Leighton Meester Reveals What She Has Learned as a Parent

Leighton Meester is on the cover of Shape magazine’s April 2019 issue.

Here’s what the 32-year-old actress had to share with the mag…

On parenting her three-year-old daughter: “I feel that I am really lucky, and yet, still, I stepped into the hardest job in the world: being a mom. One thing I have come to learn as a parent is that you have to step back and let your child struggle a little—let them fall down at the playground. It’s the way they’re going to learn.”

On her exercise regime: “For the last six months, surfing has pretty much been my main form of exercise. I have found that when I don’t have a physical result in mind when I’m exercising—it’s not just about getting sore or getting abs or burning fat—I feel much more confident. I’m working on a skill, and that is so fulfilling to me. Plus, being in the ocean is such a spiritual experience that you forget you’re getting a real workout.”

On her eating habits: “I usually eat a ratio of 60:40 or 70:30 of healthy foods versus whatever I want. If I have a really nice, fulfilling breakfast and lunch, then for din­ner, all bets are off. For breakfast, I keep all the stuff for my morning smoothie in the freezer in resealable bags, so it’s pretty much all measured off—a lot of kale and spinach and collard greens. At work, I have salads with chicken or turkey or fish prepared by a personal chef, and then for dinner I’ll maybe eat tacos or whatever I crave—and fudge mint cookies. I love them so much that we always joke, Have you had your cookie today? Like it’s my vitamins.”

On struggling with balance: “I just don’t believe in balance. I think that’s not possible if you’re a working mother—and with single mothers, I can­not even imagine that. I love playing Angie because we discuss how hard the struggle is to feel like you are enough. Some days my husband makes dinner, and some days I do. Other days, I’m too tired, and I eat a bowl of cereal for dinner. It’s just the thing we do to make it work.”

For more from Leighton, visit Shape.com.