s e r e n i t yn o w

The actress and singer reveals the routines andrituals that keep her in the best shape of her life—

and help her stay calm, focused and, most of all, happy

by A N A C A L D E R O N E

MICHELELEA

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Photographs by J E F F L I P S K Y

15PEOPLE WELLNESS September 2016

Being from NewYork, “the oceannever gets old,”

says Michele(photographed in

Malibu). “I still lookat it like, ‘I friggin’

live here?’ ”

In addition to abowl of goat’s milkyogurt and granolafor breakfast,Michele whips upher favorite greendrink with thefreshest ingredientsfrom the localfarmers’ market.

1 cup kaleHandful of blueberries1 apple, cored

and slicedHalf an avocado

In a blender, puréeingredients with1 cup ice until smooth.Pour into a glassand serve cold.Serves: 1

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Working on Broadway since she was 8 yearsold gave Lea Michele a solid foundation for ahealthy lifestyle. “It was so good for my body,”she says. “I was so physically active. There’snothing like that weekly schedule. And I neverlimited myself about food.” So when Michelemoved out to Los Angeles at 21 to film the firstseason of Glee, and her diet of pasta and ba-gels was replaced with kale and tofu, the ac-tress was shocked to realize she was actuallygaining weight. “I had more time in my trail-er, more time in my car and less time walkingaround,” she says. “That’s when I realized howimportant it was for me, personally, to includeactivities and movement in my daily life.” Now,after a bit of “trial and error,” the star of FOX’sScream Queens, 30, says she’s physically in“the best place I’ve ever been”—and she thriveson passing along her hard-won knowledge. “IfI can do it, an Italian girl from the Bronx? Areyou kidding me? Anybody can do it.”

Used to getting her workouts onstage in New YorkCity, Michele didn’t have a lot of experience in agym. During her last Broadway show, 2006’sSpring Awakening, it was her friend and costarJonathan Groff who first got the actress into ayoga studio. “We would even do bikram yoga inbetween shows sometimes,” she says. “That’swhen I realized, Oh, I’m actually kind of good atthis. We’d rock it out on the stage during the day,then go to class together, and it really built myconfidence.” Soon she was practicing nearly everyday, mixing in SoulCycle classes and long hikes.“My workouts have to be good for my soul as well,”she says. “If my brain can’t get relaxed at the sametime, then it’s not for me.”

That mind-body connection has helped Micheleget through some of the darkest times of her life—like the death of her long-term boyfriend andcostar Cory Monteith, who died of a drug overdosein 2013. “You always have to have faith, becauselife is going to throw things at you. You just haveto trust that there is a plan,” says Michele. “I reallypride myself on the people that I surround myself

with and how I take care of myself, so my groundis stable beneath me.”

But Michele is the first to admit that it took timeto find her groove. As an L.A. transplant filming herfirst few seasons of Glee, “you can see that myweightfluctuatesalotbecauseIwasreallyfiguringout how to make things work here,” she says. Luck-ily, she says, series creator Ryan Murphy created ahealthy place for his actors, and she neverfelt pres-sured about her appearance. “Glee was so muchabout being an individual and being proud of who

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PEOPLE WELLNESS September 2016

1. “I always take apicture when I finisha hike,” says Michele

(with her dad,Marc Sarfati).

2. “Nothing makesme feel more

empowered,” shesays of her fave spin

class, SoulCycle.3. Her go-to yogastudio in L.A. is

CorePower Yoga.Here, Micheleshows off herlotus position.

4. Michele’s favoritevacation

destinations?Hawaii (pictured)

and Santa Barbara.5. “Hiking is about

being outsidefor me—not trying

to achieve anysort of goal.”

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“I’ve never lovedmy body morethan I do right

now. And I’m sograteful that I feel

that way,”says Michele.

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you are in your own skin,” she says. “I was in a verysafe environment.” After long days on-set, Michelelearned to replace late-night white-rice binges withtakeout from plant-based restaurants. (Plant Food+ Wine and Real Food Daily are a few favorites.) “Isaw all the opportunities to be healthy here on theWest Coast—everything from going to the farmers’market or taking different exercise classes or beingoutside by the beach,” says Michele, who’s cur-rently working on her second album. “That’s reallywhat kick-started everything for me.”

When it comes to her diet, Michele has experi-mented with veganism and vegetarianism in thepast, but she recently reintroduced meat, “as longas it’s coming from good places.” If she’s trying toslim down, she’ll cut out carbs or go on thesoup-delivery cleanse Soupure. And when diningout, Michele is not afraid to tell the waiter exactlywhat she wants. “The best lesson I’ve ever learnedis, Who cares if people think you’re annoying? Tellthem to use less salt. Tell them to please use lessbutter,” she says. “The worst they can say is no.”

Taking care of her body also means regular trips tothe local Korean spa to spend time in the saltrooms and the cold-plunge pools. (She also hasperfected the art of at-home baths, see sidebar.)“It’s so important to do things for yourself—because the better you are, the better you can befor the people in your life,” she says. That alsomeans being aware of the example she’s settingfor her young fans. “It’s so important for me tostress that being healthy is not about being a gymrat. It’s not about being 90 lbs.,” she says. “This isreally how I live every single day.”•

‘You have to lookgood, but you alsohave to feel good.

So I find workoutsthat take care of

both those things’— L E A M I C H E L E

1. Kneipp Good HealthHerbal Baths

“These are very potentand really do the trick. I

love the Valerian & Hopsto help me sleep and the

Lavender to relax.”$20; kneippus.com

2. iS CLINICALCleansing Complex

Michele favors this facewash because it “cleans

my skin so well and takesoff all my makeup after along day, but doesn’t dry

or irritate my skin.” $40; dermstore.com

3. Shiffa Basil & MintBody Scrub

“It’s incrediblyrevitalizing. It perfectlyscrubs away dead skin

and leaves your body sosoft after.”

$91; shiffa.com

4. FRESH Sake BathThis purifying soak is a“great detoxifier,” says

Michele. “Perfectfor mind and body.”

$82; fresh.com

5. DiptyqueScented Candles“You can’t have an

at-home spa day withoutthe perfect candle.

I have these all over myhome, and I love them.”$62; diptyqueparis.com

NOT JUSTBUBBLES

The actress shares hergo-to products for arelaxing DIY spa day

19PEOPLE WELLNESS September 2016

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