I had the opportunity to talk to Lesley Ann Warren about her healthy lifestyle. She's been an advocate of holistic living for many years and is truly an inspiration!
Naturally Savvy Question (Andrea Donsky): Can you define what a healthy lifestyle means to you (mentally, spiritually, and/or physically)?
Lesley Ann Warren: I have been on a holistic approach to life for close to 30 years now. I first discovered it through homeopathy and Chinese herbs. Prior to that, I was always a spiritual seeker and I worked with a teacher who taught metaphysics. What I was drawn to most was the concept of ‘unification of body-mind-and-spirit.' This kind of medicine really found me – it was exactly what I had been looking for because it deals with the emotional, physical, and spiritual worlds…and treats them all without separating out the symptoms. I get Acupuncture once a week. Even when I was filming in Bulgaria, I found an Acupuncturist to go to. I spread the gospel to my family and my own 94-year old mother gets Acupuncture. It is definitely the way I live. I meditate everyday and I have a spiritual practice that I follow.
Naturally Savvy Question (Andrea Donsky): What do you do to stay in shape?
Lesley Ann Warren: I do a lot. I lift weights in the gym for bone building and muscle toning, and I practice yoga. For cardio I use the elliptical machine, take classes, and Pilates; I like to mix it up because I get bored if I always do the same thing over and over again. I try to exercise 4 to 5 times a week (I feel good with this schedule). As for the weekend, I take them off and just play.
Naturally Savvy Question (Andrea Donsky): Do you eat natural and organic foods?
Lesley Ann Warren: I do. I shop at Whole Foods to buy organic eggs, poultry, and meats. I use Himalayan salt. I try to buy and fill my cupboards with fruits and veggies that have no pesticides and to keep an organic home.
Naturally Savvy Question (Andrea Donsky): Who is/has been your mentor and why?
Lesley Ann Warren: I have had so many mentors; it would be hard to pick just one. The first one I would mention is Less Strasburg. He mentored me when I was 17, when I first started acting. He shaped my thinking and commitment to acting. When I was a ballet dancer, I studied with a man in NYC who taught me intensity and focus, which helps me survive in this business. There have been so many people along the way. A good friend of mine just passed away and her name was Corinne Michaels – she was one of the great angels in my life.
Naturally Savvy Question (Andrea Donsky): How do you remain grounded in your industry?
Lesley Ann Warren: In order to survive without going off the deep end, it is a great idea to find a spiritual guide to help keep you focused. Hollywood is such an unpredictable world, and I needed to find a core truth and connection that allowed me to step up and out of it so I can see it from a different perspective and understand it from another point of view. It has taken years. However, I am finally free of all of that. Being an actor is such an assault in so many ways – everyone is critical of you. Since you are selling yourself and not an object, when someone says ‘no’, they are in fact saying, “no, I don’t want YOU” — it happens over and over again and it can be taxing on your self-esteem. I believe as an actor, I have to have an open heart and this protective mechanism to shield me from the onslaught of what we have to deal with on a regular basis. The key is to fulfill your inner self in other ways because that fulfillment doesn’t always come from this world.
Naturally Savvy Question (Andrea Donsky): How do you maintain balance?
Lesley Ann Warren: I believe in hard work — showing up everyday for what challenges present themselves and then facing them head on — but I believe strongly in play too. One way I maintain balance is by sipping tea in a china cup and sitting quietly. There is something about that ritual that’s soothing to me. When I was a little girl I visited England and one of my relatives sat out on a balcony with a cup of tea and it was such a beautiful and serene time I try to recreate this. Another way is through daily mediation. It is an important part of my day and I have learned to appreciate and notice what’s beautiful. Just seeing a flower in a bloom can fill me with happiness. Living in the moment. Being of service to others. Remembering we are all part of each other’s lives. Smiling at people in the store. Bringing my mom chicken noodle soup. Noticing others. We live in such a fast-paced world that we need to take a moment and appreciate someone else. It fills me up. Treating myself to a walk on the beach. Retail therapy. Sitting down with a friend All of the above are all important. It took me a long time to learn, but balance gives me more energy to do other things in my life.
Naturally Savvy Question (Andrea Donsky): Thank you Lesley.
