said. Inside those bags: “A lot of kale and spinach and collard greens. I might blend it with spirulina and chlorella powder and a bunch of flaxseeds and chia seeds and mangoes and bananas.”
The Single Parent star’s afternoons are even easier, thanks to some outside help. “At work, I have salads with chicken or turkey or fish prepared by a personal chef,” she noted. After that, it’s time for a little bit of diet fun. “For dinner I’ll maybe eat tacos or whatever I crave — and fudge mint cookies. I love them so much that we always joke, ‘Have you had your cookie today?’ Like it’s my vitamins.”
Thank You!
You have successfully subscribed.
For exercise, the Gossip Girl alum does a mix of gym work with a personal trainer and surfing, a skill her husband of five years, Adam Brody, taught her. “Last year, I got really into it,” says the mom of 3-year-old daughter Arlo. Now, “for the last six months, surfing has pretty much been my main form of exercise.” The activity fits perfectly with her carefree fitness philosophy: “I have found that when I don’t have a physical result in mind when I’m exercising — it’s not just about getting sore or getting abs or burning fat — I feel much more confident. I’m working on a skill, and that is so fulfilling to me.”
Scroll through to see the pay-off of Meester’s balanced diet and fitness regimen, and read more of her inspirational quotes.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tr%2FMmp6aspmjsm%2BvzqZmnJ2cmq%2BztdOyZJunlK58sbXCrayrnaNkuaa1xqGrqKZdorKmv9OeqWarmJa9pnnCqK2eql2ZtqbAjK2gqatdqMKzssinnmavmam1bq3DmqRmmqKksbp7