Sarah Michelle Gellar says Megaformer Pilates is the hardest strength and core work” she’s done

Sarah Michelle Gellar says Megaformer Pilates is the hardest strength and core work” she’s done

Sarah Michelle Gellar disinfected her own airplane seat with wipes before COVID-19, social distancing and masking were part of everyone's vocabulary, she proudly tells Shape over Zoom. So it's no surprise that she teamed up with Rite Aid to help spread the word about the flu shot ahead of this year's flu season.

"Nobody wants to get the flu. This discussion isn't complicated," she says. As someone with asthma, Gellar understands that not everyone fights disease the same way, adding that getting vaccinated not only helps you, but everyone around you.

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While getting a flu shot is one way to stay healthy, the Buffy the Vampire Slayer actress also uses food to feel good. "I think diet is actually the foundation of all of this [staying healthy] because it affects how we use our energy, how we sleep, all of those things," she says. Her family, including husband Freddie Prinze Jr., is full of "big foodies," she adds, noting that they grow many of their own vegetables at home.

Exercise also plays a role in Gellar's healthy lifestyle, but she approaches training differently now than she did when she was a vampire hunter. "I think it's become more emotional. [Exercise] It used to be kind of like, 'I have to do this, this is my job, this is work.' But I think there's also an emotional component, which means it's what clears my head," explains the mother of two. "When I work out for an hour, I can let go of everything else and just focus on whatever exercise is and making sure it's right," she continues, adding that this mindset makes working out "less of a chore."

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How she incorporates exercise into her routine "is complicated," she says, explaining that she's currently commuting from Los Angeles to Atlanta, where she's filming the new Paramount+ series "Wolf Pack," a spinoff of "Teen Wolf." When she's in LA, you can find her at The Studio (MDR) or Pilates Platinum. Both are Pilates studios that use the Megaformer, a spring-loaded resistance machine similar to the classic Pilates reformer. “It’s one of the hardest strength and core exercises I’ve ever done,” says Gellar.

When she stays in a hotel while working in Atlanta, she relies on subscription services to get her workouts in away from her usual studios and the canyon trails near her home, where she enjoys hiking with her family and dogs. “Yes, I’m biased, but I happen to love Amanda Kloots’ subscription service and use it often,” says Gellar. Her hotel has a yoga room, and when available, she uses it to bring one of Kloot's workouts to the big screen. “I feel like I’m in one of her classes, which makes me really happy.”

And if you're wondering whether or not she and Prinze work out together, unless it's a hike with the family, she usually lets him do his own thing at the gym. “He’s really into boxing, which to be honest I’m way too lazy for,” the actress says with a laugh. “I love it, but I’m just too lazy for it.”

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Gellar also considers her healthy eating and exercise habits to be part of her skin care routine. “I think that’s a big part of it,” she says. "I treat my skin well, and it's not necessarily that particular product per se... But it's about making sure I wash my face every night," she explains. “And it’s not just about washing it and going to bed,” she adds. “I wash it, I rub it, I prepare it, I give it minerals, you know, just like you would treat the rest of your body.”

Gellar likes to relax with a bath and a book. For her, "self-care means remembering that sometimes I need to take care of myself in order to take care of others," she says. “I've flown a lot and it's the old saying, put your mask on first and then put your child's mask on,” she adds. "And it's counterintuitive because as a parent you just want to take care of your child, but the truth is, if I don't take care of myself, I can't take care of you. So that to me is self-care."