Zoe Saldana Starts Every Day With This Butt Exercise

These days, Zoe Saldana is very intentional about her wellness. That encompasses everything from her workout routine to self-care to the food and drink she puts in her body. Above all, it's about balance. "I don't want to have to give up a pleasure when we're giving up so much already [because of the pandemic]," Saldana tells POPSUGAR in a recent interview for her new content series with Corona Premier, "Keeping It Cool With Zoe Saldana." "I try to achieve my best version of that balance."

When it comes to fitness, Saldana says her workout routine is "a lot better than it's ever been." She credits that to a realization, near the end of 2020, that "this is it. This is going to be the new normal. And I might as well just create some kind of balance around this."

Part of creating that routine was getting back into working out. Saldana says she works out three or four times a week, for 30 to 35 minutes or "sometimes 45 if I'm feeling really resilient." She describes her workouts as "Pilates-based, very core-driven," and low on equipment by necessity, due to her work and travel schedule. Her usual workout setup includes a Bosu ball, a yoga mat, and a set of resistance bands.

"To start every day with a butt exercise is important," Saldana tells POPSUGAR. Saldana's personal favorite is the glute bridge, a simple move that engages and activates your butt like nothing else. "They're the best," Saldana agrees.

What inspired her morning glute work? For their anniversary in 2020, Saldana and her husband, Marco Perego, asked each other "the question that you don't want to hear the answer to": "What do you miss about me?" Perego answered, "I like your butt." And Saldana replied, "Then you're going to get that butt back!"

Beyond the initial inspiration, Saldana says her dedication to glute work has given her confidence. "I love my life today and I love my children . . . but it took me a while to get used to my new pace, that I wasn't the same as before," she explains. "My rhythm is different." It took a few years of marriage and motherhood (Saldana has three children), she says, to realize that parts of her life and body have changed. "Rediscovering how you can sort of adapt to this new you is also exciting."

When it comes to abs, Saldana says her favorite move is a hollow hold: sitting on the ground with your legs and arms at a 45-degree angle. "I like to hold it for 20 seconds just to activate my lower abdomen," Saldana says, and she sometimes places her hands on her lower back for more support.

Breathing is essential in core work, Saldana adds. If you're holding your breath or breathing unsteadily, "blood isn't really flowing properly through your muscles and you're not really activating them," she explains. Focusing on breathing is also a way to stay present in your workout. "It's about understanding that working out is an experience that you're having with your own body, as opposed to working out for the purpose of seeing an instant result," Saldana says. "It's an experience. It's a conversation."

Keep reading to see how to do Saldana's favorite butt exercise, the glute bridge.