For singer-songwriterEllie Goulding, work and fitness go hand-in-hand.“Sometimes I can’t go onstage unless I know I’ve done something during the day to open up my lungs,” she tells PEOPLE. “I run around onstage and there’s nothing worse than going out there feeling like your body has been crumpled up in place all day.”
And for good reason – Goulding, 27, who is a brand ambassador for Nike, has been running nearly every day since age 18 and has completed five half-marathons. “The last half-marathon I did I found it way less pressure to sign up for it the day before, so I don’t have any time to anticipate it. So I honestly might do that again. I won’t have time to freak out about it.”
As for Goulding’s fitness inspiration, she counts on one “incredible power woman” in particular – her manager. “She has a lot on her plate, plus three kids and she manages to train every morning. She texts me when she’s on her way to boot camp and it makes me instantly get up and train.”
Women empowering women is a cause close to the British songstress, who can be seen in her recentNike video, saying: “I feel proud to be an ambassador to women who realize being fit is better than being skinny.”
“Looking skinny,” says Goulding, “for me I find it puzzling. I understand maybe when you’re sad you eat a lot or not much at all. I understand women go through phases like that. [But], it’s making women understand that looking good doesn’t mean not eating.”
“I’ve got my insecurities like everyone else, but I do the best I can. I’m pretty happy with my body,” she says. “It’s emphasizing that being skinny isn’t necessarily healthy. Keeping fit allows you to enjoy life a bit more. I pretty much eat what I want, but it’s because I train so much. I don’t ever really put on that much weight.”
Amen to that!
–Michelle Ward
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source: people.com
