The Question Carrie Underwood Asks Herself Before Starting Any New Workout or Diet Routine

Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images

Carrie Underwood may be a Grammy Award winning country music superstar, but she's also just as passionate about growing her wellness empire.

"I've spent the last 15 years falling more and more in love with health and fitness and taking care of myself. And it's always great when you can find products that you enjoy that fit into your life easily, that are also good for you," Underwood, who is kicking off a partnership with a new sports drink brand, tells InStyle.

Building on the success of her workout clothing line, CALIA, the singer released a book with her trainer, FIND YOUR PATH: Honor Your Body, Fuel Your Soul, and Get Strong with the Fit52 Life and a corresponding workout app, Fit52, last year. Today, she signs on as an equity partner and ambassador of BODYARMOR LYTE, the aforementioned bev, a role which includes a national ad campaign with NBA All-Star James Harden.

We tapped Underwood for her advice on coping with stress, setting realistic workout and diet goals, and staying hydrated in 2021.

We just came off of a very stressful year, to say the least. What did your self-care look like in 2020?

"For some reason, traveling around and going on tour and things like that — it is stressful, but it was almost more stressful sitting at home worrying about when I was going to get to do that again. So, it was important for me to focus on just taking care of myself, whether it was taking a walk or deep breathing throughout the day to help manage stress. We worry about the things we can't control a lot but once I realized that 2020 was looking like 2020 and things weren't going to be normal overnight, I tried to focus on my work and keeping myself healthy, rather than sitting on my rear end at home and snacking all day."

Your new workout app also came at the perfect time.

"We had no idea when we were developing it that people were going to need to work out at home as much as they would and how they would be relying on their computers or iPads or phones with very minimal equipment, because equipment kind of became scarce there. It's still hard to find dumbbells! Honestly, for me, it was a lifesaver, just to not have to think about what I was going to do — from a personal perspective, I don't really know what I would have done last year without the fit52 app. Then my husband [NHL player Mike Fisher] started working out with me using the app and he'd be like, Oh, you should add this exercise. You should add that exercise. I finally just asked him, do you want [to be a part of it]? That's the thing about the app: It's ever-changing and ever-growing, and we're always creating new content, so it should always stay fresh and fun — you can even get the random professional athlete jumping by [laughs]. It's been great to create this great community of people that wants the best for themselves. They managed to lift each other up, and be positive, and work towards their goals."

Drinking more water is a resolution many people set every year, but they may not think they need a sports drink if they aren't a serious athlete. How does it help you on a daily basis?

"Hydration is important no matter what you're doing. You will never be upset that you are well hydrated! I like to drink BODYARMOR LYTE in the morning because I feel like it helps give me energy. When I start out the day hydrated and get some good electrolytes, it helps me with my workouts. It's also a great electrolyte replacer after you've worked out — if you start sweating, you're going to need to replace that in some way.

"And, you know, as a mom, I want my children to drink things that aren't artificial, that's very important in our household. I've also used it to make smoothies before, and it is delicious!"

RELATED: 10 Unexpected New Year's Resolutions That Will Actually Make Your Life Better

What's your advice for anyone trying to get into a workout routine in 2021, or just establish healthier habits?
"My husband and I were actually talking about this this morning — how people tend to overhaul their entire lives [when creating resolutions]. They say, you know, this is a 'new year, new me,' and they start working out like crazy six or seven days a week, drastically cutting their calories, or going on some crazy fad diet that's not sustainable. And, you know, they're out of it within a couple of months. So I feel like it's so important to incorporate good things into your life. It is a lifestyle, it is a marathon. It's not a sprint. Don't do anything you can't see yourself doing a year from now. Don't cut out too much stuff or start working out at an unsustainable pace. It's okay to just make healthy swaps in your diet first or go for a walk, and then, you know, [step things up] the more you get into it and the more you learn about nutrition and fitness. You don't have to go all out all day, every day. The question I ask myself is, 'Can I see myself doing this a year from now?' And if you can't, then that's not your workout or not your diet."