Adele Says Working Out Was ‘Never About Losing Weight’ and In the Gym 'I Didn’t Have Any Anxiety’
Adele says weight loss wasn’t her goal—it was a side effect of going to the gym to improve her mental health.
“I realized that when I was working out, I didn’t have any anxiety,” the singer, 33, told Vogue. “It was never about losing weight.”
“My body’s been objectified my entire career. It’s not just now,” she continued. “I understand why it’s a shock.”
Singer-songwriter Adele is no stranger to comments about her weight. Ever since she ascended to international fame, the star's body has been the subject of countless conversations, jabs, and think-pieces—even more so since she stunned fans with her 100-pound weight loss two years ago. But the “Hello” singer’s recent transformation didn’t come from an unhealthy place, she says. In fact, it was going to the gym that saved her.
Working out became “my time” amid the stresses of divorce and the pandemic, Adele, 33, told Vogue this week. “I realized that when I was working out, I didn’t have any anxiety. It was never about losing weight.”
“I thought, If I can make my body physically strong, and I can feel that and see that, then maybe one day I can make my emotions and my mind physically strong,” she continued.
There's a known correlation between mental and physical health. Research shows that physical activity delivers significant mood-boosting benefits by flooding your system with feel-good hormones. So it's no wonder Adele sought exercise to help cope with her anxiety.
Adele’s trainer confirmed the story in Vogue, saying that the star prioritized her physical and mental health over anything else, favoring strength training during double sessions. The “Rolling in the Deep” singer started with her lower back and stomach, which had been impacted by a C-section and two slipped discs. Eventually, she worked her way up to hours in the gym each day.
In a separate profile in British Vogue this week, Adele broke down her current regimen: “I work out two or three times a day,” she said. “I do my weights in the morning, then I normally hike or I box in the afternoon, and then I go and do my cardio at night,” often with trainers. “It’s not doable for a lot of people,” she admits.
Her 100-pound weight loss happened gradually, over a period of about two years—but many fans assumed it had happened much more quickly. “People are shocked because I didn’t share my ‘journey.’ They’re used to people documenting everything on Instagram, and most people in my position would get a big deal with a diet brand,” she told British Vogue. “I couldn’t give a flying f**k. I did it for myself and not anyone else. So why would I ever share it? I don’t find it fascinating. It’s my body.”
Even though Adele knows why some fans were floored about her weight loss, certain reactions still haunt her. “My body’s been objectified my entire career. It’s not just now. I understand why it’s a shock. I understand why some women especially were hurt. Visually I represented a lot of women. But I’m still the same person,” she continued in Vogue. “The most brutal conversations were being had by other women about my body. I was very f**king disappointed with that. That hurt my feelings.”
And as far as the correlation between her divorce and her weight loss? Adele seemed to say there really wasn't one. “It’s ridiculous. I think it’s that people love to portray a divorced woman as spinning out of control, like, ‘Oh she must be crackers,’” she told British Vogue. But in the end, it’s not the weight loss that’s made Adele feel more centered: It’s the peace that comes from being in motion. “You don’t need to be overweight to be body positive. You can be any shape or size.”
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