P Valley Star Brandi Evans' body is crazy in the best sense of the word. We've noticed how well her sculpted arms, chiseled legs, and curves shine during her various red carpet appearances. Most recently, she stood out as she strutted down the carpet at the 17th Annual Hollywood Black Women Awards in a skin-tight gold number.
Although we admired her outfit, most of us also wondered how she continues to expose her body on-screen and off-screen. Well, we have some answers. We recently spoke with Evans to discuss her workout routine, self-care practices, how stress affects her weight, and the importance of developing healthy eating habits. . Watch our conversation with the actress below.
essence: Your body has been taken away. How can you prepare for your role as Mercedes in P-Valley?
Brandi Evans: To be honest, stress is often the culprit, but diet is usually the culprit. Many people think that they have to go to the gym 50 million times. I thought so too. My trainer, Scott Parker, also put me on a nutritional plan that involved eating lots of spinach and avoiding bread and sugar. If you're eating those foods, you need to detox and do some cardio. Abs are made in the kitchen.
Are you also cutting back on alcohol?
I'm not drinking. I'm no longer a drinker. And when I order drinks, I'm always childish and always order the sweetest drink possible. Still, I thought about that the other day and thought, “Yeah, I want to drink some wine, but I also want to work out my abs.''i have to appear on camera P Valley soon.
Let’s talk about your clean habits and cardio!
When I go to Atlanta, I especially go to EFFECT Fitness. It's aerobic based and I really like it. I also focus on meal planning as I don't have time to cook as I am taking care of my mother. After I finish caring for my child, I am so exhausted that I don't even feel like cooking for myself. I was so focused on cooking for her that I didn't have time for her. So we hired a black chef. He talked to my trainer and nutritionist Scott Parker about how much sodium I needed.
Let's go back to our role as Mercedes in P-Valley. Her body is stacked! We were wondering if you have a full body workout plan.
For me, cardio is a full-body workout, but everyone's body is different. For example, I know a lot of women, like my co-star Gail Bean and myself, who have been snatched in different ways. There are people with different body types. There are slim girls, there are curvy girls, there are plus size girls, and everyone is doing something different. I try to be careful when telling people what I do. But for me, a full body workout simply means aerobic exercise. If you do too much weight, your arms will naturally tear, so it's genetics. It looks really strong. I still like the feminine look. Cardio is like boot camp for me. You might be doing jumping jacks, squats, lunges, or running in place.
I also have a fitness group on Facebook and I always tell people to join me on that platform. She started this effort during the pandemic and now has over 1,000 women in her group working out together.
Do you practice self-care in and out of the gym?
Of course, the gym is my therapy. If I don’t go there, I don’t feel like myself and my energy is unhealthy. However, I am still working on establishing other healthy outlets. I'm trying to keep my peace. We all know that it can be easy to fall into the trap of not feeling sexy or comparing yourself to others on social media.
I like that. Girls watching P-Valley wonder if you do the stunts yourself. you?
Mercedes is in her 20s, but let's just say Brandi isn't. So bodies are very different. I was also a former dancer, so I felt very humbled. But yes, I did a lot of stunts on the show. Swinging and running around Paul and Superman was fun, but it hurt. It's all about core strength and cardio.
I think you felt empowered through the role, especially since I found out recently that you were doing all the stunts. Can you talk about how you can bring out your femininity while staying healthy?
I've always said from the beginning that stunts have made me more confident in my body, so I'm really happy about that. P Valley. I want women to be healthy. I say fitness is not about losing weight.the About being healthy.
It takes a lot of courage and confidence to go to the gym. Even if you have a private trainer, you may not have a private gym, which can be worrying. What self-care affirmations do you do before and after a hard workout?
The motto of my fitness group is you don't have to keep going, just don't give up. I also tell the women who come to the gym with me this. Because I know it can be discouraging to see healthy people when you're trying to lose weight. I try to motivate others while reading the room.
