Hudson - Pretty Happy: Healthy Ways To Love Your Body

1. PART ONE
   
2. PART TWO
   
3. PART THREE
   

I HOPE THIS ISNT disappointing, but this book is not meant to be some kind of weird tell-all. Rather, its a tell-true, focused on how I figured out how to connect to myself, understand what my body needs, and put that information together so I no longer have to worry about or overthink how I eat or how I work out and for how long. I finally feel confident that I have something to share. I want to give others a way to feel as positive and motivated as I try to be, because seeing that I can help makes me feel my best. This book is also about how I learned to slow down and fine-tune how I eat and exercise and practice meditation in a way that grounds me when life gets bumpy.

Why do I feel more confident about what Ive learned? Lately, Ive been realizing that just as my public roles have changed and evolved, so too have my inner rolesespecially my relationship with myself. People may see me as buoyant and always smiling, but the truth is, Im not always like that. No one is. Like everyone else, I have my good days, my not-so-good days, and my totally awful days. Im in my midthirties now, and my life is even more complicated and busy, with more and more responsibilities. But I also happen to be more carefree than I was even in my early twenties, before I became a mom. I also feel stronger than ever, more self-assured and more resilient. Does this sound like a contradiction? Let me explain. I guess you can say that I finally feel at peace with myself, ready and willing to take on new challenges, looking forward to the years ahead with fearlessness, confidence, creativity, and lots of humor, not shy or afraid of any upsets that are bound to happen in my lifetime. And I just feel more confident that now I can share some insight, and even if it resonates with only one person, I will have contributed in a positive way.

Another reason I decided to write this book was out of frustration. Im often asked how I stay in shape. How I lost all that baby weight after my first son, Ryder, was born. How I seem to effortlessly lose ten pounds in preparation for a new film role. How I look and seem so healthy. The responses captured and then reported by the media are typically just sound bitesI love to jump rope. Im into yoga. I do Pilates. Im vegan. I work out twenty minutes a day. I work out two and a half hours a day.

Its not that these sound bites arent truesome are, some are notbut they just dont tell the whole story. And though I understand that nowadays we have become accustomed to getting our information immediately, in bite-size snippets or tweets, learning how to really take care of yourself doesnt happen immediately at all. In other words, if you want to make lifestyle changes, it doesnt happen with a Like on Instagram! It takes time and discipline.

My frustration comes from the fact that learning to take care of yourself will never be captured in a sound bite, just as how I live my life could never be captured in a four-minute interview. So since I really want to spread the word about some of the lessons Ive learned and the things Ive found that make me feel great, and I cant sit down for a long conversation with you over hot tea, I decided to put my ideas about how to be body smart in this book.

One of the main ideas I came to is that being body smart is an ongoing process, not a diet or a program that begins one day and ends twenty-one days later. Just like yours are, my body and mind are always changing, which means that taking care of myself requires that I tune in regularly, ready to make small adjustments to fit the changes. This idea of constant change was a huge revelation for me! I used to think I could just figure out the best diet for me, that Id lose weight, stick to that weight, and never have to worry again. But life doesnt work that waynor does true self-care. I want this book to be a map for you to figure out how to take good care of yourselfmind and body. I didnt just wake up one day understanding how to take care of myself. I had to learn how to do so over time, and I continue to learneach and every day. Again, this is a process because my body is constantly changingso is yours. And when I learned how to accept that it will always be like this, I relaxed. Our bodies do not stand still for time.

Another important lesson I learned, and one that I want you to learn, is that perfection is for amateurs. No, seriously. When you understand yourself and connect to how you can become body smart, you realize pretty quickly that the perfect, the ideal, is not the goal. Instead, the goal is feeling good in your body. Thats what leads to confidence, to feeling and looking fit, and being pretty happy . Doesnt that sound great? I think so!

You may assume from all the photos and video clips out there that I was born thin, with a sleek, toned body. Ahhnot the case. Like every woman, I work at it and continue to work at it. Ive lost weight, gained it right back, and lost it again. Ive been thin but not toned, skinny but not strong, and none of the above.

Another realization Ive had since Bing, my second son, was born and I launched Fabletics, my workout clothing line, is that I have to take care of myself in a more complete way. Id use the word holistic if it hadnt already been beaten to death. Id use the word balanced if that word, too, hadnt almost lost its meaning. The word that seems most relatable, real, and true is connected. I finally feel truly connected within myselfmy mind and body, with a little soul thrown in for good measure. Being connected and aware has kept me grounded in my life even though I am always on the move. I feel focused and clearheaded despite continuing to enjoy jumping from one project to the next, one self-help book to another and then back to poetry. I am busy, but I dont feel frenetic. I feel energized yet peaceful. And on the physical side, to find myself in this place after years feels like a triumph. It wasnt until I connected the dotshow I eat, what makes me happy when I exercise, and what I truly needthat my life and my body calmed down.

So its this place of connection that has inspired me to write this book.

People keep asking me if I have a secreta secret diet, a secret formula for losing weight, a secret exercise routine that makes me toned, strong, and feeling sexy. Photographs of me or any other celebrity may inspire you, but they wont get you off the couch. Thats up to you. Instead, what I want for you is what I discovered for myself: that taking care of yourself is the single most important connection you can make in your life. When you feel calm and in sync with yourself, when you feel sated and neither hungry nor full, when you feel energized by whatever form of exercise puts a smile on your facethats when you know youve hit the jackpot.