Actor Hayden Panettiere has been in the public eye since she was in diapers—quite literally. She made her acting debut in a commercial at just 11 months old, before getting her big break on the soap One Life to Live. Since then, she’s notched a number of high-profile roles including cheerleader Claire Bennet on the NBC series Heroes, singer Juliette Barnes on the ABC series Nashville, and FBI agent Kirby Reed in the Scream film franchise.
Now the 36-year-old is pulling back the curtain on her eventful time in Hollywood in the upcoming memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning (out this month).
Away from the spotlight, Hayden has spent the past year resting and recovering from an unexplained injury, she tells Women’s Health in the latest installment of Strong Like. ‘I quite literally woke up and felt nothing but pins and needles from my waist down,’ Hayden says. ‘I wasn’t able to bend my toes or lift my foot at all. No one was able to give me a solid answer.’
Barre workouts, under the watchful eye of trainer Marnie Alton, have helped Hayden improve her mobility and increase strength.
The pair gave WH a peek at the routine that’s helped Hayden heal: Hayden starts her workout with a warm-up that activates her feet and glutes. She does so with deep pliés, lowering her hips then standing up tall.
Next, she moves on to heel raises, to strengthen the tops of her feet, ankles, and calves. That’s followed by what are called diamonds, in which Hayden places her heels on a small ball (which creates instability and forces the stabilizing muscles to fire up) and performs squats. Diamond pulses (holding the position while going down and up a couple of inches) finish off the sequence.
Plié squats (and pulses) followed by curtsy lunges conclude Hayden’s workout. She cools down with a wide-stance forward fold.
‘The stronger my muscles remain, the less likely I am to get injured during stunts or doing wildly athletic things,’ Hayden says of her continuing dedication to sweat.
To hear more about Hayden’s outlook on fitness, watch the full episode of Strong Like above.
RELATED STORIES
Amy Wilkinson is a contributing entertainment editor at Women’s Health, where she edits the magazine’s celebrity cover stories and writes health features. She has previously held editor titles at Entertainment Weekly and MTV News. In 2021, Amy completed her 600-hour teacher-training at Core Pilates NYC to become a comprehensively trained Pilates instructor.