The Access Hollywood co-anchor talks about staying fit, eating right and putting family first.
When Nancy O'Dell injured her knee while rehearsing for Dancing with the Stars, she realized that proper nutrition and exercise were crucial to her recovery. The award-winning journalist has teamed up with Yoplait to promote the importance of calcium and vitamin D in our daily diets. Find out how she stays healthy and happy.
Q: What prompted you to get involved with the bone
health awareness campaign?
A: I have a baby girl who's 2 years old and at that
age it's incredibly vital to make sure they get enough calcium
to help them develop
healthy bones and teeth. Also, I had my own dancing injury,
which made me realize I'm not invincible. I want to be healthy
and making sure my family's getting all the proper nutrients.
Now that my daughter is running around like crazy, it's hard to
get her to sit down and eat. One thing I can get her to eat is
yogurt, especially Yoplait Go-GURT Portable Lowfat Yogurt, so I
know she's getting her calcium and vitamin D.
Q: What's your diet like?
A: I've always been a healthy eater. I eat a lot of
chicken. I'm not a huge vegetable eater, so I take vegetables,
puree them and make them into soup. I have yogurt for dessert since
it's not as caloric, but I feel like I'm getting a treat. I
have egg whites for breakfast everyday; I could live off of them. I
have a cheat day once a week. Otherwise you'll gorge yourself
on everything you've been depriving yourself.
Q: How do you stay in such great shape?
A: I don't feel like I'm in such great shape when
I stand next to the actresses who look like Q-tips. The industry is
tough, but I've played sports all my life. It's been tough
with my Dancing with the Stars injury because I
haven't been able to
run. I used to run about 40 minutes almost every day. While I
was recovering, I did a lot of swimming or walking on the treadmill
at an incline.
Q: What's your best tip for healthy living?
A: The big one is to stay
stress free. One thing that my husband always tells me is to
live in the moment. Try not to worry about what's to come or
what's already happened because you can't change it. I
think putting your family as your priority is extremely important
because that makes you happier, which makes you a better employee,
which makes you a healthier person.
––Alla Byrne
Visit Shape.com to find out Nancy's best-kept beauty secret.
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