Minka Kelly doesn't sit still. Ever. The actress tries to break a sweat every day, but it's much more than that — she's always trying new things to. Sometimes to the point that she can make her friends a nervous wreck, like the time she wielded a machete to chop open cocoa bean pods in Ecuador.
"My friends that were with me were a little more afraid of me chopping my hand off," Kelly laughs, describing a recent trip she took to see how Dove farmed the cocoa beans for its chocolate.
That inquisitive nature fuels the former Friday Night Lights star. In the years since she left the fictional, football-loving town of Dillon, Texas, she's been all over the place, dividing her time between roles on Parenthood and Jane The Virgin with taking up boxing, going to culinary school, and working with fashionABLE to help launch sustainable businesses for women.
"I always have to have a hobby," Kelly explains. "With my job, there can be a lot of downtime, so I think it's really important to balance that with something that feeds your brain."
When it comes to brain food, she's found sticking to a basic routine keeps her energy up, so nothing holds her back from pursuing anything and everything that gets her pulse racing.
She Maintains One Rule About What She Eats.
Kelly doesn't eat starches — like bread, rice, potatoes, and pasta — with protein. "It's so hard on your digestion, and your body works overtime, which is why I'm so tired after a huge Thanksgiving dinner," she says. "I just feel better."
As a result, she typically eats starches with vegetables, or protein with vegetables, for most meals.
She Drinks Her Breakfast.
Almost every morning, Kelly makes a protein shake to start the day, though sometimes she'll snack on avocado toast instead.
She Works Out Every Day.
Kelly may not hit the gym daily, but she tries to get her heart rate up every single day. Usually, that means boxing, meeting up with her personal trainer, or taking hourlong dance classes at her friend Robin Antin's studio in West Hollywood.
"You don't have to be particularly coordinated. It's called a Grooves class, and you're just sort of mimicking the teacher," she explains. "You're just sort of freestyling with them for an hour, and that's an amazing way to do cardio."
Lately, she's been really into Jason Walsh's 30-minute VersaClimber classes.
"You go in there and the music is loud, and the lights are down, and you work really hard for 30 minutes," she says. "You sweat your butt off and you feel great afterwards."
She Keeps One Treat In Her Fridge.
Kelly keeps dark chocolate with almonds in her fridge at all times. "I always have a little bite of that before bed at night," she says.
Her other kitchen must-haves are a little more virtuous: hummus, almond milk, fresh vegetables, and bread.
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