When it comes to health and wellness, Gwyneth Paltrow is doing things her way.
A famous advocate of controversial procedures like vagina steams and bee sting facials, the Oscar winner and her methods have become a target of judgment and confusion. No matter what the feedback, Paltrow does not let the criticism control how she feels.
"When you're at the forefront of something that's new, people can get really reactive: 'This is crazy! Why are you doing this?' Then, five years later, everyone's fine with it," she said in the April issue of Women's Health.
"When someone doesn't like something you do, or doesn't share your interest in something, that doesn't have anything to do with you. One of the best things someone ever said to me was that the only time criticism hurts is if you have a judgment about yourself about that very thing. If someone's like, 'You dick, you have red hair!' and you've got brown hair, it doesn't bother you."
Having spent practically her entire life thus far in the spotlight, the 44-year-old has found her inner freedom with the help of her entrepreneurial ventures.
"It's a blessing to be liberated from the chains of other people's perceptions of you," she told the magazine. "It's part of wellness, working at that. I've gotten to a point where I like myself. I do my best as a person. I also have nothing to hide."
Instead, the actress changes into a two-piece and poses with her bare abs on the cover of Women's Health. That fit physique is one she spends every morning maintaining.
"I like feeling good, and I know I feel my best when I exercise," she explained. "But it depends on the day—I definitely don't always feel like doing it. I've made it a habit, just like brushing your teeth. That's how you have to look at it. I've been a Tracy Anderson fanatic for over a decade, I'm an investor in her company, so yeah, I go every morning. I drop the kids at school, work out, go to work."
Still, like anyone, Paltrow understands the joys of indulgence and won't deny every culinary treat.
"I have a pretty healthy diet, so when I'm eating processed foods and not watching my alcohol intake, I feel it," the mother of two continued. "But at the same time, you want deliciousness, you want a fun life – pleasure! You're going to have a baguette-and-cheese-and-red-wine frenzy sometimes – but you want it to be a choice you're awake to: "I know this might not make me feel great, but today I'm choosing it anyway."
Now, with her lifestyle site, Goop, approaching a decade on the Internet, and a new line of supplements and non-toxic perfumes underway, Paltrow is now curious about metals.
"I'm really interested in the impact of heavy metals and parasites on our bodies," she explained. "I think they're two of the biggest culprits in terms of why we feel bad. I'm knee-deep in figuring out ways to clear them from the body, looking at all sorts of potentially weird modalities."