Getting genuine health and wellness advice from celebrities can feel kind of like doing 100 burpees in a row (read: really difficult). It’s like these stars have to fit into one of two categories: the yogi who guzzles hot water with lemon or the “relatable” woman who lives on burgers and doesn’t work out.
That’s why we find Shay Mitchell so refreshing. Her love for pizza is well-documented (girlfriend even has a pizza onesie), but she’s open about the hard work she puts into staying healthy and fit. So when we had the chance to catch up with the Pretty Little Liars actress at the Shape Body Shop fitness event in Los Angeles over the weekend, we had to know: How does she find that elusive balance?
“It’s this,” she says, gesturing to the workout classes happening around us. “It’s working out, you know. I don’t eat and then think I need to burn it off; I just eat and I love working out as well. Just that combo.” She eats something, enjoys it and the next day goes to the gym—not because she feels guilty, but because she truly likes working out and taking care of her body. (Her favorite workout happens to be boxing.)
This is an especially important piece of advice because we’ve been conditioned to feel guilt after eating something unhealthy, and that guilt is actually detrimental to our health. Researchers have found that enjoying food is essential to our well-being—and people who felt guilt after eating were more likely to gain weight, because it made them more likely to abandon their healthy diet and fitness plans.
So go forth and enjoy the hell out of your next pizza night. #NoGuilt.
