Misty Copeland shares that she prioritizes taking calcium and turmeric for her health.Her morning routine includes ice water face dunks to reduce inflammation and promote blood flow.Copeland values simple, nutritious meals like eggs for breakfast and finds joy in cooking.

Misty Copeland has a ballet career spanning decades. But being newly retired from American Ballet Theatre doesn’t mean that she isn’t continuing to fuel her body to the best of her ability. As an athlete and mom, Copeland knows that it’s especially important to prioritize her health in order to perform best in every aspect of her life. So her recent partnership with Nature Made has been key, as she notes that supplements are “accessible and easy when you have such a hectic schedule.”

“It’s not throwing out what it is to have a healthy and holistic lifestyle, but it’s really about science-based products that are there to support a consistent and healthy lifestyle,” she tells EatingWell. And in the below Q&A, Copeland shares the nutrients that she focuses on most to help keep her bones strong and relieve inflammation in her body. Plus, learn more on the go-to protein she has for breakfast, the cooking tip from Ina Garten that she keeps close to her heart and more in this exclusive.

What are some nutrients that you prioritize in your days, and what are some ways you’re able to up your intake?

I think I’m very consistent. It doesn’t matter if I’m in performance season, if I’m on vacation, I don’t believe in diets. I don’t believe in “cheat days.” I really just believe in a consistent, healthy lifestyle. Calcium is something that’s super important to me, just being a woman and being an athlete and having healthy bones. I’m just recovering from a hip replacement, literally weeks ago, and so turmeric is really great for inflammation in the body that I think is great to have.

It’s really about listening to your body, what it needs and responding from there, and not getting caught up in, “Oh, this person’s taking this, so I’m gonna try this,” but really listening to what your needs are and making things as easy as possible for your lifestyle.

Michael Simon/Getty Images for Nature Made®

Do you have a morning routine that you stick by?

So, mornings are crazy. I have a 3 ½-year-old, so it’s not at all some glamorous, luxurious experience that you might have when you’re in your early 20s or maybe without children. But I have to be a priority in order to be present and be there for my son. It can be pretty chaotic, but I try to have a moment with him where we can just be skin to skin and breathe together before we start our day. And then we get creative; we start with arts and crafts in the mornings, I make masks for him almost every morning.

I love to cook, and if I can, I try to make every meal. For breakfast, eggs are just such an easy protein that I can rely on. It’s super diverse, and I like to change it up, whether it’s a boiled egg, or a sunny side up over toast, or an omelet. Jackson had his first omelet this week, and he loves it. It’s really just about keeping things easy and simple, but also diverse and exciting.

Being newly retired, are there any healthy habits from your ballet career that you still do today, whether for fitness or energy?

In the mornings, I dunk my face in a bowl of ice water. I think it’s just so good for inflammation and blood flow and starting my day off from a place of feeling grounded and balanced. There’s something that’s so beautiful, just about ballet technique in general, that has set me up for how I look at and approach everything in my life. It’s that consistency and that ritual, there’s something that’s almost like a meditation about a ballet class and the way that it’s structured. 

Having moments in the morning and throughout the day to check in and reset, whether it’s just breathing, taking a walk—that’s something that I never imagined I would say like at 17 when I moved to New York to become a professional, that walking would be a necessity and something that really keeps you grounded and balanced. But it’s great to just keep your body moving, and it’s literally just one step in front of the other. Especially if you’ve been on a long break, or it’s the holidays and you’re not working out as much, that first step with walking is such a great way to just get your body going again.

As fellow Ina Garten fans, we’re wondering if you have any favorite cooking tips that you’ve learned from her?

What I’ve learned from Ina is always have a glass of something to drink when you’re cooking, whether it’s a prosecco or a glass of wine, and just make it feel like it’s not like a duty to be in the kitchen. It can be a fun, creative experience.

What does “eating well” mean to you?

It’s really about a holistic approach, it’s not so literal. It’s about thinking of yourself throughout the day, and that doesn’t even have to just mean food. It could mean being outside and getting fresh air, the sun intake, all of these things that are within the same realm of what it means to take care of yourself and “eating well.” Your body is “eating” in many different ways, and I think it’s important to think not just about food.

Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for clarity and length.