Pixie Lott – 'Fitness is in my mental health toolkit'

Singer, style icon and new mum Pixie Lott talks about the power of having fitness and meditation in her mental health toolkit, plus her new collection of skiwear with Dare 2b

- By Joanna Ebsworth

I've always been active and went to a performing arts school from the age of 11. I got to dance every day, doing ballet, tap and modern jazz, and I feel like my body still has muscle memory from that time. Dance is my absolute favourite form of fitness, and I wish I could still dance every day like I used to, but finding the time is hard. I did join a brilliant Zumba class close to where I live for a while, which was very fast-paced and hard to keep up with. It had so much community spirit, and there were people of all ages and backgrounds, which I loved.

I really didn't do any kind of fitness during my pregnancy. I just wanted to rest, especially as I was still working and doing lots of gigs. Now that my little baby is nine weeks old, I'm feeling ready to get back to exercise. I had a C-section, so I had to take it easy during the six-week recovery period, but now I'm at the stage where I want to ease myself back into things with some gentle Pilates and yoga.

I took up reformer Pilates before my wedding in 2022 and instantly fell in love with it. You know how everyone always says you should work out before your wedding, and have facials and all that stuff?

Well, I did a real last minute crash course in Pilates and had all the facials. I've always been drawn to Pilates because we did some at school, but I also think having good core strength is important, especially if you want to keep your body in good condition and avoid having back problems. I was very lucky not to feel any discomfort during my pregnancy.