Diaz opened up about her workout routine and her injury in the latest issue of close friend Gwyneth Paltrow's 'Goop' newsletter.
Cameron Diaz is easing back into working out after injuring her Achilles tendon last year. The 49-year-old actress opened up about getting back into a workout routine after taking 8 months off to heal, and the challenges she's faced thus far in the latest issue of her friend, Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop newsletter.
"I'm still healing from an injured Achilles, so I've been away from working out for eight months," Diaz shared. "I used to be really strong and really active, and I was made to sort of be still for a while."
She continued, "And for anyone who's been trying to come back from something like that — it doesn't have to be an injury; it can happen after giving birth or any process in life that stops you in your tracks — going easy on yourself is the way through it. Being so strong most of my life, I was used to going hard and leaning into my strength, and I've had to do the opposite."
Diaz, who is a mother to two-year-old daughter, Raddix, whom she shares with husband Benji Madden, said she had to take a few baby steps before jumping back into her workouts.
"I took so many steps in my mind before I ever took an actual step. I did a lot of lying on my floor, being with my body to understand what it needed: Maybe my hips needed to twist or my back needed to arch. I didn’t force it into anything and just honored the fact that I had an injury. It wasn’t about jumping back into my usual workout."
While it's been a process, the Charlie's Angels actress added that she feels stronger now than when she started and is working on "all aspects of growth" as she prepares to turn 50 on August 30.
"It’s been a process of building myself back, and I feel like I’m stronger now than when I started," she continued. "I’m looking forward to all the aspects of growth to come in my 50s. I’m working on building my muscle mass so I’ll have it as my hormones change."
While she admitted that she wants to feel youthful, feeling strong and healthy is her priority as she prepares to usher in a new decade.
"I want to feel youthful, of course—we all look in the mirror every once in a while and go, 'Oh, that looks different.' And I’m not opposed to whatever interventions people want to do. But as women in our society, we spend so much time under pressure to be highly sexualized, thinking we need to be desired sexually at all times. I’m here to say I’m moving past that: I don’t care!," Diaz declared. "I want to be strong and healthy, to have the stretch and resilience in my body to be able to do the things I want to do."
It boils down to overall self-care for the actress-turned-entrepreneur, who said it's important to take care of "all of you," not just the visual.
"It’s a tough society we live in. It comes with all kinds of benefits, but living in the public eye can be very damaging to your soul," she added. "No matter who you are, it’s important to take care of the whole person—not just the visual, not just what people think of you, but all of you."
Ultimately, Diaz said she feels lucky -- lucky to be her age, to be raising her daughter and to have the support that she does.
"I’m the oldest mom in my group of girlfriends with kids, and it’s great," Diaz revealed. "I’m lucky to be my age, lucky to have those girlfriends, lucky to have my daughter, lucky to have all the support I do raising her."
For more on Diaz, check out the video below.
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