Gina Rodriguez Opens Up About Accepting Her Body At Every Size

Jane the Virgin’s Gina Rodriguez just got real about what the pressures of Hollywood are really like for her on the cover of Shape magazine’s latest issue, and what she had to say will undoubtedly inspire you.

Getting to this point in her life wasn’t easy. Over the summer, she opened up about suffering from anxiety, but instead of letting it get her down, she continues to have a positive attitude. “As an actress, there are so many pressures to look a certain way and fit into a sample size,” she shared. “But I've got to embrace the fact that when I'm shooting Jane, I can't work out as much. My body is going to look different, and that's OK. I'm not willing to wring the joy from my life to kill myself in the gym.”

Rodriguez says that she’s the strongest she's ever been, thanks to Muay Thai. The combat boxing sport is what she's leaned on to teach her about how to stay healthy and active.

Beyond working out, she’s not depriving herself of food either. Rodriguez sees it as a way to get energy and stay strong for her day-to-day activities. "Food fuels me now, and that feels so good. It doesn't make me lethargic anymore,” she revealed in the interview. “Now I'm eating when I'm hungry and to power my body, I'm not feeding my emotions. Which I did. And which I'll do again in the future, let's be real. But I'm trying to be conscious of not doing it right now.”

Rodriguez’s outlook is what we all aspire to. Saying her shape makes her feel "strong and fearless," the actress encourages everyone to rethink body ideals. “There's a huge spectrum of body types, and we need to celebrate all of them — the model shapes, the beautiful new wave of curvy full-figured women, and those who are in between," Rodriguez told Shape. "I feel blessed to be part of that spectrum."