Learn the Secret That Reese Witherspoon Just Spilled to Women's Health

On how she stays fit: She grabs her girlfriends. "There’s a group of us, and I’m like, 'Ok girls! What are we doing today?'" Often, it's Body by Simone — "It incorporates dance, strength training, and stretching, and it’s all in an hour, which is perfectly doable for me. I do that a couple times a week. I also run, I Spin, I do yoga. Physical strength is important."

On advice that she would give to her younger self
: "I would just not worry so much. I worried a lot in my early twenties. My twenties I worried so much about 'Was I doing a good job?' and was so hard on myself and now I’ve gotten a little bit older and realized 'You’re gonna get there!' You don’t have to stress about it, or be anxious about it, because it actually doesn’t help. And just keep working hard. It’s no secret. You have to work really hard."
 

On ambition: "How wonderful it would be for our culture not to see ambition as an ugly thing within a woman’s personality! In our society, when we see women who want to succeed or who view themselves as leaders, it’s like 'How arrogant!' Well, I think it’s fantastic."

On some of the challenges she faced playing Cheryl Strayed
: "Playing Cheryl Strayed in Wild was challenging because there was more graphic sexuality and language than I’d ever had in a film. I feel like my audience has grown up with me and they’re ready to see me play more mature characters. It was great to have that film so well-received — so many people showed up to see it which was really touching to both myself and Cheryl. It is a real spiritual movie and I’m ready to tell more meaningful stories."

On any secrets she hasn’t told about herself: 
"I am a bit of a hip-hop dancer. That’s sort of a secret a lot of people don’t know. I like to dance. I’ve got a dance in my heart at all times."