- Chandler Kinney, 19, stars on season 33 of Dancing With the Stars.
- The series has inspired her to put her health first.
- She uses tried-and-true self-care techniques to hone in on her “mind-body connection.”
Actress Chandler Kinney is a clear frontrunner on season 33 of Dancing With the Stars, having nabbed top marks during all but one episode so far. But according to Chandler herself, she wasn’t super into working out before the show.
“I was someone that didn’t go to the gym too often—my schedule is just so abnormal, so it’s hard to create routine,” she tells Women’s Health. “That’s something that I really struggled with in terms of my physical health.”
But now, rehearsals with pro Brandon Armstrong has inspired her to continue moving, even after the show ends.
“It’s definitely motivated me to pursue a more active lifestyle,” she says. “I’m pretty active already—I love to go on walks and hikes with my friends—but again, there’s just no commitment to it. I really like the way that my body feels 1732082697 and the way that I exist in it.”
The regimen has also improved the Zombies 2 star’s mental health, joking that “the scientists were onto something when they said that exercise makes you feel good.”
But that’s not the only thing that’s changed. Currently, Brandon and Chandler practice for four hours each day—either from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., or 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., depending on her schedule. The intense routine has made Chandler “ravenous,” since she’s working up more of a sweat than usual.
As a result, she’s been “packing in the protein,” grabbing a smoothie with protein powder first thing and incorporating lots of eggs and chicken into her meals.
When Chandler isn’t dancing, typically she’s studying videos from the U.K.’s Blackpool Tower Ballroom to get her technique down. She calls herself a bit of a “perfectionist,” but is trying not to let that get in the way of showing her emotions during routines.
“I don’t want to get so caught up in the pursuit for perfection that I drill the actual dancer out of me,” she says. “There’s this space within the technique and the emotion of a dance—there’s a bit of a magic that exists and I don’t want to get so rigid and technical that I lose that element.”
So when it all gets to be too much, Chandler turns to her tried-and-true self-care methods, like journaling and spending time with friends and family. That way, she can unpack her feelings, but still show up fully to rehearsals the next day.
“I don’t want to get so stuck in my brain that I can’t get in my body,” she says. “That’s a direct block to mind-body connection, and that is a very important thing that you need in a competition like this. I need to release my feelings from my brain so they’re not clogging up critical mental space.”
Dancing With the Stars airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC.
Charlotte Walsh (she/her) is an associate news editor with Women’s Health, where she covers the intersection of wellness and entertainment. Previously, she worked as a writer at The Messenger, E! News, and Netflix. In her free time, she enjoys reality television, tennis and films starring Nicole Kidman.
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