'I once got myself stuck in a pretzel pose during a yoga retreat and couldn't get myself out of it. It was hilarious.'
This isn't exactly the kind of secret you expect self-proclaimed Pilates lover and fitness obsessed actress Kate Hudson to admit. But a quick scroll through her Instagram feed and you'll see this is a woman who takes gruelling and punishing workouts – and life – with a pinch of salt.
Rewind 10 years ago and you'll undoubtedly associate the actress with blockbuster-hits How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days and Almost Famous, or as a result of her Hollywood pedigree (she's the daughter of 70s screen icon Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell).
But in October 2013, the Californian-born actress took a gamble on a business plan. After seeing a gap in the activewear marketplace she launched the sportsbrand Fabletics and, five years later, the company has catapulted the mother-of-two – and now entrepreneur – into the sportswear sphere. No biggie but Business Insider estimated her venture was on track to make $650 million (£459m) in 2016 alone.
With a growing community of over 1.2 million Fabletics members worldwide and five-star ratings across thousands of its products, you'll be forgiven for thinking Hudson might have lost touch with the day-to-day pangs of dragging yourself to the gym. But you couldn't be more wrong.
'Working out isn't as easy as it looks, give yourself a break,' she advises ELLE UK. We sat down with the star to discuss her first UK Fabletics collaboration (with London-based studio POPfit), eating well, and how to not sound like a total fitness bore.
1. Stop moaning and just get on with it
If you've been hitting the gym for weeks and eating like a rabbit-come-Gwyneth Paltrow-machine since the start of the year but failing to see results, Hudson is here to let you into a little secret about fitness plateauing.
'When your journey in fitness is about setting goals for your health, you see results,' she points out. 'Part of that journey is plateauing – the time when working out becomes difficult and you feel there's no light at the end of the tunnel.'
While we'd all love to throw in the towel (literally and metaphorically) when times in the gym get tough, Hudson wants you to realise that creating a strong body is a 'test of character and wilfulness'.
'What I hate to see is men and women who feel that when they can't stick through it that they feel bad, discouraged or that they've failed. I like to think of it as a hiccup. Don't be so hard as yourself. It's not as easy as it looks, give yourself a break and get yourself back on that train.'
2. Stop giving a damn what people think
Having had her arms twisted under her back and becoming stuck in a yoga position ('I've definitely found myself in compromising positions'), Hudson says the beauty of fitness is all about the fun.
Regularly showing off her love of dance on Instagram, the Bride Wars star says: 'When you dance in a class where you have a group of men and women – half of which have professional training training, and the others aren't necessarily on beat or hitting the right steps – you realise that no one actually cares.'
Frustrated with the common gym culture belief of '"you have to look great or feel like you're doing in perfectly"', Hudson adds: 'You just have to get out there.'
3. Let loose on social media
From Boomerangs on the Pilates reformer machine to sweating it out during hip-flexing stretches, the actress proves there are no rules when it comes to posting your workouts on social media.
'Some people like to show off. Just do what you want,' she laughs.
'If you want to do hot mirror selfies and show off, do it. If you want to be goofy and silly, please do! People put so much pressure on these things. It just doesn't matter!
4. Don't be preachy to your mates about fitness
With a strong girl group of friends including the likes of actresses Erin and Sara Foster and jewellery designer Jennifer Meyer, we can only imagine the conversations about wellness, fitness and workouts these ladies have over a glass of Merlot on a Saturday night.
But for Hudson, her fitness journey is one she doesn't need to share or boast about with her mates.
'Balance isn't a soundbite but a way of life. You have to figure out what that is for you – mine isn't what my best friend's is.
'Everyone has a different idea of what works for them like how they want to structure their life, what interests they prioritise, what they like to eat etc. For some people, a cheat meal might be something that's not actually that unhealthy.
5. Stop being so self-centred
Whether it's a fitness goal of building up your core strength or nailing the perfect deadlift, it's not hard to see why for some people, fitness becomes an all-consuming and isolating world of personal gains.
If you have a feeling you might fall into this category of gym-goer, Hudson warns: 'You're missing connection.'
'Connection is such a huge part that's missing in the fitness field. We talk about diet, fitness and it's all "me, me, me". What we fail to realise is that connecting to other people is an enormous part of our wellness – how we communicate and create support is what makes the strongest individual.'
6. Stop trying to do it all
From HIIT classes, weights sessions and long runs at the weekend, we can all be guilty of trying to pack in every spare bit of free time with the latest fitness trend we've spotted on Instagram. But Hudson isn't taken in by fads.
'When it comes to diet, a fad is a fad – the same thing goes for fitness,' she says.
'"Six week this" or "30 days to a better body" are fun and dandy but shifting your lifestyle in a way that's forward is daunting and very personal.'
To avoid pushing yourself to keep up with the latest fitness and wellness trends, Hudson advises: 'Check in with what your challenges are what you can do better. Hone in on one thing and stop trying to do everything at once.'
6. DGAF about what you wear in the gym
If you've ever worried about the amount you're sweating on the treadmill, or tucked your running top out of your leggings so not to emphasise your stomach, right now is about the time to stop caring how you look whilst working out.
Comfort is the actress' priority and formed the basis of her latest activewear range.
'It's all about your size,' she says. 'One of the great things about Fabletics is that we can provide for all women and body shapes. What you feel comfortable working out in is an individual thing.'
For this reason, you won't see Hudson working out in high-supported bras, preferring to hit the gym in low-cut tops. 'It's a matter of what you feel comfortable working out in,' she explains.
7. Basically, don't be an idiot
Priding the success of her brand on the fact her community 'doesn't take itself too seriously', the actress says that when it comes to working out, we need to stop putting so much pressure on ourselves to succeed.
'For a lot of women, pushing themselves is really hard and daunting but it's okay to take your time. Enjoy your life; be smart and intelligent. Find an activity that you love and adds longevity to your life.'
The Fabletics collection is available online here and shoppable at London's hottest new fitness studio, POPfit.
Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.
