When Julianne Hough makes a commitment, she sticks to it.
Following her March 2013 breakup with Ryan Seacrest, her boyfriend of three years, the Paradise star decided to take a timeout from dating. "I'm a relationship girl, and I feel so grateful for the ones I've been in. They've been excellent—I've been hurt but never angry—and they've helped me grow to be who I am today. But my goal has been to be single for an entire year," Hough, 25, says in the March issue of Self.
Of course, that's easier said than done. "There have been moments when I'm like, 'This sucks!'" Hough admits to the magazine. "But my dad used to say to me, 'When you feel happy with who you are, you won't need anybody to fill a void.' So for now, I'm focusing on my work and my soul. I honestly don't care if I meet somebody or not. I'm just loving life on my own with my own two feet on the ground."
Hough's timing couldn't be more perfect, as she was linked to Canadian hockey player Brooks Laich over the weekend. She has yet to comment on the romance rumors, which stemmed from photos of the pair holding hands in L.A.
Her love life aside, Hough also shares her diet and fitness secrets with Self.
"Eating is an experience for me. It's like, 'This might be my last meal, so I better have everything on the menu!'" the star says. "I love a really good Italian dinner: an artichoke salad, penne with red sauce and a margarita pizza. And then it's fun to go to another place for dessert because it makes the moment last longer. I'm the queen of Yogurtland. I put graham crackers on the bottom, then a swirl of yogurt and then more topping, so it's like a parfait. By the time I'm finally done, the thing costs like 12 bucks!"
Though she's known for her fit figure, the Safe Haven star reveals she gets tired of repeating workouts. "I don't watch a lot of TV, and when I do, I don't feel like I'm accomplishing much. So at the same time, I'll do butt lifts or leg lifts. Or I'll do maybe 200 sit-ups during Dancing With the Stars. When I'm shooting a movie, if I'm not in a scene, I'll squat and do inner leg pulses until the director yells, 'Cut!'"
And while hitting the gym can be intimidating for some, Hough promises it's never as bad as one might think. "People are afraid to go to the gym because they're out of shape or they won't try to do a marathon because they're scared they won't finish. But you've got to just go for it and keep going," she suggests. "I used to hate cardio because I have a little bit of asthma. But I've recently gotten into running. Once you pass that 'I can't breathe, this sucks so bad' moment, it's therapeutic."