Kelly Rowland may be a Grammy-winning singer, actress and member of one of the most iconic girl groups of all time, Destiny's Child, but the mom of two still faces the same back-to-school season anxieties as the rest of us.
"It's so funny because I see all these memes right now of parents doing this back-to-school dance — they're so excited their kid's going back to school. I'm like y'all are forgetting what's on the other side of that! As excited as I am too, I'm also like, alright, here we go germs!"
We recently got the opportunity to speak with Rowland about all the ways that she makes health a priority, both for herself and sons Titan, 8, and Noah, 2 — and it starts with leading by example.
"I love my mom, I know she's always here with me. But I watched her work so hard and not take enough good care of herself," Rowland says. "So I promised myself when I became a mother, I would have my kids see me eat healthy — I can indulge, of course sometimes — and work out and go for walks with them."
"I feel like the earlier kids learn all these things for themselves, the more they'll be able to put it in their own lives," Rowland adds.
Rowland, who recently partnered with Airborne, a brand she has repeatedly turned to throughout the years, said it's not all about physical health.
As her oldest heads back to school, she has also been putting an emphasis on his mental health as well. She recently posted an Instagram video, in which she wrote positive messages, like "I am kind. I am loved" and "I can do all things, God said so" on her son's bathroom mirror, a practice, which she says has become routine in her house.
"I thought about a child and how much they think about," Rowland says. "How their confidence wanes when they're learning something new in the school year, their friends, what their home life is like, what it's like to be 8, what's going on in their head, the self doubt. I'm 42 and I'm thinking about so many different things of what I can and cannot do on a daily basis and having to encourage myself."
By leaving these messages, while he's looking in the mirror, not only is he seeing himself, but he's also seeing these positive mantras at the same time. "When I'm about to walk into his room, I hear him saying 'I am, ...' and he's reciting it, he's saying it out loud. So in those moments where he's getting frustrated with a problem, we do this whole breathe and reboot thing, but along with his breathing and the reboot will be this growth mindset and not a fixed one."
The prep for the new school year doesn't stop there. At the time that we spoke, she was gearing up to take Titan back-to-school shopping. "We love going to Target and we literally love going down that one aisle that has everything." (She's just like us!). But we couldn't let her go without hearing about some of her own current favorite finds — after all, she is a self-proclaimed "product junkie."
Here, some of Rowlands favorite products, including the serum she says is like a "magic trick in a bottle."
Shopping Diaries: Kelly Rowland
Airborne Assorted Fruit Gummies
Rowland had been using Airborne for years before she ending up partnering with the brand, calling it a "go-to" of hers. "Especially in my touring days, because it was just city to city, place to place. And it being preventative for me, if I felt like I was coming down with something, I would literally just be like, where's my Airborne? So there was always one in the car, or in my purse or in the medicine cabinet, in my luggage."
Fabletics On-The-Go PowerHold High-Waisted Leggings
"'I've recently really started to lean more into Pilates," Rowland shares. "The older I get, the more I hear so many wonderful things about Pilates, and [how] the older the body gets how it's such a benefit for your body. So I'm obsessed with Pilates. [When I'm traveling], I will usually call my Pilates instructor and figure out a time that works for us both for me to get in a session. If I'm not doing that, then I'm walking or I'm sprinting or lifting weights."
When she's not a home, she always makes sure to pack "a really cute workout outfit" to help her stay motivated to get a workout in. When we spoke, she was wearing an "old Fabletics outfit" (she's previously released collections with the brand). "There is an outfit that my sister BB [Beyonce] sent me from Ivy Park that is so cute. It's like this red animal print, that's my favorite, too."
While the exact color of the Fabletics set she was wearing is no longer available, we found these similar leggings from the brand.
Shani Darden Skin Care Lactic Acid AHA Exfoliating Serum
"Shani Darden's lactic acid is the GOAT," Rowland says. "Because, I'm not joking, you can literally drink water at night, you put the lactic acid on your skin and like two minutes after that you put a moisturizer on ... but then you wake up in the morning and your skin is just gleaming. It's like the biggest magic trick in a bottle I've ever seen in my life."
Keys Soulcare Sacred Body Oil
Rowland lists Keys Soulcare's oil as another one of her beauty favorites. The body oil is designed to be non-greasy and hydrating.
Lancôme Absolue Rich Cream Moisturizer
"I'm a moisturizing queen," Rowland says. "I am 42 and I believe that moisturizer and water are going to save me from myself."
Her makeup artist, Sheika Daley, turned her on to this one from Lancôme.
