This month, Spanish actress and producer Elsa Pataky is gracing the front of Women's Health, and the keen eyed amongst you will spot husband Chris Hemsworth on the cover of Men's Health.
Now that's what we call a power couple.
When she's not making acting appearances in award-winning movies like Fast and Furious and Snakes on a Plane, Pataky's a full-time mum to her three children, India, six years old, and Sasha and Tristan, both four years old. Wondering what keeps her sane whilst juggling a million things at once? Well, she remains a firm believer in the good working out can do for mental and physical health.
She explains to WH: 'When you start working out, and your body’s changing and achieving your goals, that’s such a great thing.'
Keep reading as she chats candidly about her new lifestyle app with Chris, her workout routine and her diet as a parent.
Life according to Elsa Pataky
On staying fit:
'I can’t be without training for more than two weeks – I just get really nervous and my energy starts to go down.'
'When you start working out and your body’s changing and achieving your goals that’s such a great thing'
On accidentally fasting:
'Because of the kids and the run in the morning, you end up not eating anything – you have to get their stuff and their clothes and everything. Chris is like, ‘You’re fasting’ and I’m like, ‘I’m not,’ and then I realise at 12pm, ‘Whoa, I haven’t eaten anything!’'
On extremist dieting:
'I hate extremes in everything, so I always love to kind of be in the middle. I learned a lot about macrobiotics, but I need other things, also.'
'You have to find what your body craves and what is good for it… For a while everyone was like ‘no carbs’ which I think is a big mistake'
On working with husband, Chris Hemsworth, on their new lifestyle app, Centr:
'The reason we created this programme was to bring together all the people we think are really good in fitness, nutrition and mindfulness.'
'I think those three things are every important to keep healthy and happy. Chris put it together, but I wanted to be a part of it, too.'
On diversity in the film industry:
'I feel like when I got to LA [early in my career] nobody would hire you unless you were playing the Spanish character.'
'Now, it’s getting so much better. Like Wonder Woman [actress Gal Gadot], she has an accent – she’s Israeli – and that’s amazing. [Gal] is a friend of mine and I was like, ‘it wouldn’t have been possible years ago'. Now, people are more interested in female characters, no matter what your age.'
On her Spanish heritage:
'[We Spaniards] are so passionate about everything, and when you love something, you love it. We’re really loud and sometimes Chris gets embarrassed. He’s like, “Stop it, everyone’s looking at us.”'
Read the full Elsa Pataky interview in the March 2019 issue of Women’s Health, on sale from the 5th February Also available as a digital edition.
