Vanessa Hudgens is like the less in-your-face Hilary Duff. She was famous many years ago and she’s still working somewhat but her popularity is sustained by near constant paparazzi photos which the dude blogs run when it’s slow. She’s got cute hippie style which often veers fug but overall she’s sweet and there’s something very sunny about her. Vanessa is currently covering Women’s Health Magazine, where she’s making headlines for her 20 pound weight loss. She gained the weight for a role in 2013 and said that she lost it by going to SoulCycle twice a day. Vanessa is currently starring on the NBC comedy Powerless, where she plays an employee at Wayne Industries, which provides products for humans to protect them from superhero battles or something. I don’t know how to describe it after watching the trailer except that it looks like an absurd version of The Office with a superhero twist. It also stars Dani Pudi and has mixed reviews on Metacritic. Anyway Vanessa told Women’s Health about her workout and diet plan and it sounds like she really enjoys exercise and gets a lot out of it.
She tries to go to yoga three times a week
“I don’t consider it fitness,” she says. “It’s more like therapy for me.” She got into it after playing a runaway teen, Agnes “Apple” Bailey, in the 2013 movie Gimme Shelter—a role that required gaining 20 pounds and cutting her hair into a jagged crop. “I looked in the mirror and was like, ‘Who am I?’ It was definitely a journey back to myself, and yoga helped.”She loves spinning classes
When Vanessa was dropping the 20 pounds she gained for Gimme Shelter, she’d hit class twice a day; now she goes when she can squeeze it in. “Put me on a bike in a room with loud music, and I’m happy,” she says. “It’s like dancing without the stress of worrying if you look good.”“I tend to ride for the teachers. I’m such a performer,” Vanessa laughs. “I love being in front, because I’ll push myself harder and I’ll give the class energy too. So it’s a win-win.”
She eats low carb and loves avocados
“I eat a whole avocado a day,” she says. “I need high fats. If I’m not getting enough, my body holds on to calories. We’ve been trained to think that fats are bad, but they’re so good—a source of energy and sustenance that keeps you going through the day. That’s the only way I can not eat carbs.”
I’m not on board with her low-carb diet advice, that would be like torture to me and I dislike avocados, but I related a lot to her approach to fitness. I know what she’s saying about how yoga feels spiritual. I’ve only been doing yoga classes again for about a month and usually I do the Vinyasa yoga, which are the more athletic flow classes. This week I went for the first time to a relaxation yoga class where you hold poses for a minute or more. It was dark with new age music and little tea lights. The instructor read passages about spirituality and nature and it really got to me. That’s usually not my thing, but I was surprised at how moving it was. Also I love spinning so much. I do it a few times a week, I have a spin bike at home and do RPM classes from Les Mills on demand. However I can’t imagine doing that twice a day, it’s intense. Plus SoulCycle is expensive. It’s about $30 a class but of course Vanessa can afford it. Spin is one of my favorite classes because it doesn’t feel like you’re working out, it’s like your legs just go on their own.
Photos credit: WENN and Women’s Health
Did she do something to her face? In the last pic she looks a lot like Laura San Giacomo.
Well I do wonder how Vanessa can afford it. She was never huge outside of Disney, so I wonder how she sustains a life in a Hollywood with what money she has. Regardless, I would still take a c-lister’s lifestyle over mine.
Do they get residuals from shows that are on sites like Netflix, Hulu, etc because High School Musical 1 and 2 are on Netflix. Just wondering.
She works pretty consistently, is a lead on a currently airing show and still gets lots of lower tier appearance fees and Instagram sponsorships. I’m not sure if she still has her Neutrogena and Ray-Ban sponsorships, but those would have brought in a decent chunk of cash for a while.
She doesn’t seem to live beyond her means really.
She’s on a new show right now. I watched a few episodes but just couldn’t get into it.
”Spin is one of my favorite classes because it doesn’t feel like you’re working out, it’s like your legs just go on their own. ” Really Celebitchy?! I don’t know what kind of spin you do then.. When I go to spin class, I’m exhausted after! Heavy sweating, cardio, red face, soar legs 😉
Yeah, my spin classes definitely feel like a workout, too, lol.
Thank you! I ride my bike to and from work daily, but I still ‘feel the burn’ at a spinning class…
I mean I feel it but when I do it I don’t think “oh this sucks, it’s hard” like I do with running or with strength training. You get caught in the moment and when you do it it doesn’t feel like you’re working, it’s just fun. It’s hard to explain.
When I had a stationary exercise bike at home ages ago, I would often play video games while riding. The time really goes by fast that way, better than tv.
I also had a little stepper and a split hard cover on top of foam to simulate walking, and they were fun to use when playing games that had characters doing things like Bart Simpson skateboarding on the Great Wall of China. I would find myself making some similar movements without thinking about it.
Nowadays I’m more likely to walk in place while playing games, often on my phone now, or when reading. Just standing up instead of sitting helps keep your hands and arms more relaxed. But any kind of exercise keeps the oxygen flowing to your brain and it’s easier to play.
I mean Sure.. whatever, you have the money and time, Good for you for coming back from that and all. I’m gonna stop giving these ladies that tell us they do two a days whilst being Mocktresses and largely having a business meeting a job that doesn’t need them to be tethered at a desk/office all day the cookies they so badly want.. Im sure if most of us had the time/trainers/and the paid incentive to look our very skinny best we would
+1. I don’t get paid enough to maintain that level of thinness. Give me more money and I’ll survive on one avocado a day or whatever but, as things are right now, nah.
qwqwh SAME THO! Pay Me more to do less and I will do this for us all!
If stuck in an office, learning various walk in place moves can be helpful to add a little movement to your day without pain or sweating. Leslie Sansone has some free videos online showing all the different types of moves which exercise different muscles (her walk at home series). I learned most of them on my own while dangling a string in front of an obsessed cat in a limited amount of space.
I sometimes do chair walking – making walk in place type moves while seated. A friend found it helped if he always stood when talking on the phone or to someone who came into his cubicle. If people won’t call the men in white coats on you, various walk in place moves can be used while on the phone also. At home, I’ll walk around while on the cell phone. The great thing about this kind of exercise is that it can be as gentle or as vigorous as you want, can be done for a minute or so at a time, requires no equipment or any money, doesn’t require special clothing or working up a sweat, although reasonably comfortable shoes are recommended.
I even set up my computer with extra keyboards/trackballs so I can stand any time I want and do a little sideways walk in place when desired. Started this when I developed the ability to fall asleep while sitting at the keyboard, especially when proofreading… I use a box to get the keyboard at the right height. Standing desks are becoming all the rage so probably nowadays people won’t think you’re crazy for trying this, just cutting edge…
Celebitchy, have you tried hot yoga? When my daughter told me about it, i was like “What?” . Apparently they turn up the heat in the room and you sweat, a lot. Would like to go one time myself.
I love hot yoga! The heat is really intense so it’s not an “active” yoga class because you have to take it easy to accommodate the heat. I like it because I’m not usually into yoga (can’t relax enough) but something about that heat makes it feel like a good workout and it just wipes me out. Try it!
Ooh I have not tried it! My aunt swears by it but I live out in the country and we don’t have it by me. I would love that though, I will see if any of the cities nearby offers it.
I went on a hot yoga streak 16 years ago. I did 90 classes in 90 days. I was in the best shape of my life. Additionally, I really cleaned up my diet. I didn’t have weight to lose, but the combo of eating vegan and doing all that yoga reshaped my body like nothing else ever did or has to this day.
I enjoy spinning, too, it gives my knees a break from running and I love the combination of really long, hard, drenching cardio and the strength it builds. But I can only do it once a week…any more than that and I start to get restless and antsy and bored. I think it’s being trapped in a dark room on a bike that goes nowhere, lol. I can only take it in small doses.
She eats a whole avocado a day? wow! a whole avocado, let’s not get crazy now. lol . I don’t know…it just sounded funny 🙂
I know what you mean! Sounded funny… ! I guess they’re coming back in style – I remember _decades_ ago, Angie Dickinson doing ads for avocados, with the phrase, “would this body lie to you?” (Dating myself badly there). Recently I’ve been eating about one a day, too – and I agree with what Vanessa H. said – it keeps me going through the afternoon, perks up my salad, and stops me reaching for the bread. Plus it may be my imagination, but my skin and hair feel better too. Other than that, I have _nothing_ in common with someone who has time/money to go to two exercise classes a day….
When I do eat an avocado, I usually do eat a whole one! Perfect size for a mini meal. Even though they can be frozen (I have some avocado mashed with lemon juice flattened in zip lock sandwich bags in the freezer right now), it’s easier to just eat the smaller Haas ones all at once. I’ll just get a spoon and eat from the shell. If more ambitious, I’ll mash it with lemon or lime juice or pineapple chunks and spread on crackers or put in pitas or corn taco shells. I’ve also used mashed avocado instead of dressing on salads, but I really prefer them more simply prepared.
I’m a yoga teacher and a total yoga freak.
To me yoga is fitness AND therapy. You’re healing the soul through the body, and you get to tone up along the way. I love the physical aspects of yoga AND the spiritual depth.
I’m trying to get into it to help my health anxiety and stress levels at the behest of the person I’m seeing about these issues. She recommended Yoga by Adriene (sp?) as they’d eon YouTube and free so I can do them on a yoga mat in my sitting room! Is there any type of yoga you’d recommend for a stress head? I’ve gone to classes before and feel self-conscious about doing it wrong so would prefer to do it at home (also a poor student).
I wouldn’t say any particular style of yoga is best, because you have to find what you like. I would say consistent practice is the best thing you can do. I started doing yoga for my anxiety and it’s helped so much. It’s just practicing consistently to give your mind &a body time to reap the benefits.
If you don’t like doing in-class stuff, there are a ton of ways you can take online yoga. Cody App is amazing, you just buy the class packages you want and you can access the classes any time from your various electronics. There are a ton of yoga teachers and different styles you can choose from. I’m also looking at doing some online yoga teaching in the future, so maybe you’ll stumble upon me in your search for an online teacher. 😉
Happy yoga-ing!!
I have done the meditation on the website DoYouYoga. It seemed very calming. Unfortunately my life is some days chaotic and I’m not consistent about doing it.
It depends on what you consider needed for stress or anxiety. I love Kundalini yoga but its doing repetitive moves for a few minutes
It helps build strength. Flow yoga or Vinyasa is great if you want a faster pace and if you want something that mimics cardio. I can’t get into gentle yoga, it’s great for stretches but it’s slow and you hold poses for a while. It’s intense but my favorite at home yoga system is Ulitmate Yoga. It’s a full workout system with various types of yoga.
Yoga by Adriene is great. And free!
@ Shamby-My BF is a total yogi and obsessed with hot yoga. These days he hits up the meditation center up the street from him after yoga-ing.
Me? I’m a high-strung runner who races competitively and can’t sit still for a second.
I don’t know how we are in a relationship LOL.
Not being social enough for classes, I got a book with good drawings and explanations of yoga exercises while in grad school. My roommate was taking classes and would do a full routine (along with my cat) every morning. I have trouble learning such things (that was me in gym classes, looking to see what everybody else was doing because I couldn’t follow the teacher’s instructions fast enough). So I just learned one exercise at a time and did it for a week or so before adding another. But after just two weeks of the simplest warmup exercises, I found my balance much improved (as judged by how easy it was to get up on a chair to reach something….).
I kept up the few minutes of several warmup exercises over the decades since I can do those standing in a very limited space and the cats don’t try to get on top of me (which they do if I sit or lie down….). Just that little bit of gentle stretching has made a huge difference in flexibility and my previous back/neck problems. I would do them in the bathroom stall as a break during long nights babysitting the spectrometer in grad school. Plus my menstrual cramps disappeared… It would be nice to do more, but the little I do has quite an impact.
So even a little bit can make a big difference. If people take a class and learn how to do a full routine properly, they shouldn’t think they have to drop it entirely as life intervenes and for whatever reason they can’t do it all. It’s not an all or nothing thing, apparently.
I missed it so much when I was sick for several months that once I felt enough better, I tried to do the exercises asap. I had to wedge myself in between chairs to avoid falling because my balance was so awful initially ….
Good for her, but I don’t think this kind of eating and exercise behavior should make the cover of Women’s Health. Fad diets and twice daily workouts are not a realistic or effective goals for the average woman.
I think she meant only that she did workouts twice a day for that short period of time that she worked to lose the 20 lbs. She probably downshifted to a single daily workout after she met that goal.
And that she ate an avocado every day as part of a complete diet. Not that she ate only the avocado.
I took it that way, too. I think my bigger beef is that a “Women’s Health” magazine shills “lose 20 pounds quick” diets and 2 hours of exercising a day. All while showing us a thin celebrity on the cover.
God forbid we put someone on the cover of a health magazine who says “I eat when I’m hungry, I only eat sweets and drink alcohol in moderation, and I go on an hour-long walk after dinner every day.”
Never trust someone who dislikes avocados. 😉 God, I could eat 10 a day!
Well, no shit, Hudgens. Most of us would lose 20lbs if we had time in our day to exercise that often.
Is she going to be able to keep up doing Soul Cycle two times a day? As an actress, you hope to be busy working don’t you?
I have been reading celebitchy for YEARS near-daily but have never commented…I have to de-lurk because I have been watching Vanessa’s new show and it is bugging me so much–I think she got new teeth, right? I even googled but came up with nothing. Please tell me I am not the only one who notices, lol. She talks very carefully now and her teeth seem so much bigger than they used to be. Yes??
Probably veneers. Lots of celebs get them. I had a friend who was trying to break into acting who got them and for about three months it was super distracting talking to her. Couldn’t keep my eyes off her teeth, which seemed now to be huge.
Good on her for losing 20 pounds and all, but considering that movie came out 4 years…I dont know if bragging about losing 20 pounds makes sense. Like, either that is really old news or it took her a ridiculous amount of time to lose that weight.