Serayah McNeill, known for her role on Empire, is an actress and singer who embraces wellness on her own terms. She recently posted life updates on Instagram, showing moments with her dog, dancing, and hitting the gym with her boyfriend, Joey Bada$$. In an interview with ESPN, McNeill shared her perspective on beauty standards: “Instead of the pressure to be fit and in shape — it’s now all about having a Coke bottle body shape and doing so unnaturally. I’m not against plastic surgery, but I am against that being the only way to look [or feel] pretty. It’s the inside that matters.” Here’s a glimpse into her wellness journey and lifestyle habits.
McNeill shared some of her wellness secrets in an interview with ESPN. She says that she doesn’t want to conform to society’s beauty standards and pressure to look a certain way. “Instead of the pressure to be fit and in shape — it’s now all about having a Coke bottle body shape and doing so unnaturally. I’m not against plastic surgery, but I am against that being the only way to look [or feel] pretty. It’s the inside that matters.”
McNeill values the friendships in her life. For that reason, she doesn’t let her ego get in the way of her friendships. “My advice is that your ego should never be so large that you don’t know how to apologize or own up to whatever happened in a friendship,” she told ESPN. “Not everyone is meant to be in your life forever. Some are meant only for a season. But we need to learn how to deal with friendships that we outgrow with respect.“
McNeill does a lot of different things to keep herself in shape. She shared her favorites with ESPN. “I owe it to strength training. I use a lot of my body weight because I don’t want to bulk up too much. While filming ‘Empire’ in Chicago, I’d go to the gym in my apartment and fit in a quick workout. I’d warm up with a light stretch. Then I’d jump on the [stationary] bike for five minutes, then I’d do a few squat exercises on the Bosu ball. After that, I’ll pull out the yoga mat and do some core-focused movements with a five-pound weight, like sit-ups, V-ups and oblique twists. To close out, I’d hop on the leg-curl and hip-abduction and -adduction machines. I’d do that series three times, and it takes about 45 minutes.”
McNeill shared her diet secrets in an interview with The Cut. She says that she likes to eat a balanced diet. “It’s harder for me to stick to a diet because I love food,” she said. “I usually have a hard time saying no. I’m like, ‘Oh, this piece of bread won’t hurt.’ Burger and fries are my favorite… I think it’s having a clear state of mind. Not only staying healthy, but working out, eating healthy, and having a sense of spirituality.”
McNeill likes to do hot yoga to stay in shape. She talked about this in her interview with The Cut. “I’ve been doing hot yoga and go to this place called CorePower Yoga; they have a lot of different locations, and I’m actually loving it more than the gym. I’m usually a gym freak, but yoga gives me a good workout, along with clearing my mind. I try to go a few times a week at least.”