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Mindy Kaling reveals how her kids help her stay in shape

But they're not the be-all and end-all of staying in shape at age 42.
/ Source: TODAY

Brace yourselves, everyone! Here's Mindy Kaling's secret to staying fit: her kids.

Well, her kids and also just not caring so much about weight loss anymore.

As she recently told InStyle, the multi-hyphenate star, 42, is learning that it's more about health than weight loss. And having small kids (Katherine, 4, and Spencer, 19 months) is a good way to get some cardio in.

"People are always saying, like, ‘I stay fit by running after my kids!’ I’m not gonna go that far, but I will say, my daughter’s always like, ‘You play the bad guy and I’ll play the good guy and you chase me around the backyard!’" she said. "I wouldn’t just depend on that as a workout, but that’s a good 15 minutes a day!”

But mostly, as Kaling — who's currently working on "Legally Blonde 3," "The Sex Lives of College Girls" and "Never Have I Ever" — says, it's about learning to be vigilant but also understanding how to relax.

The 2022 Met Gala Celebrating "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" - Arrivals
Mindy Kaling at the 2022 Met Gala on May 2 in New York City, NY. Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images for The Met Museum

"I used to be this person that would be like, ‘OK, I have a big event coming up, the pressure’s on. I have six weeks to just like, stop eating, juice cleanse, do the boot camps’ — whatever. And I have completely let go of that… it never worked for me. It wasn’t healthy and I was in a state of deprivation," she said.

The Mindy Project
Mindy Kaling in "The Mindy Project."Jordin Althaus / Courtesy Everett Collection

She says she feels like she's in "the best shape of my life" and is "the healthiest I've ever been." Learning to stretch, and adding yoga (inspired by her pal and former "Office" star B.J. Novak, who's also her children's godfather) to her routine has also been a big plus.

And not stressing out so much is a big factor. "I wanna stop a cycle of yo-yo dieting and all that. I would love to never think about that again."

Kaling said as much during a recent chat with TODAY. "I’m never going to stop being a foodie. I’m never going to be someone who can just have spinach and salmon every day. I just am really, for the first time in my life, trying moderation, and I love it."