Anna Kendrick Didn't Have A Workout Routine Until Her 30s. Now, She Loves This Low-Impact Exercise For Strength And Flexibility
Anna Kendrick is making her directorial debut in Netflix’s Woman of the Hour, which just dropped on the streamer. But the 39-year-old doesn’t “just” direct this movie—she also stars in it.
The movie tells the true story of a serial killer who found his next potential victim on national television in 1978. Anna plays Cheryl Bradshaw, a bachelorette at the center of an episode of the blind-dating television show The Dating Game.
Eventually, we learn that one of the contestants is Rodney Alcala, a serial killer who became known as the Dating Game Killer. The story is terrifying and, naturally, Anna really brings it on screen.
While checking out the movie and cruising Anna’s latest Instagrams, it’s obvious that she’s been on top of her fitness game. So, what does Anna do for workouts? Here’s what she’s shared.
She likes to switch up her routine.
Anna tends to flip between workouts. "Every time I try something new, I'm like, I found it! I found the only workout I'll ever need!'" she told Shape in 2020. "Then I get so obsessed with it that I burn out and have to start over with something new."
Her latest is a "hiking phase," the Pitch Perfect alum said.
“I live in a funky hilly area of L.A., and I realized I had to commit to going on a hike because I get my best ideas then," she continued. "Actually, it's more like mental clarity. Sometimes I'm in my head too much, and I overanalyze things. When I'm walking, I can work through whatever it is."
But she doesn't work out for aesthetics, adding that now, it's about "strength and flexibility, rather than appearance."
"I definitely had to shift my thinking about it, from doing something to punish myself to doing something to make my quality of life better," she said.
She’s a fan of low-impact workouts.
Anna has tried a ton of low-impact workouts, including yoga, Pilates, and barre.
“The only thing I've never tried—because I know I would be bad at it—is workouts where they yell at you: 'Come on! Get those knees up!'” she told Shape.
Anna also spends time on her treadmill, but says it's her last choice if nothing else is available. "I used to exercise an hour every day—no excuses," she told the Los Angeles Times in 2015. "I live in absolutes: I either exercise every day or I let myself off the hook."
Anna said it’s important to find a balance, aiming to work out three to four days a week. “I never have used a trainer,” she said. “I’m slightly intimidated by the idea of somebody in my face.”
She wasn’t big on the gym in her 20s.
Anna wasn't always into working out: When she turned 30, she tried to focus more on her health.
"It's awful," she told Ellen DeGeneres in 2015. "It's the worst, and the worst part is I feel so much better. That's the worst part. Is that, like, it works."
She prioritizes her diet and sleep.
While Anna makes a point to work out regularly, she focuses on other areas of wellness, too.
“'Everything in moderation' is such a cliché, I know, but it's true,” she told Shape. “The times in my life when I tried to restrict the foods I love always backfired, and I ended up feeling miserable. For me, it's all about really being present in my body, not depriving it.”
Anna avoids dairy and alcohol for certain roles to preserve her singing voice. “Alcohol was easy,” she told the Times. “But dairy is in everything, so trying to avoid it is maddening. Even Brussels sprouts are cooked in butter. I never thought about the plight of the lactose intolerant before that.”
Sleep is also crucial for her. “I’m not one who can get by on six hours sleep night after night,” Anna told the Times. “You can see it on my face and hear it in my voice. When working 14-hour days, I have to go home, go to sleep, and wake up in time for crew call.
But Anna "hates" naps. "They throw me off the rest of the day," she adds.
Go, Anna, go!
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