Kate Hudson has long been a passionate health and wellness advocate, from founding her own activewear company, Fabletics, to becoming a spokesperson for MyFitnessPal. At 44, the actor and mom of three is still finding new ways to make her body feel its best, especially as she adapts to the changes that life and aging bring. Most recently, on an appearance on Today, she shared two key changes that have made a huge difference in her health — and they’re more simple than you might think.
First, Hudson started prioritizing strength training — something Hudson says she “never did” prior to working with her trainer Brian Nguyen. “That was something I never realized was a huge part missing,” she said.
When she started really listening to what her body needed — what Hudson calls “tuning in” to her body — she realized, “I don’t feel strong. I feel long and I love my Pilates but as I get older… am I doing enough [strength] exercises?”
Hudson still loves Pilates and dance workouts, but functional strength exercises like glute bridges, planks, bodyweight squats, and lunges are all key parts of her routine now. “As you get older, building a little more muscle is nice,” Hudson told Women’s Health in 2022. She also told the outlet that she’s also a fan of yoga, Tracy Anderson workouts, and running — so variety is clearly a priority.
Diet is also an important part of Hudson’s health and wellness. Protein, specifically, has become a priority for the How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days star. “We, especially women, should really be eating more protein, especially in the morning,” Hudson told Today.
ICDYK, protein is the macronutrient responsible for repairing and rebuilding your body’s tissue (aka helping you grow muscle or recover from a tough workout) among other jobs, like boosting your immune system and maintaining your body’s fluid balance. Per Mayo Clinic, the current recommended dietary allowance for protein is about 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For a 150-pound adult, that comes out to about 54 grams of protein a day. But as we get older, some studies say that we should actually consume more protein, because our bodies don’t synthesize it as well. The National Institute on Aging says strength training is also important for maintaining muscle mass and bone density as our bodies age and change.
Of course, both strength training and healthy protein intake are crucial for health at pretty much any age. Hudson said she first started tracking her foods — and realizing how protein-deficient she was — back in 2011, while working on the movie Something Borrowed. She’d started a raw-food diet, which she said was “trendy” at the time, but ended up gaining weight.
“I didn’t understand what was happening because I thought I was eating so healthy and I cut out meat,” Hudson remembers. After she started logging her food intake, she realized her diet was lacking in balance. “I was eating about 3,000 calories of just nuts,” Hudson says. Realizing she had to make a change, the actor started eating more whole, plant-based foods and sources of lean protein (think: chicken, fish, tofu, Greek yogurt).
When it comes to staying healthy as we age, Hudson’s priorities of strength training and eating more protein are good ones — and so is her habit of “tuning in” to her body to figure out what she needs. “We’re constantly shifting, we’re constantly changing and we need to be nice to ourselves,” Hudson explained. “You’re always going to have regressions in life … but be kind to yourself and do not judge it. Just experience the things as they’re happening.”
Inspired to jump into a fitness routine? These essentials will help you build out your home gym:
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