Mariksa Hargitay’s Healthy Life Secrets

Emmy-winning actress and busy mom Mariska Hargitay spoke with Health magazine about Joyful Heart Foundation, her nonprofit organization that helps empower survivors of rape and domestic violence. In this web-exclusive interview she shares her secrets for how she stays healthy despite her hectic schedule.

Q: As a working mom, how do you keep your busy life in order?
A: Don’t procrastinate. Don’t touch paper twice. This is something an old boyfriend taught me. I asked him how he got so much done and he told me, “I do it when I see it.” When I was younger, the more time I had, the more I wasted. If a paper was on my desk, like a letter or a memo, I’d pick it up and put it in another pile—but he would say, “I have to do this now.” You look at the paper, and deal with it. So now I live my life by the Nike ad: Just Do It. Days are finite, our time is finite, and I’m continually in a learning process about how to better utilize my time, schedule it, condense it, and make the most of it.

Q: Let’s talk fitness. What do you do to keep in shape?
A: I’m just an active person. I’m always running around—and I’m the mother of a two-and-a-half–year-old! Swimming is definitely my favorite sport. I live for swimming.

Q: How do you stick to a healthy eating schedule?
A: I’m learning that it’s about paying attention to how you feel after you eat.  I didn’t used to think that way. I used to say to myself, “I want it so I’m going to eat it.” Now I try to be a grown-up and say, “How am I going to feel afterward if I eat that? Is it worth it?”

Next page: What Mariska keeps in her fridge