- Mindy Kaling opens up about how she is making health a priority.
- The star teamed up with Bristol Myers Squibb and actor Ted Danson for the “SO, Have You Found It?” campaign, empowering people with psoriasis.
- The former The Office star shares her diet and fitness routine for feeling her best.
Mindy Kaling wears many hats—actor, author, screenwriter, producer, mom. With so many responsibilities, it would be understandable for staying on top of her health to drop off o-do list. But not for Kaling, who sat down with Prevention to talk about her diet, fitness routine, and the importance of prioritizing health and body positivity.
As if taking the time for her own health wasn’t enough, the star is also teaming up with Bristol Myers Squibb and actor Ted Danson to lend her voice to the “SO, Have You Found It?” campaign, an effort focused on empowering people living with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis (PsO). (Note: Kaling does not have psoriasis herself).
“I didn’t know that much about plaque psoriasis before I learned about this campaign,” says Kaling, “and it was through this that someone I’ve known for a long time, Ted Danson, [I found out] that he had plaque psoriasis through most of his adult life and throughout his TV career.”
After hearing Danson’s story, Kaling says, “As someone who has always felt that body positivity and feeling comfortable in my skin was so important,” she jumped at the opportunity to amplify the campaign’s message.
So, how is she prioritizing her own health and wellness? Ahead, The Office star shares exactly how she’s setting an example.
She walks the walk
For Kaling, she says she feels her best when she hits her weekly mileage goals. “I think that if I can get in about 15 to 20 miles of walking a week, I have mental clarity, I feel like I get better sleep at night…So for me, that’s always been key.” She also shares that her favorite walking attire is her tried-and-true Hoka sneakers, saying, “They’re really comfortable for the shape of my foot—I just love them.”
Hoka Clifton 9
Hoka Gaviota 5
She recalls that she “used to be way more of a runner, but when I used to go running, I’d have to shower immediately after.” And with her full plate these days, “I can’t be taking five showers a day,” so Kaling tries to sneak in walks where she can. “If I have any phone call, I just pick up the phone and I just go for a walk. Sometimes I listen to music, but it’s been such an easy way to get three to five miles a day of walking and movement, which I think is really important,” Kaling notes.
She incorporates strength training
She also knows the importance of incorporating strength training into her busy schedule. “I remember as a kid, always hearing ‘When you get older, you lose muscle mass. You need to start lifting,’” she recalls. “But so much of the focus when I was younger was ‘How do I be skinny.’” So now her perspective on fitness “has really shifted to lifting, and doing strength exercises that they told me was important, and now I’m seeing first-hand just how important it is.”
She stays consistent with her diet
“For me, at this point in my life, I feel like I know what I’m supposed to be eating—you know, more leafy green vegetables and keeping red meat to a minimum—and for me personally, I also try to keep dairy at a minimum,” says Kaling.
Most importantly, she aims for consistency. “I really try to implement [my eating plan], not when I have all the time in the world, but especially when I feel stressed out, because that’s when I feel like I make a lot of my big health mistakes,” she says.
Still, Kaling admits her healthy eating doesn’t always go to plan (relatable!). “I’m a work in progress. Sometimes I’m better at it than other times, but now I’m way more motivated [to eat healthy] because I have kids.”
She advocates for herself at the doctor’s office
“When I [used to] go to my doctor, it always got to that point where they ask if I have any questions, and I was always like, ‘Oh no, I didn’t write anything down,’” she says. Now, Kaling comes ready with a list of questions, saying that especially after having kids, she doesn’t “want to leave any stone unturned.”
One of the things that Kaling always tries to do is “be as prepared for doctors appointments as I am for my job.” She continues: “I feel like we go to work and we know that that’s our livelihood, so we go into work with a sense of like ‘I have to show up for this.’ So now, especially after having kids, I try to go to doctors’ appointments with that same level of preparedness.”
Despite not suffering from psoriasis herself, we love that Kaling is lending her voice to this important campaign and encouraging all to take an active role in their health. We can’t wait to see what’s next for the star.
Madeleine, Prevention’s assistant editor, has a history with health writing from her experience as an editorial assistant at WebMD, and from her personal research at university. She graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in biopsychology, cognition, and neuroscience—and she helps strategize for success across Prevention’s social media platforms.