Alicia Keys Talks Staying Body Positive with Athleta Partnership: 'Understand What's Real and Fake'

Alicia Keys' foundation for a healthy lifestyle starts by connecting her mind, body and spirit.

The 15-time, Grammy Award-winning artist recently opened up to PEOPLE about her health and wellness routine, while talking about her latest partnership with activewear brand Athleta.

"Athleta is just the perfect partner because I've always been a fan of what they create while I do my yoga, my workouts, and my meditation," Keys tells PEOPLE. "They're definitely a major part of my repertoire."

Not only is the singer a fan of the product itself — "It feels so soft!" — but Keys stands strongly behind the fitness-focused brand's core values that are rooted in empowering women and embracing body diversity.

"Being able to partner and create something with so much meaning, which is really about uplifting women, empowering women, reminding us that we're all capable, we're all special, and we're all creative," says Keys.

Courtesy Athleta

She adds, "We're all beautiful, no matter our style or body shape. This idea of diversity of body consciousness is all built into what they represent, and that's what I represent."

While Keys' values align with the female-driven brand, her involvement goes deeper – joining the Power of She Fund grant program as a mentor and advisor in support of women's well-being through movement. She'll also be conversing with women in Athleta's digital community called AthletaWell.

Additionally, Keys serves as co-creator and co-designer of an exclusive Alicia Keys x Athleta limited run collection. Available in sizes XXS-3X, the inclusive line draws inspiration from Keys' personal journey, and launches March 8 on International Women's Day.

Courtesy Athleta

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"I've discovered that working out, meditating, physical activity, quietness and stillness, journal writing, a nap, just putting yourself together in a way that makes you feel good... all of these things are part of what feed me as a woman," explains Keys.

The musician played a large role stylistically as well, saying "I created things that I really love," including "mock-neck tanks that are slightly short so that the high-waisted pant can cover everything nicely."

Courtesy Athleta

Stating she's a firm believer in color therapy, Keys notes that she picked all of her favorite colors, "especially those colors that lift me up." She adds, "I just feel like if you put on something that feels like a pop, you just walk differently and you feel better."

There's also a fluidness to the collection, meaning that the garments can be incorporated into your daily lifestyle, aside from just sporting them during a workout.

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"You don't want to put on something that you feel like you can't go outside with or you don't want to have to change... the collection really allows you to just do what you do and do it all," says Keys.

The mom of two adds, "For me in the morning, I'm taking my sons to school and I'm going to put on my workout-meditation outfit so that after I drop them off, I'm forced to remember that I promised myself I would do it."

Courtesy Athleta

The multi-hyphenate star admits that while at times squeezing in a workout is "hard," she does prioritize listening to her body and being kind to herself.

"First of all, I would say give yourself some grace because it really is tricky, and literally there are times I'm like, 'Okay, should I sleep or should I workout?' Keys says. "I ask myself what I need because sometimes I really need a workout. Some days I'm just very, very tired and I just feel like the best thing for my spirit is going to be sleep," she adds.

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Creating a schedule, "just like you schedule everything else," is another piece of advice Keys shares. "For me, I'll get up just 10 minutes earlier... Maybe I just do a stream of consciousness in my journal, or a 10-minute meditation, or a 10-minute ab workout. Whatever that thing is, I find that doing something is always better than nothing, and I just give myself grace," she explains.

Since mental and physical health go hand in hand, Keys opened up about the pressures of social media and its impact on the way she views her own body image – especially as someone with over 22.5 million followers on Instagram alone.

Seth Browarnik/startraksphoto.com

"I try to tune into my own spirit to understand what's real and what's fake so I don't get caught up in it," says Keys. "I think that a lot of the things that are pushed on us and presented to us in the media, and definitely as we're scrolling on social media, you get distorted reality a bit."

She continues, "Making sure that I'm not always plugged in is a big help for me. You just have to turn off. It's hard because this little tiny computer, this convenient computer is literally in your pocket all day long… you don't realize how much it's affecting how you feel."

Keys touched on the motivations that fuel her workouts, ensuring that she's doing them for the right reasons. "I enjoy working out because it makes me feel good, not because I can't wait to post a selfie," she says.

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"I enjoy it because it makes me feel good, and then I do like the outcome as well, which it's beautiful to feel positive about your body, but it's also fine that you don't look like everybody else or that you look different or you have a different shape of this or your legs are thicker or your breasts are larger or your breasts are smaller or whatever the thing might be," Keys adds.

"I think that's what I love about the Athleta partnership too is really exploring the differences in our bodies and ourselves and showing how beautiful we all are in our differences, and I think that's the one thing that gets lost sometimes," she notes.

Keys continues, "We kind of all feel like if our stomach isn't the flattest or if our skin isn't the smoothest or if our face isn't the clearest, then somehow we're not beautiful, and that's not it. That's not it."