Kristen Bell's Approach to Staying Fit Makes So Much Sense for Working Moms

If you struggle with finding the time to work out, you're in good company—not just with everyday mothers but with famous ones too. Luckily, Kristen Bell's working-mom-friendly advice might just help you maximize your schedule.

In a new interview with Shape, the busy actress and mom of two revealed that she's only able to take a workout class once or twice a week, for about 45 minutes at a time. So how does she make it count? She chooses a super-intense fitness routine.

"I've tried a ton of workouts in L.A. and have realized that I need maximum ass-kicking in the shortest amount of time," she told Shape.

Kristen works out at Studio Metamorphosis, and the class she takes, which she describes as "a cross between Pilates and CrossFit," involves using "much heavier weights and stronger resistance compared to a traditional Pilates class." The goal, she said, is to put your body into muscle exhaustion. "By the end, you're basically shaking and falling off the machine."

According to Shape, one class can burn between 500 and 1,000 calories.

The intense workout makes sense for Kristen, considering she's now the lead on two shows: NBC's The Good Place and the Veronica Mars revival coming to Hulu. "Every minute of my workweek is scheduled, so when I do have a 45-minute gap, it doesn't benefit me to take a relaxing yoga class. It benefits me to go get my butt kicked," she said. "And I reap the rewards."

And of course, having a supportive partner in Dax, with whom she shares her two daughters, Lincoln, 5, and Delta, 4, helps too. "My husband and I know that we need to work out not just for our physical well-being but for our mental well-being," she told Shape. "So once on the weekends, my husband will say, 'I'll take the kids to brunch, why don't you go to a class?' and whenever I have a 45-minute gap in my week, I make working out a priority."

Kristen also offered some wise words about the importance of prioritizing self-care, even though it might go against your instinct to put everyone else first: "Everyone needs a tough-love reminder that if you're not taking care of yourself, you're no good to take care of anyone else. When you can fully digest that, it kind of snaps you to attention and makes you realize that you're just as important as those around you."

— Maricar Santos

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