If there’s one thing Kate Hudson wants us all to do when it comes to fitness and wellbeing in 2024, it’s to stop trying to do everything all at once.
“Look, I’m really lucky to have access to professionals and nutritionists,” the Knives Out actor tells HuffPost UK. “But when I think about what’s helped me actually stick to habits in the long run, it’s the little, manageable steps that make the biggest difference.”
It’s super refreshing to hear a Hollywood star admit that they’ve got a helping hand when it comes to wellbeing – but regardless of the support around her, you only need to take a look at Kate’s non-acting CV to see that fitness and health is seriously important to the Golden Globe winner.
There’s her activewear line Fabletics, her supplement brand InBloom (god bless the collagen mix for saving our skin) and now, a partnership with MyFitnessPal, which is how HuffPost UK find ourselves speaking to Kate about her own routine in a UK exclusive.
“We put so much pressure on ourselves to be able to do everything perfectly – we just need to think of our goals realistically against our day-to-day,” she explains.
“Maybe today, you’ll make lunch instead of buying it at a shop, maybe you’ll walk to work instead of getting the bus. It’s all about cutting little things out and not destroying ourselves in a bid to tick every single box.”
Her one-step-at-a-time ethos is exactly what her Small Steps, Big Wins plan (created alongside her personal fitness trainer Brian Nguyen) on the MyFitnessPal app is all about.
Designed to create sustainable, lifelong habits, the free seven-day plan introduces seven small changes that can have a big impact on health goals long-term across topics such as protein, sugar, hydration and more.
And it’s safe to say that Kate personally knows the benefits of tracking her fitness and health habits better than anyone.
“The fuel that we’re putting into our bodies can really change your life and I’ve been using MyFitnessPal since my health journey began years ago – I remember for me, I had started using it because I had quit smoking and was trying to eat more healthily.
“But despite trying my best I didn’t feel good and once I started tracking I realised I wasn’t eating enough of the right stuff. Protein was a big old lesson for me. But doesn’t that show how knowledge is power?” she says.
“When we understand our food, we just make different choices – and it should be accessible. I love that MyFitnessPal is free and that our plan is too.”
As Kate explains to us, she’s sick of people feeling like they have to “starve themselves”, hoping that she can be a part of the conversation about learning more about balance instead.
“I just want people to get the best possible information – instead of just not eating, we need to understand what we’re eating. What I’m really enjoying now is the science behind food – how do I keep my liver happy, what should I eat to make my workouts better? This is so much more beneficial than just focusing on weight loss and being scared to talk about food.”
Another big pressure Kate isn’t a fan of? The whole “New Year, New Me” vibe.
“My goals started last year – changing your health and wellbeing shouldn’t just be a New Year thing, you can start at any time, remove that pressure that your one chance is the start of another year,” she says.
“And hey, I’m not perfect! I’ve had plenty of blips in my own wellbeing journey – hello, killing myself with smoking? Also I’ve tried every fad diet you can imagine – you don’t even want to know how many nuts I was eating at one point because that was the ‘it’ thing at the time, unsurprisingly I didn’t feel great,” Kate adds with a laugh.
“The big thing is that I don’t look at these as mistakes – it’s called a journey for a reason.”
For more information on MyFitnessPal, visit www.myfitnesspal.com or download via App Store and Google Play.
