Ellie Goulding Just Shared Her Fitness Routine and It's Intense

On HIIT: "I feel so exhilarated after working out. That’s what gets me motivated and what will drag me out of bed. When I’m not on the road, my trainer comes to my house a few times a week and we go for a run outdoors and then do weight training. Or I go to his Barry’s Bootcamp class. I like it because you spend half the session running and half doing weight-and-floor work. It’s really good for endurance, and it keeps me super focused. I also take another class that’s 45 minutes of HIIT training, which is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I come out of there feeling like something big just happened to my body, and I’m completely drained. Of all the workouts I’ve done, this has been the best for me."

On her diet: "I call myself an aspiring vegan. It’s challenging, but not impossible. You just have to eat or drink a lot of greens. I make green juice for myself almost every day. I put in things like bananas, avocado, spinach, broccoli — whatever’s in my fridge, really. Sweet-potato fries and salad is my absolute favorite thing. It’s the perfect meal. I eat a lot of quinoa and nuts too, but I also love eating chips. It’s actually easy to be a bad vegan because a lot of junk foods are vegan!"

On body image: "If getting stronger means getting more toned and slimmer, so be it, as long as strength comes with it. I’m happy with my figure. I’ve never intended or tried to be skinny. It’s my not thing."

Read the full interview in the December 2015 issue of Shape, available on newsstands Nov. 24.