Halle Berry, 53, Says She's Fitter Than Ever Because Of One Mindset Shift She Made Years Ago

  • In her early acting career, Halle Berry focused her workouts on weights in order to sculpt her body.
  • She says her diabetes diagnosis, and later, motherhood, helped her shift her perspective and focus on overall health and performance.
  • Now, at 53, Halle incorporates yoga, weights, resistance bands, and martial arts into her workouts—and she’s fitter than ever.

Today, I’ve had the honor to train with some of the best stunt performers in the game. Back in my 20s (and 30s), though, I mostly worked out in order to look a certain way. I was young and appearance was a big part of my early acting career.

Back then, my workouts focused on weights. I was always in the gym, either sitting at a weight machine or with a barbell in my hands. It was all about sculpting; I worked my butt off isolating muscle groups and lifting as heavy as I could. It was a little boring (I knew every Monday would be exactly the same as the Monday before), but I looked fit and that was enough for me at the time.

After I found out I had diabetes at 22, though, things started t change and I began to see fitness as a way to care for my health and my body. As a result, throughout the next few decades, my perspective (and my workouts!) shifted. I began to focus on feeling fit more than looking fit and my workouts became acts of self-care.

Then, from the moment I became a mother onward, I wanted to be strong and healthy for my kids.I wanted to be around for them for as long as possible. I wanted to be able to carry them out of a burning house if I needed to.

“I walk through the world with more confidence than ever before.”

Now, whether I’m exercising alone or training with Peter Lee Thomas, my fitness routine feels so free—and my workouts have really transformed. These days, I do yoga and stretch, I sprint fast, I work with my own bodyweight, weights, and resistance bands, and I practice martial arts.

I don’t think Peter and I have ever done the exact same workout twice—and I always end up sore in places I didn’t even realize I had muscles!

Today, instead of doing round after round of biceps curls, I’m churning through full-body movements like cleans and presses or thrusters. Today, I can do pullups like an athlete and run far. Not to mention, my core has been loving this 360-degree workout approach!

With this approach to fitness, my mind is never bored, my body continues to reap the benefits, and I walk through the world with more confidence than ever before. The icing on the cake, though: In focusing more on my health performance, I enjoy exercise more than ever—and look just as fit as ever, too.

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Halle Berry is a producer, director, and actress. Now known as one of the fittest women in Hollywood, Halle recently launched rē•spin, a community for stories, conversations, and products for health and wellness seekers. In her weekly WH column and #FitnessFriday Instagram posts, she shares a personal look into her own health and fitness—along with the tips, tricks, and advice behind her famously fit physique.

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