On feeling jealous and inadequate while seeing perfect bodies on Instagram:
My old ass will go on social media, and I will look at the Photoshopping, Facetuning, and the apps — and everything that goes into creating what is now a hit Instagram photo — and I feel insanely inadequate. You know those times when you’re online and you say to yourself, “I wish I had her body,” or “If I just lost five pounds, I could look like that”? I’m in a weird phase where I’m jealous of those bodies, but I also really want to be cool with my own body. I really want to be that person for you all, that says, “You don’t need that f—— s—.”
There have been times I’ve cried to [husband] John [Legend], where I felt like I would just never have ‘that’ body. I’ve definitely been really upset with…you know, everyone has a butt now, everyone has curves, and a little waist, and that’s not me…
On body shamers:
I don’t really deal with body shamers anymore because I don’t look at it. I think everybody deals with haters. I feel like I don’t really deal with haters anymore because I don’t pay attention to it. And I think the more attention you give it, the more power it has over you. So, I focus on just what I see in the mirror and that’s a beautiful person. And regardless of what I think of my body that day, I know that nobody can take who I am away from me. I don’t read the comments. And if I see a comment that says that ‘she’s fat’ or whatever, I let it roll off my back because I just know that I’m healthy and I’m doing everything that I can to be healthy. So whatever my body is right now is, is what it is. So, love it or hate it, I’m still gonna love it.
On staying mentally and physically healthy:
I see a therapist two days a week. I reach out to people. Whenever I’m struggling with something, you know, I work out. I eat clean. I have a healthy support system around me, so I do everything that it takes to maintain a happy, healthy lifestyle. Fitness is very important to me. It helps with my physical strength, but more importantly, my mental strength. And so being able to work out is very important to my health, and it keeps me healthy enough to maintain a long-lasting career too.
On her fitness struggles:
Sometimes I get really bored when I do just an hour of cardio, so sometimes I struggle with boredom (laughs). But that’s why I like to train MMA, because it keeps it exciting. I used to work out too much, and then I stopped working out because I got burnt out on it. A few years ago I picked it up again with a trainer. I liked cycling, then I went from cycling to just strength training mixed with cardio, and then I found MMA.
… says Demi.
