Vanessa Hudgens In Bathing Suit Is In 'Sun-Daze Season'

Noting pandemic changes as she spoke to Shape, Vanessa revealed: "My fitness has taken a turn. Cardio has been put on the back burner, and I'm very OK with that. The things that have become the most important are balance and mental health. During the pandemic, when everything was paused, I created a little community. I'd get my friends together over Zoom and we would do Isaac Boots's live workout classes."

The High School Musical alum name-dropped her favorite types of exercise, continuing: "We have the best time — the amount of dancing we do between sets is ridiculous. Everyone knows when we're at the gym. They say they hear us before they see us."

Getting into detail, Vanessa added:

"I do squats with a rack, and I love to see how much weight I can add to the bar. That's empowering. And I've just gotten back into Pilates with a reformer. It works your muscles like nothing else."

Hopping aboard the meat-free lifestyle trend as she outlined sometimes opting for vegan options, Vanessa also told Shape: "Breakfast typically has avocado, maybe vegan sausage, and a piece of healthy bread. Dinner depends on my mood. I let myself have what I want. If that's a big bowl of spaghetti with clams and a glass of wine, then that's what I'm eating. Sometimes I crave a salad, and I'll make a big one with nuts and goat cheese and salmon."

Pre-packaged and processed isn't Hudgens' jam. "I want real food. If I'm in Italy, and I see them making pasta by hand, or if it grows from the earth, that's real," she said.

For anyone checking food labels, The Mayo Clinic states: "Natural" and "organic" are different. Usually, "natural" on a food label means that the product has no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. "Natural" on a label doesn't have to do with the methods or materials used to grow the food ingredients."

Nature-lover Vanessa, who loves a good hike, also mentioned fresh air and nature, concluding: "Being in the woods or the forest or the jungle is grounding for me because nature has balance. Everything happens the way it's meant to. I feel like when you can get out of your head and fall into the energy of nature, that's when you're at your purest form."