Derek Hough on Why He Quit Being Vegan and Works Out Harder Than Ever: 'I'm Constantly Moving'
Derek Hough‘s idea of health is ever evolving.
The dancer and actor says he’s always looking for ways to change up his workouts and diet.
“My fitness routine now is actually much more vigorous than when I was doing Dancing With the Stars,” Hough tells Men’s Health for their MH Rec Room series. “I’m getting older and I’m a very curious person, and I love to learn. I’m constantly moving.”
One of his latest workout obsessions is hot yoga.
“I’ve actually been doing a lot of yoga — hot yoga sculpt — because I love sweating,” says the 32-year-old. “People will be like ‘Oh, sweat is gross.’ I actually love it. It makes you feel like you’re working hard but also it’s getting rid of all that bad water.”
But Hough also enjoys being physical outside. He and girlfriend Hayley Erbert are always up for runs or hikes in the woods.
“Being around nature, it resets me,” Hough says. “Being in the trees, under the sky, going to Yosemite, or in a park — for me those type of workouts are not just physical workouts, but also emotional workouts, too.”
Another way he challenges his body is by experimenting with new ways of eating, like his recent foray into veganism for six weeks.
“People were like, ‘Whoa, is it hard being a vegan?’ Like no, not really. Especially living in L.A., it’s almost hard to avoid it,” he says “Everything is vegan. It was actually fantastic.”
But Hough found that he didn’t want to give up his favorite proteins, preferring to eat them in moderation.
“It was great, but I found for me if I’m craving something — like if I’m craving meat, then I’ll have it. But I don’t eat it as often and I will say that,” he adds. “But for me it’s about the greens … that gives you the energy.”
He isn’t super-strict about his diet, though, and was pleasantly surprised to discover that his World of Dance costar Jennifer Lopez is all about her chocolately snacks.
“She’s got some snacks, man. Sometimes we’ll be filming for like nine hours straight, [and] she’s got chocolate covered almonds … the little snacks on the table,” Hough reveals.
“In my mind, she’s Jennifer Lopez, she’s aging backwards, she probably eats some sort of food that glows, something we’ve never even heard about,” he says. “But nope, she’s just rocking that store-bought stuff right there.”
