Rebecca Romijn's secrets to health, happiness and longevity

She's gone from the blue-skinned Mystique, whooping Wolverine’s ass in X-Men, to starring as Alexis Meade, a transsexual socialite on Ugly Betty. One thing’s for certain, Rebecca Romijn has a thing for off-beat roles.

Come August 27, the mother of 4-year-old twin girls, Charlie Tamara Tulip and Dolly Rebecca Rose (husband and dad is actor Jerry O’Connell), plays a private investigator in Showcase’s scripted drama, King & Maxwell, being shot in Vancouver, B.C.

Romijn’s character, Michelle Maxwell, is chaotic and messy (her car and her boat are literally full of garbage). Does Romijn relate? “My dad has photos of my teenage room that need to stay hidden,” she says. “I’m much neater as an adult than I was as a kid and as a teenager.”

OK, so Maxwell is a slob, but she’s also meticulous at her job. In the third episode, Maxwell shoves her partner King from the path of an oncoming a car and promptly lands atop him saying: “See? Alpha dog.” We love a woman who takes charge.

We recently spoke with Romijn about her fitness routine, what makes her happy and how she indulges:

Q: What’s your morning routine?
A: I always get up before my kids so I can get a cup of coffee in me. I feed the three dogs and two cats. Then I make the kids breakfast and end up eating anything they’ve left behind, which is usually an assortment of berries and scrambled eggs. I get them off to camp or pre-school and then I work out. I get on the elliptical or go for a hike with the dogs. And then I go to Pilates.

Q: What's one things that's always in your fridge?

A: It’s been coconut water for a long, long time but lately I’ve discovered dark chocolate almond milk and it is my jam! I put it in my coffee every morning and I can’t live without it.

Q: Do you regularly see any health practitioners?

A: Just my gynecologist, once a year.

Q: When do you feel your absolute best and healthiest? 
A: Either after a 90-minute Bikram yoga session or after swimming. It’s because of the deep breathing. When I breathe deeply is when I feel best.

Q: Who's your fitness inspiration? 
A: My husband.

Q: What are your happiness non-negotiables? 

A: I’m eating a lot of chocolate-covered ginger right now. And I’m an equal opportunity Real Housewives watcher, but my favourites are Atlanta and Beverly Hills. Plus one of my cats sleeping on my side of the bed.

Q: How do you manage the pressures of Hollywood around body image?
A:
 Continuing to exercise no matter what. This goes back to breathing deeply and getting oxygen into your blood and doing whatever you can to feel good. It’s all you can do.

Q: What’s the best advice you've ever been given?
A: My mom always told me to take my vitamin C.

Q: What are your desert-island-beauty-musts?
A: O-Gloss lip gloss by Smashbox (it’s like a lip balm) and sunscreen (credit amy here). I use YOURx Skin Care products.

Q: You can fit one more thing in your suitcase, is it Lululemon or Louis Vuitton?
A: Lululemon.

Be sure to watch Romijn on her new show, premiering August 27. Click here for more celebrity health secrets.