Vanessa Hudgens, renowned for her role as Gabriella Montez in High School Musical, has captivated audiences with her talent and stunning physique. Beyond her acting and singing prowess, Vanessa exemplifies a commitment to health and fitness, maintaining a balanced lifestyle that integrates mindful eating with an enjoyable workout routine. This article explores the various facets of Vanessa Hudgens' diet and workout regimen, providing insights into how she stays in shape while embracing a holistic approach to wellness.
Food Philosophy: Real Food and Intuitive Eating
Vanessa Hudgens adopts a food philosophy centered on consuming "real" food, emphasizing whole, unprocessed options. She told Shape Magazine, “My overall food philosophy is, if it’s real, I’ll eat it. Many things are processed and contain chemicals and ingredients I can’t pronounce. I want real food. If I’m in Italy, and I see them making pasta by hand, or if it grows from the earth, that’s real." This approach underlines her preference for natural, wholesome foods over processed alternatives.
Pescatarian Diet
Vanessa is a pescatarian, avoiding meat due to concerns about inhumane treatment of animals. “I also don’t eat meat. I’m a pescatarian. What animals go through is so inhumane." This dietary choice reflects her ethical considerations and aligns with her overall health goals.
Meal Frequency and Timing
Unlike the traditional three meals a day, Vanessa often opts for two larger meals, typically skipping lunch. She shared with Shape that she has two big meals a day and doesn’t typically eat lunch. This pattern may be influenced by her experimentation with intermittent fasting, allowing her to feel more grounded and powerful during workouts.
Embracing Fats
Vanessa emphasizes the importance of healthy fats in her diet, consuming foods like avocado and almond butter. The celeb previously told Women’s Health, “I eat a whole avocado every day. I need high fats. If I’m not getting enough, my body holds on to calories." She recognizes that fats are a crucial source of energy and sustenance.
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Intuitive Eating
Vanessa practices intuitive eating, allowing herself to enjoy a variety of foods based on her cravings. “I let myself have what I want,” she told Shape. “If that’s a big bowl of spaghetti with clams and a glass of wine, then that’s what I’m eating. Sometimes I crave a salad, and I’ll make a big one with nuts and goat cheese and salmon. Other times, it’s tacos and a margarita." This approach helps her maintain a balanced and enjoyable relationship with food, preventing her from obsessing over every detail of her diet. “I’ve learned that when I try to be super conscientious of everything I put into my mouth, all I can think about is food."
Keto Diet and Intermittent Fasting
Vanessa has experimented with the keto diet and intermittent fasting, finding them effective for managing her eating habits. Vanessa says she switches "back and forth" between the keto diet and intermittent fasting, per People. “I feel like it’s a recipe that works for me,” she added.When she’s not fasting, she tries to keep things Keto whenever possible. She noted, "People a lot of times think of fats in diets as a negative thing, and when you’re doing keto it’s a very positive thing. I’m always making sure I’m getting those healthy fats in, so I eat a LOT of almond butter."
Daily Meal Examples
- Breakfast: Vanessa's breakfast "typically has avocado, maybe vegan sausage, and a piece of healthy bread." She enjoys a protein-rich breakfast, such as scrambled eggs with spinach and tofu sausage. Other options include antioxidant smoothies with acai berries, blueberries, banana, and coconut oil or avocado toast with Silk almond milk, or a scramble.
- Lunch: Vanessa likes to grab a salad whenever possible. She likes to vary things up and chooses a lettuce mix based on what’s in season.
- Dinner: Vanessa often eats whatever she feels like, especially after fasting. Her go-to indulgence is pizza and a glass of wine. But she’s also cook up a pasta dish with whatever type of sauce she’s craving. She doesn’t tend to avoid specific foods, except for carbs.
Workout Routine: Variety and Enjoyment
Vanessa Hudgens emphasizes the importance of enjoying her workouts, incorporating a variety of activities that keep her motivated and engaged. One of Hudgens’ workout secrets? It’s enjoying fitness.
Cardio and Bodyweight Exercises
Vanessa focuses on cardio and bodyweight exercises to maintain muscle tone. Vanessa is somewhere between a Mesomorph and Endomorph body type and puts on muscle super fast. That’s right…there are no heavy weight lifting routines in her schedule. Instead, she likes to focus on cardio and bodyweight exercises to keep her muscles toned up and ready for everything she throws their way.
SoulCycle
For cardio, Vanessa absolutely loves going to SoulCycle classes. Cycling, whether you’re doing it in a guided class or out on the road, is an excellent way to improve your cardio health. SoulCycle can be intense and for Vanessa, it’s perfect. Hudgens shared some of her favorite workouts in an interview with Women’s Health. She says that she likes to go to fitness classes, particularly SoulCycle. “I tend to ride for the teachers,” Hudgens says. “I’m such a performer. I love being in front, because I’ll push myself harder and I’ll give the class energy too.
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Pilates
Vanessa also loves doing Pilates every week. The movements help her focus on building strength without making her too muscular for her own liking. She tries to go to Pilates at least a few times a week.
Yoga
Vanessa tries to incorporate yoga into her weekly fitness routine as much as possible. Though she can do a lot of the moves on her own, and will if she’s busy, she loves going to guided classes where she can focus on her form and better improve her movements. Hudgens also loves to practice yoga as a way to stay in shape. “I don’t consider it fitness,” she says to Women’s Health. “It’s more like therapy for me.” The American Osteopathic Organization states that yoga has a lot of benefits. Hudgens, who says she's "pretty consistent" in her routine, says there's nothing better than a "yoga high." "I found what I like and works for me and I stick to it, and that's just a rotation between reformer Pilates, indoor cycling and yoga." "I've practiced yoga since I was 16. … And I feel like I've gone through all the different types of yoga like with power flows and Ashtanga and Bikram. I just rotate out what feels good, what I feel like my body needs in that moment. Sometimes it's a bit more active, and sometimes it's a bit more passive, but I feel like yoga is just really great for the mind."
Working Out with Friends
Hudgens tells Shape that she likes to eat natural food. “During the pandemic, when everything was paused, I created a little community. I’d get my friends together over Zoom and we would do Isaac Boots’s live workout classes. As the world started to reopen, I found myself obsessed with Dogpound. I go with my best friend; we’re extremely competitive. We have the best time - the amount of dancing we do between sets is ridiculous. Everyone knows when we’re at the gym.
Workout Playlist
It depends on her mood. Sometimes it’s Megan Thee Stallion. Sometimes it’s Gesaffelstein.
Consistency
When possible, she tries to work out every day, but sometimes she’s just too busy.
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Self-Care and Mental Wellness
Beyond diet and exercise, Vanessa prioritizes self-care and mental wellness.
Morning Routine
I get up and I wash my face. I’m such a big skin care girl - I have to get some vitamins onto my skin first thing. Then I chug a big glass of water because I wake up so dehydrated.
Wind-Down Routine
I’m a big bath girl. I take baths almost every single day. I’ll light all the candles, throw in some bath salts, some magnesium, maybe a Lush bath bomb. I’ve also got a TV in my bathroom, so I’ll put on a guilty pleasure like Love Island or The Bachelor and decompress.
Guilty Pleasures
Honestly, any dating show. I’m hooked. I watched the Golden Bachelor finale last night. I’m here for all of it.
Sleep
It’s got to be cold. The thermostat’s got to be at 69, nothing above that. Even 70 is a little too warm for me. I just love being super cuddled up under the blankets and it being freezing outside.
Wellness Advice
Listen to your body. It’s so easy to compare yourself to others, but what might work for someone else might be terrible for you. If you feel exhausted, maybe you need a little rest - genuinely listen to your body. Sometimes you just need to be on the sofa and watch some good dating shows.
Embracing Individuality and Confidence
Hudgens tells Women’s Health that she has built a lot of confidence in herself. “I would feel less than because of my size. I see how women who are 5’9” walk into a room, and I am so attracted to the space they take up. But then I started to realize that you can take up space without height-with your achievements, points of view, and opinions. Hudgens knows what works for her, and she wants to bring that same mindfulness into 2024. “This person’s marrying me because I’m me, so I didn’t need to do anything different,” she says.
Daily Essentials
Hudgens, 35, breaks down her daily essentials for prioritizing a slower pace (and how she keeps up when things are busy). "I feel like everybody's so dedicated to the hustle and the rush, and there's so much more to life than that," she says. After a workout class, especially hot yoga, Hudgens, of course, reaches for a Caliwater ("It's the best way to like replenish your hydration afterward," she says). But a cold can of cactus water is also her go-to for starting her day. "Honestly, part of my everyday life is … first thing I do: wake up and drink a Caliwater," she says. "I've been waking up earlier recently. So then I just naturally have a little more time to myself in the morning before I go to a workout class, like snuggle up with (her dog) Darla, who is the biggest little cuddle bug in the world. But just really taking advantage of slow moments, (which) I feel are so important." Hudgens, whose favorite Caliwater flavor is prickly pear, will then "continue to intersperse it throughout the day." "Whether you're having a cocktail and want to use it as a mixer, (which) is a great way to kind of balance out to your alcohol intake because you're hydrating while dehydrating. (Or) you can also have it the next day when you are hungover because it will help your hangover and the hydration. So it's just been a really amazing staple in my life." She also taps into her creative side. "I also love crafting in whatever sense of the word, whether it's painting, which I grew up doing, or beading - I just made myself a belly chain yesterday. And baths, I'm a big bath girl."