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Kate Walsh Travels with Her Own Personal “Water Cooler”

It’s her secret to staying hydrated.

Celebrity
Kate Walsh Travels with Her Own Personal “Water Cooler”
Weston Wells

Kate Walsh tells us she’s tired today, but honestly, you’d never know it just by looking at her. Despite staying up late while performing in the off-Broadway show If I Forget, Walsh is fairly energetic as she walks around The Whitney’s Untitled, discussing her outfits, waving to her two dogs, and drinking out of the largest water bottle we’ve ever seen out in the wild. Perhaps she’s simply powered by excitement—it’s fun to have a photo shoot first thing Monday morning. But maybe, just maybe, it has something to do with her daily routine.

The actress, who currently plays Mrs. Baker on 13 Reasons Why (and was Dr. Addison Montgomery on both Grey’s Anatomy and Private Practice), takes her health—both the physical and the mental—very seriously. Hence the reason for that “water cooler,” as she jokingly calls it, and why she’ll be walking home with her pups, toting the salmon that she ordered for lunch. When we sat down to chat, we made sure to get all the important details, from what her diet is like to how she exercises her brain. If we can’t bottle Kate’s energy, at the very least, we’ll try to recreate it.

 


Why she doesn’t believe in low-fat and loves Pilates:

“When Im at home in L.A., I hike with the dogs, but since I’m in New York, I do Pilates mixed with hot yoga. I do some weight training, too. I like to eat food, so I’ve been eating out a lot, but I try to do a high-fat and low-carb diet. We’re sort of socialized to stay away from fats in our culture, when it’s actually the opposite; sugars and carbs are the ones that are bad, our brains are 60% fat. We need good fats, and the proof is in the blood work. I went and had a physical after doing a year of high fat—including animal fats—and my numbers were great. My cholesterol went down, my bone density went up, so that’s really interesting. One of the positive things about the age of information is we’re starting to learn a lot more about our bodies, how they work, and how our brains work. I think with brain health, you’re going to see a lot more of that, in the way that we became conscious about heart health.”

How she exercises her brain:

“Memorizing lines is one way [I exercise my brain], also by drawing and coloring. Crosswords are always great. I think reading is great—reading actual books, not tablets. It slows down your eyes again, and makes you processthat’s just very healthy for the brain.”

 

Her favorite place to eat in NYC:

“I love Via Carota, in the village. They have grilled artichokes there that are amazing. Everything is good. When their truffles are in season, there’s nothing like their truffle pasta.”

If she ever feels pressure from the industry to look a certain way:

“Oh, for sure. Anybody who says there isn’t [pressure] is lying. I want to look a certain way and feel a certain way, and that’s what I go by. I don’t weigh myself, I go by how I feel in my clothes. I think it’s also important for women to be easy on themselves and be comfortable and healthy. At different times and different ages, you’re different weights and different shapes. I think that’s important.”

How she stays hydrated:

“Clearly [I drink a lot of water]—I bring my own water cooler. Lemon is great because the alkaline balances your body. I feel like I’m winning if I drink one of these [jugs] a day, plus a couple more glasses. This will make you do it. It’s like a giant sippy cup. Nikki Glaser is like, ‘You actually bring your own water cooler—we’re having a water cooler conversation right now because you brought yours with you.’”

 

How she keeps her energy up:

“Vitamins, rest. Rest is highly underrated in America, but we need to sleep a lot. I have to get eight hours, that’s why I’m a little, like, cranky today. I was like, ‘Oh, I only got five hours sleep!’ because I’m on a theater schedule, so I’m used to staying up late and then sleeping in until, like, 10. Meditation is a huge part of my lifestyle, but I’m a big proponent of resting. When I was younger, I thought, ‘I’m going to always want to work 70 hours a week!’ And then you get older and youre like, ‘I don’t want to work that hard. I need rest.’ I’m much more productive.”

Why her dogs are so important to her:

“They’re actually rescues. They’re brother and sister, and I rescued them here at Animal Haven nine years ago. They were born under a house in the Bronx, so it’s important to bring them back to where they came from. But it was very important to me, when I was coming to do this play, to bring my animals with me. It’s a real luxury to be able to bring them and enjoy them and come home to them. It’s unconditional love. It’s the best.”

Part of the series:

Get Well

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