What is your overall philosophy on nutrition and health? “I learned not to overthink and that it really comes down to common sense. Should I have the chicken and broccoli with the whole grain rice or order the triple meat pizza? To me, it’s a simple choice. I come from the school of thought that your food should be your medicine when possible instead of taking all the prescriptions and whatnot.”
Is there a dietary plan that you follow? “I think I almost do intermittent fasting because I only eat when I get hungry. I can go almost a whole day without eating and I’ll eat one big meal in the evening. I know there are people who eat five small meals a day, but eating one meal is what I’ve done out of habit. When I wake up in the morning and have to be to work at 6 a.m., I grab a coffee and then I go, go, go until we have a 30-minute lunch break but I don’t eat even then. When I go home at the end of the day, I’m tired and hungry and I’ll have a big meal.”
What does that big meal consist of? “I use HelloFresh [food delivery service] and they have a healthy menu to choose from on their app. It’s so easy. They send you the ingredients along with the instructions and it’s pretty affordable. You make some amazing meals and I usually eat two in one evening [laughs]. I’ve become a pretty good cook because of HelloFresh. I’ll take a photo and send it to my mom and say, ‘Look, I can finally make my own food.’ ”
Do you eat differently on a day off from Y&R? “When I’m not working, I juice a lot with watermelon, oranges and every berry known to man — blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, strawberry — and throw in a handful of spinach in there and juice it. I’ll also make a six-egg omelette and throw a bunch of vegetables in there and it’s very filling.”
What exercise machine would you recommend for beginners? “Precor for cardio. Precor is an elliptical machine. It’s not running or stair stepping, it’s more of a glide and you can start with 5 minutes on the first day, 10 minutes the next and by next week you can be up to 30 minutes a day. Then you’ll get to the point where you’re going for 45 minutes without feeling tired. Right away, you start to feel your quads and abs. Eat healthy and get your booty on that elliptical and that weight falls off.”
Donny’s Top Three Tips
• “I set an alarm on my phone and when it goes off, I do a set of push-ups or sit-ups.”
• “I’m big on nuts [for snacking]. I love going to a nut shop near the studio and picking up almonds and cashews and walnuts. That protein is good for the brain.”
• “Be mindful of your sugar intake. Skip that cookie, the sweet tea and the soda because that sugar really adds up.”
