"Believe it or not, Hilary Duff is just like us—beyond the fact that she helped navigate the personal and social issues of our preteen years as Lizzie McGuire every Saturday. Sure, she’s a major celeb, and just looking at her you assume she must have some intense wellness routine (remember that Women’s Health cover?), but the way she views wellness is actually…refreshing. At the end of the day, she is a true-crime junkie, works out to T-Swift, and names hydration as her greatest wellness hack. In a recent interview with Bustle, she gives the inside scoop on her wellness routine amidst being a wife, mom of three, and actor. Read on for her down-to-earth practices that she swears by to stay healthy and happy, and you’ll see she’s insanely relatable (albeit in her very chic LA home).
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She Has a Diverse Workout Routine
In true LA girlie fashion, Duff hikes to sweat it out. But she’s also partial to the Tracy Anderson Method, “where yoga meets Pilates meets dance and some cardio in a hot-as-hell room,” she described to Bustle. (If that workout sounds familiar, it’s likely because Anderson is known for being a favorite of the Hollywood elite, from Gwyneth Paltrow to J.Lo.). And while she dabbles in weightlifting, her latest fitness endeavor has been taking a page from Serena Williams’ book: “Playing tennis has also helped with my stress and overthinking, because there’s so much to learn and think about when you’re playing that your brain really shuts off and takes a break.”
She Looks to Music to Motivate Her During Exercise
As for the jams that fuel her workouts, they run the gamut from ’90s hip-hop to pop. “I love Electric Light Orchestra,” Duff told Bustle. “I love Harry Styles and The 1975 right now. I love Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Tame Impala, and King Princess. I listen to a lot of old music, too, like Sam Cooke and Fleetwood Mac.”
She Wakes Up Gently
Aside from staying active to prioritize her self-care, Duff sticks to a few tried-and-true go-to’s. She starts her mornings at 6:15 a.m.—not with her kids as her wake-up call as you might expect, but rather the ambient light and soothing sounds from her Hatch alarm clock. “I’m getting to that age where I want to be woken up gently,” she expressed to Bustle. We feel you, Hilary.
She Has a Toolkit of Rituals to De-Stress Throughout the Day
After a hectic morning of preparing her kids’ breakfast and lunches, she relies on Olly’s Goodbye Stress gummies to hit reset and set the tone for the rest of her day. And when the stress creeps in again, Duff turns to true-crime podcasts (her latest obsession is The Retrievals) and phoning a friend, her husband, or her mom. Then, there’s the always-reliable wellness hack of washing the stress of the day away. “I take a lot of baths,” Duff conveyed to Bustle. “I read, or I scroll, or I’ll have a glass of wine or two.”
Another ritual Duff swears by to unwind? “This sounds really weird, but sometimes when my kids are off to school and my dogs go on romps with the dog walker, my house will be quiet for an hour or two, and I just walk around and rearrange things. It’s so nice.” It may surprise you that America’s sweetheart de-stresses in such low-key ways, but the takeaway is to find little things that work for you to boost your mood and make you feel calm.
She Prioritizes Sleep and Stillness
To end her day and ensure quality shut-eye, Duff has her standbys: melatonin, a giant glass of water beside her bed, and her phone (charging and three feet from her head, based on a rule she heard). Duff closed out her Bustle interview with the best wellness advice she’s ever received: “Stay hydrated, get enough sleep, and do what works for you,” she said. “I think everyone’s doing so much these days. What I’ve learned is how important it is to be still and quiet…not feeling like we have to fill every moment of every day with something exciting for the kids or myself. We’re so overstimulated that just winding down is important.”