Lily James has become a household name, dazzling audiences with her performances in blockbuster hits like Disney’s live-action Cinderella and the Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommy, where she portrayed Pamela Anderson with incredible finesse. Whether she’s singing her heart out in Mamma Mia 2: Here We Go Again or taking on more intense roles in films like The Iron Claw, James always leaves a lasting impression. Recently, she gave fans a glimpse of her downtime by sharing a cozy selfie in a black baseball cap on her Instagram story. But beyond the glitz and glamour, James is dedicated to staying fit and radiant. Here’s a look at how she maintains her health and wellness, both on and off the screen.
James shared how she got in shape for Pam & Tommy with Entertainment Weekly. She says that she worked with a personal trainer. “I worked with this amazing trainer, Matt Bevan, who worked with Daisy Ridley as well. He worked me so hard and I got really fit. I lost a tonne of weight. I’ve put it all back on again though, unfortunately. But I felt really athletic, which I hadn’t done for a long time and there was great confidence that came from that. I feel less self-conscious on a beach now. It was really wonderful to feel like that, to feel so in my own body. It was really tough though, but it was rewarding.”
James also tells Entertainment Weekly that she likes to box to keep herself in shape. “I did boxing with a really cool guy in LA, which I love too, being physically strong like I could literally beat someone up.” Boxing has a lot of health benefits. “Boxing combines punching drills and conditioning exercises that can improve your heart health, strength, endurance, balance and coordination,” Physical therapist James Edwards, DPT, said to The Cleveland Clinic. “It can also reduce stress, anxiety and depression and improve your confidence and overall well-being.”
James shared some of her workout tips with Cosmopolitan. She says that she makes sure to work out in the mornings. “I think it’s probably best to work out in the morning to get it out of the way. My ultimate top tip is to drag yourself, even if you have to roll yourself out of your bed and into a sit-up – it’s really not that bad once you start. Just be like ‘you can do it’ and when you get to the point of breaking, that’s when you get fitter. You have to keep a positive mind, you need to push through the pain.”
James tells Cosmopolitan that she likes to do sit-ups to stay in shape. She says that she did them while on the set of Fast Girls. “I got really obsessed with sit-ups! Whenever the Director shouted ‘cut!’ I was there on the floor pounding them out”, she recalled. “We had to do like 600 different types of sit-ups a day so my stomach changed the most, you just end up looking healthier and stronger.”
James has amazing skin, and she makes sure to take care of it. She shared her tips with Allure. “I always cleanse, tone, and moisturize — no matter how late it is or how much I’ve had to drink. It’s really good, particularly in England, to wash with cold water [because] my skin is quite dry. I use this amazing Dr. Barbara Sturm Hyaluronic Serum to keep the liquid in my skin.”