Busy Philipps Found Her Love of Exercise After Being Asked to Lose Weight for a Part
Busy Philipps talks about the importance of finding a fitness routine and being an active role model for her daughters
Busy Philipps wasn’t thrilled when she was asked to slim down for a part years ago — but the experience encouraged her to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Philipps, 39, opened up about her surprising introduction to the world of fitness at the SHAPE Body Shop event.
“In the early 2000s, I was asked to lose weight for a part, which is not an uncommon thing that happens in Hollywood,” she said. “Although, maybe it’s getting better now, I don’t know. I hope so, for young actors starting out. But I was told to lose weight for a part, and they sent me to [celebrity trainer] Gunnar Peterson, and he showed me a way into fitness by introducing me to spin classes, showing me the workouts, all that stuff.”
The host of Busy Tonight said she’d long believed exercise wasn’t for her, since she neither considered herself athletic nor grew up in a family that encouraged activity and exercise.
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“I think people do that, I think you do, you make that decision. You’re like, ‘Oh, I’m not interested in that,’ ” she said. “And finding it organically has been incredible for me, but I was like, told I had to, right? So for people who aren’t told they have to, I would just say to be open to the possibility.”
Philipps said she now tries to be a role model for her two daughters Birdie Leigh, 10, and Cricket Pearl, 5, by making exercise a part of her life.
“My girls have a different experience because their dad [husband Marc Silverstein] goes to spin class always every day, they know that. I do my workout every morning, they know that,” she said. “I feel like modeling behavior for younger generations is so important, and that’s part of the reason why I post my workouts on the [Instagram] stories.”
The star has been known to film her workout sessions — her favorite is the dance-inspired LEKfit — nearly every day to give a candid, sweaty glimpse of her unfiltered routines.
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She explained last year that she doesn’t work out to lose weight, but to stay on top of her mental health.
“For me, getting the endorphins and the sweat every morning is part of what I think helps me keep [my anxiety] in check,” Philipps told Health last year. “I stopped weighing myself almost two years ago, because I noticed that it was giving me anxiety and really affecting my mood.”