Julianne Hough is preparing for her role as Sandy in Fox’s Grease: Live, for which Olivia Newton John gave her her blessing, and an as-yet unplanned wedding to Brooks Laich. She also appears as Zac Efron’s character’s fiancée in Dirty Grandpa, the “Why DeNiro???” ribald comedy coming out next week. In the meantime, Julianne has collaborated on a Spring/Summer workout line with MPG Sport. To promote this, Julianne recently spoke to New York Magazine’s The Cut about her diet and – wait for it – working out:

How I start my day: Right now, because I’m rehearsing for Grease, I wake up at 6 a.m. I take my dogs outside and walk around a bit and let them go potty, then have a juice or a half a protein bar, like a Perfect Bar. I don’t eat a terribly big breakfast because I don’t like to be too full when I go work out. I also don’t like to get too comfortable before I go work out, or I don’t want to go. When I get home, I steam eggs in the pan and have some avocado and tomato and a cup of tea. I like PG Tips English Breakfast. I grew up in England, so that was my go-to.

How I sweat: I like to switch it up because I get bored. I work out with Body by Simone. I like to do Core Power Yoga. I sometimes work out with a trainer named Astrid, if I need one-on-one strength training. On weekends, I hike.
In the past, I used to decide that day what I was going to do. Now I schedule it out so I’m held accountable. On a good week, I’ll work out five times. But often I’m dancing during the day and get home late, and sometimes I’m just so tired. So it might be three times a week instead.

How I eat when I’m alone: Sometimes I do love to be healthy and cook. But there are times when Postmates is my best friend. I love Italian food like pizza, pasta, and glass of wine. The atmosphere is romantic and really fun. It’s about finding fun ways to make eating an experience beyond just fueling your body.

My wellness shortcut is: There isn’t any, really. But one thing I’ve gotten into recently is juicing. It picks up your metabolism, if you want to call it a shortcut. We bought a juicer and started at first with recipes, but now we started making our own with kale, carrots, apples, ginger, beets, celery, spinach, cucumber, and tomato.
Also, my brother [Derek] is a big advocate of working out throughout the day. So even if you’re hanging out, sit down and do some abs. If you’re walking around the kitchen, do some squats and lunges. Put on some wrists and ankle weights and lift your arms.

[From New York Magazine/The Cut]

This all sounds reasonable to me, actually. Julianne has a dancer’s discipline so obviously a fitness routine is built into her day where some of us work to fit one in. However, she is promoting a fitness line collaboration and most of this is advice I can follow. I might skip the kitchen squats, but I can throw on a few more heavy bangles and reach for stuff off the high shelves. Postmates, though? I had never heard of Postmates – someone runs around town picking things up and brings them to your house? This is not going to help my motivation or pocketbook.

What does make me sad is how many of these answers I could give similarly and yet, I look nothing like Julianne Hough. Granted I have a couple of decades and kids on her but I schedule a run every morning, try to cook healthy and find ways to work in a few calorie burners into everyday routines. Maybe it’s the juicing, I have never gotten into juicing. I don’t begrudge it, but when I say I am going to drink my dinner, it usually involves a Bordeaux – does that count?

I want to like this midnight blue Monique Lhuillier dress – the color is amazing – but the fit is off. I don’t mind tent dresses but the patterned netting with a pulled-too-wide sweetheart neckline compete with the drape.

Julianne and Aaron Tveit, Danny Zucko in Grease: Live

Photo credit: WENN and Getty Images