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Chelsea Handler has made a career out of keeping it real. The comedian, TV star, and author is down to try just about anything—for her 50th birthday, the star posted a video skiing in a swimsuit (because why not). But it’s her willingness to talk about the hard things in life that makes her so relatable. She admits that it’s taken years of trial and error to find what works for her. Here, she tells Prevention what she does to prioritize health and wellness in her 50s, and what she’s learned along the way.
She doesn’t diet
“There is no diet. I feed myself and I eat regularly. I nibble every few hours on usually healthy stuff, and if I decide I need something a bit more fatty or rich, I go for it,” she explains. “I try to be mindful about what I’m eating and putting good stuff into my body.” She’s learned this mindset over the years, pivoting over the decades. “I’m not obsessive over it the way I used to be. I don’t let it run my day. It’s important to keep your body metabolizing.”
This means enjoying her favorite flavors. “I don’t like to deprive myself. I find that this is not the way to go through the world. Deprivation is not the answer,” she says.
She enjoys food
She doesn’t restrict, enjoying “French fries or fried chicken every once in a while,” she says. And, she’s not one to overindulge. “I allow myself to have what I want. But make more responsible choices than I did when I was younger and less educated.” She’s partnering with Yasso for the frozen snack brand’s Handle Your Freezer sweepstakes. “My partnership with Yasso is very timely in the sense that it’s a great way to enjoy chocolate without having any sort of bad feelings about it. It’s a joyful occasion. And I think food should be joyful. Everything we put in our bodies, we should have a good attitude about, and I feel like it impacts you in a more positive way when you have that attitude.”
She is a creature of habit, though. “I have one of my Yasso Sea Salt Caramel Bars right before I go to bed. It’s my nightcap.”
She focuses on strength
“I work out a lot. I’m physically stronger than I ever have been, at 50 years old. I wish I had known that when I was in my 20s, striving to have that body. Always working out and weighing myself; all of that nonsense that comes along with being in your 20s and unsure of yourself,” she says. Now, she knows she’s “fit and I’m strong and I’m pretty healthy about everything. I don’t say no to anything, I just know that it’s ok to have everything.”
Movement is key
“I wake up and go for long walks. Strength training is number one on my list of things to do. I don’t do a lot of cardio, I’m not really into that anymore. For me, it’s about feeling strong and confident. That comes from within,” she says.
Ski season is Handler’s summer, in the sense that she’s preparing all year for the slopes. “I strength train all year to prepare myself for ski season,” she says. “I have to stretch, strengthen, just to make sure my SI joint doesn’t go out or my back doesn’t go out. Skiing is really hard on your body. So you have to be really fit,” she says. In the summer, she prepares to bike. “We do four or five-hour bike rides,” she says. But that’s just the activity she does more regularly.
In true Handler fashion, she’s constantly trying new things. “I’m into really challenging and pushing my body. I feel so strong and capable at this stage of my life that I don’t shy away from learning new things…I just want to experience everything that there is to experience,” she says.
This includes sailing, paddleboarding, swimming, cliff jumping, snorkeling, and scuba diving. “I do all of that stuff. I don’t do all of that stuff every day. I have this feeling about life that is always to say yes. Especially if that’s something that scares you. Go for it.”
She stays upbeat
“The important thing is I want to be upbeat at all times when I’m interacting with people,” she says. “What are you going to do to make yourself feel upbeat? For everyone, it’s different. My recipe isn’t the right thing for everybody else. I am still learning lessons.”
The Handle Your Freezer sweepstakes takes place from now until May 21, in which you can visit Yasso.com/HandleYourFreezer to enter for a chance to win a clean-out and subsequent fill with Yassos.
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