Happy Birthday, Cobie Smulders! Our latest fitspiration turns 34 today and has been through it all including ovarian cancer – here’s why we have so much love for the beautiful brunette
Canadian model and actress, Cobie Smulders turns 34 years old today – so what better time to celebrate our ultimate fitspirational girl crush?
The How I Met Your Mother star has had one hell of a health journey. At the end of last year, she penned a letter to online magazine Lenny Letter, discussing her body’s journey through cancer and back. Aged 25, the actress developed ovarian cancer. ‘Just when your ovaries should be brimming with youthful follicles, cancerous cells overtook mine, threatening to end my fertility and potentially my life,’ she wrote. It was at this time that Smulders made her head-first leap into the world of health and wellness, speaking to Women’s Health she revealed that she had tried everything, from yoga classes to crystal healers.
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And as she hilariously puts it, she had a ‘devastating breakup with cheese and carbohydrates,’. In the four months after her diagnosis, she worked to educate herself about everything health related even switching to a raw diet.
And as she hilariously puts it, she had a ‘devastating breakup with cheese and carbohydrates
Luckily, Smulders recovered from her cancer and now has two children, ‘baby girls I was lucky enough to be able to make with my own body’. But the knowledge she gained about health and fitness hasn’t left her and she’s become a bit of a class junkie.
Speaking to Self magazine, the actress describes her love of ballet barre and yoga. The star revealed ‘I gave up Bikram yoga,’ going on to explain, ‘One day I basically found myself in a split, and I was like, ‘Oh! I’m so flexible!’ The next day: ‘I can’t move.” So, for this reason, she took up Yin Yoga instead. We’re inspired by her not only because she obviously loves her fitness, but also because she seems to know her limits and only works out as far as she enjoys. She doesn’t go to spin classes where the instructors scream at you and try and push you too far – enjoying her workout is seriously important to her (we hear ya, Smulders).
That being said, she’s another Hollywood star that has a soft spot for a bit of SoulCycle, ‘there’s one really close to my place and I go, and I sweat, and I just pound it for 45 minutes and then I feel great.’
If I’m on set, I usually have a lot of almonds, a lot of fruit, and veggies. And I drink a lot of coconut water
Her attitude to fitness is to be healthy and happy. In the past, she’s talked about how she loves to go to Pilates class, not so that she looks good but ‘because it’s important for me to have a healthy back when I’m 70 so I’m not hunched over and in pain. That’s more important to me than being thin.’
As a successful actress, Smulders is undoubtedly super-busy, and yet she still makes time to work out and eat well. Teaching us that healthy living is still possible, even when you’re on the go. ‘When I’m at home, I’ll cook quinoa and I’ll just leave it in my fridge. When it comes to mealtime, I’ll chop up some avocado and throw it on there. If I’m on set, I usually have a lot of almonds, a lot of fruit, and veggies. And I drink a lot of coconut water,’ she said in a video with Women’s Health.
We’re inspired by her not only because she obviously loves her fitness, but also because she seems to know her limits and only works out as far as she enjoys
And while she fuels her body well, in true Healthista style she also indulges from time to time. ‘I’ll have pasta two out of seven meals. And if I have 3 bites of my husband’s mac & cheese, I don’t kill myself! I just slow down and enjoy it, instead of shovelling it in my face,’ she said in an interview with Self magazine.
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But our favourite thing about this amazing woman? She understands the importance of staying healthy physically but also psychologically. ‘When I was younger, my life was about getting to the next level. ‘If I just get another season of this show, it’s going to be OK’…But I’ve learned if you package your happiness with if-only goals, you’ll never really be happy. There’s always something more you’ll want. So, now, I just try to stay present and remember how awesome I have it.’
Preach it sistah.
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