Exercise has long been synonymous with weight management and beauty, but it's slowly becoming viewed as a tool for resilience and mental health.
For British artist Rita Ora, it is central to how she sustains herself in the industry. Listening to her body has transformed not just how she exercises, but how she approaches wellbeing.
The singer's advice to anyone feeling intimidated by fitness culture is to focus on building a sustainable relationship with exercise.
"You don’t need to hit 10,000 steps. You just need to move," she said. "If it’s 20 minutes walking in the park, that’s incredible. Walking is so good.
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When it comes to exercise, the singer values consistency above all else
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"I’m still not incredible at cardio. I get so tired. I can’t just do a 10k run and not stop. That’s just not what my body does, and I’m OK with it."
Rita notes her friends often comment on how she fills her days off with workouts and appointments, but she says movement has become a core element of her self-care routine.
"When people look at someone’s transformation, they think it’s all about how they look," she reflected. "But genuinely, you get up because something ignites in you – maybe you want to change your mental health or a habit or a routine."
This ignition came naturally to the star when she began working out regularly.
"I became very, almost addicted to that endorphin after that one-hour workout. And my day just felt really positive. It changed my whole mindset," she said.
"That hour is really crucial to me now. I wouldn’t necessarily even relate it to how I look, really. It really is about a feeling."
But being at the mercy of a routine jam-packed with travel across different time zones means Rita has had to let go of high expectations around fitness.
Today, she values consistency and makes a conscious effort not to view activity as a punishment, which has resulted in her swapping intense cardio for strength training.
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"Sometimes I don’t have an hour. I’ll do 20 minutes in a hotel room. Bands, glutes, mat work. I just do something," she shared.
"I don’t put that much pressure on myself, because I don’t think it’s healthy," she noted.
"I like that you don’t have to rush into a strength class; you just have to hit those four rounds. You can take a minute rest – sometimes I take a two-minute rest – but I hit the rounds."
Rita has traded cardio for strength training
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"I never saw working out as something that has to do with money. I always grew up very active – in the parks, playing football, regardless of the weather.
"My parents were very strict on us moving our bodies at a young age. That’s just how I was raised."
The singer finds Pilates the easiest form of exercise to do on the go, with little to no equipment needed.
"It’s definitely my easiest format to go to, just because I can travel with the equipment way easier than a heavy set of weights. I do love a strength class when I have a gym around," Rita noted.
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