KEEPING IT FUN WITH VANESSA LACHEY

We caught up with one of our faves, Vanessa Lachey who got her start competing in pageants, being a host on MTV's TRL as well as a number of TV hosting jobs. She also appeared on CBS' The Bold and The Beautiful, FOX's BH90210, and recently, FOX's Call Me Kat. We talked with her to find out how she fell in love with the entertainment industry, Netflix's Love is Blind which she hosts with her husband and 98 Degrees band member, Nick Lachey and what she's working on at the moment!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We’ve been fans of yours since you were on the pageant circuit and of course seeing you as a host on TRL, when did you realize that you wanted to be in the entertainment industry and what drew you to it?

VANESSA LACHEY: I have always loved entertaining my family and friends. I liked making people laugh, and honestly with my dad being in the Air Force and me moving around a lot, being silly and outgoing was my way to make friends and also a coping mechanism for when I was sad or uncomfortable. The pageant was a dare when I was in high school. More of a push my boyfriend's dad who thought if I won his son would appreciate me more. What ended up happening was I realized I only knew how to be ME. I was so nervous and I thought I never stood a chance, but once I won, by being me, I realized how special and unique we all are and can be, as long as we stay true to ourselves. When I started hosting I combined two things I LOVED and knew, music and my outgoing personality. It was such a fun fit and my most favorite job! I owe a lot to both of those experiences and what they did for me personally and professionally.

AM: You've been in so many different great shows, what are the things that you look for when you're considering participating in them?

VL: Honestly, the number one thing I think about is how will the affect my family. Both with my schedule and time away from my kids and time away from my kids and time away from my husband. Next I look at the role and if it's fun, would I enjoy it and how can I make it “mine." For hosting I always want to be a part of something fun and entertaining, but love when I also get to be a part of something bigger and moving or inspirational.

AM: It feels like last year we consumed a lot more programming than normal due to lockdowns etc and we got sucked into Love is Blind. I loved the concept behind it and thought that you and Nick as hosts was such a great addition! What drew you to being involved and how was it for you and your husband to do this together?

VL: This was such a fun project to work on together. We actually hadn’t work together much previously – we’d done a few pageant hosting gigs together but that was it – so it was kind of an experiment to see what our working dynamic might be like. What drew us to it was actually the similarity between the show and how Nick and I first started dating. When we first got together he was living in LA and me in NY, so we communicated mostly over text or the phone for the longest time, really only seeing each other when one of us had work in the other’s city. Obviously we had already seen each other when we started dating, but we loved the concept of this show where people meet and fall in love without relying on physical attraction or having the burden of outside distractions. None of us knew what they outcome would be, so it was a wonderful surprise to see the couples and love that resulted from season one!

AM: Will you be coming back for the next season and can you share anything for fans of the show?

VL: Yes! We are so excited to be starting filming for season two AND three in the next few weeks! Season 2 will be in Chicago and season 3 in Dallas. I can’t share too much, but I can promise you won’t have to wait too long before you get to see it all unfold.

AM: Tell us about your new role as Tara Barnett in Call Me Kat and why you wanted to be on this fun show?

VL: Yes – Tara is such a fun character to play and I really enjoy the sit-com space. I’m also a big fan of Mayim Bialik’s and working together and playing best friends has been such a joy. This was one of the first times a job approached me about a role they thought I’d be a fit for, and I feel so incredibly lucky to be working during an otherwise really difficult time.

AM: I know you haven't been on this show although you could be in an upcoming season, but last year many fans of the Masked Singer kept thinking that the Snow Owls were you and Nick when it was actually Clint Black and Lisa Hartman Black! Would you ever consider being on this show and what would your costume be?

VL: It’s so funny seeing all the speculation around Nick and this show! We enjoy watching at home and even the kids love analyzing the contestants people think sound like him. I think I will leave the singing to Nick, but it certainly would be fun!

AM: In addition to playing roles in various shows and competing on Dancing with the Stars, you have hosted a number of great shows from TRL, Top Chef Junior, hosting various Miss USA and Miss Universe pageants, you will be hosting a virtual awards show called Total Wireless Awards. Can you tell us more about this show and who is being honored?

VL: Yes! I’m so excited to be a part of a program that is so positive – I think we can all use more positivity after the past year. The Total Wireless Awards are featuring five amazing real-life individuals who have really done amazing for themselves, their families or their communities during a really challenging year.

We’ve got a single mom who is working so hard in order to give her three kids the best education possible, all while going to school herself. A high school student named Danny Goldberg who was inspired by his ER physician dad to find ways to help his community during lockdown and started Zoomers to Boomers – an organization that is now active in more than 30 cities across the globe! And a goofy, comedian dad who started making fun TikTok videos with his kindergarten aged-daughter to help make virtual learning more fun.

All of these amazing stories were made possible by virtual connection – something that Total Wireless offers at such an affordable price – plans start at just $25 a month with no-contract required. We’ll be releasing the five stories on Total Wireless’s Instagram page on March 16th and are asking folks to go vote for their favorite story. Then in a few weeks, I’ll be announcing the “fan favorite” winner and sitting down with them to reveal their grand prize!

AM: Are there upcoming projects that we should keep an eye out for that you can tell us about?

VL: I’ll be starting production for Netflix’s Love is Blind Season 2 & 3 and so excited for what’s ahead.

IG @VanessaLachey

PHOTO COURTESY | Vanessa Lachey

Read the Mar Issue #63 of Athleisure Mag and see Keeping it Fun with Vanessa Lachey in mag.

SOMETHING YOU SHOULD KNOW | MIGRAINE WITH DR. ELIZABETH SENG + LALA ANTHONY

When a headache hits, it makes doing the most rudimentary of tasks so difficult! All you can think about is the pounding in your head. For those that suffer from migraines, the affects are even more apparent and can really alter their day to day lives. Whether you or someone that you know is affected by this, we sat down and talked with Dr. Elizabeth Seng to find out about what migraines are, how they are started and why they are so problematic. In addition, we sat down with STARZ's Power and FOX's BH90210's LaLa Anthony to find out how she works through migraines and how she is able to cope when they take place!

ATHLEISURE MAG: What is a headache and what are the symptoms when one is coming up?

DR. ELIZABETH SENG: A headache is a neurological attack characterized by head pain. Depending on the headache type, there may be other neurological symptoms as well. Depending on headache type, the head pain can be caused by pain receptors in head and neck muscles or in the membrane around the brain and blood vessels. There are many different triggers for headaches and symptoms can vary from person to person.

AM: What is the difference between a headache and a migraine?

DR. ES: There are many different types of headache disorders. Tension-type headache, the most common type of headache, is typically a pressing pain on both sides of the head. A migraine attack typically includes a pulsing pain on one side of the head and is accompanied by a variety of additional symptoms from your average headache including pain, nausea, and sensitivity to light, sound, and/or smell. Anyone can suffer from migraine, but they are more likely to occur in women, ages 20 to 45. Three out of every four migraine sufferers are women, and roughly 39 million Americans suffer from migraine.

AM: What are the symptoms of a migraine and how do you know when one is coming on?

DR. ES: A migraine attack typically includes a pulsing pain on one side of the head and is accompanied by a variety of additional symptoms from your average headache including pain, nausea, and sensitivity to light, sound, and/or smell. For both tension-type headache and migraine, the factors that trigger attacks vary widely from person to person. Determining what triggers your migraine attacks can help you better manage them. Regular stress management and keeping a consistent sleep and eating schedule can help sufferers avoid a migraine attack. You should also keep an acute medication on you, such as Excedrin Migraine, to take at the first sign of a migraine attack could do that.

Migraine should always be diagnosed by a doctor, so if you think you are experiencing a migraine, talk to your doctor to get the proper diagnosis and treatment plan.

AM: What is it about a migraine that makes people have to miss events or even to change aspects of their lives?

DR. ES: Most of my professional research has a focus on head pain and specifically, migraines, and most people don’t realize that migraines can disrupt a person’s everyday life and pull them away from important moments. Some days my patients are completely bedridden due to a migraine and other days they’ll power through an event but won’t truly feel present even if they are physically there. That’s because while on the outside they may “look fine,” on the inside they are managing much more which pulls them away from being mentally present in the moment.

While not often discussed, unfortunately, this is very common. A recent survey from Excedrin found that nearly 9 in 10 migraine sufferers have had to miss an important event, like a wedding or graduation, due to a migraine, and 91% of people with migraines would like a second chance at all of the moments they’ve missed.

That’s why I’m excited to partner with Excedrin on Excedrin Take Two (Oct 7th - Oct 18th) to help shine a light on the physical and emotional toll that migraines can take, and to help sufferers relive the moments they’ve missed – this time without the migraine.

AM: In the category of migraines, are their varying levels?

DR. ES: Yes. The biggest category of migraine is different frequencies. About 10% of people have migraine that we consider episodic, which occurs on fewer than half of the days of the month. However, about 2% of people have chronic migraine, or migraine on which headache attacks occur on 15 or more days per month. Chronic migraine is particularly disabling. There are also different symptoms you can get with migraine: some people experience an aura prior to the head pain onset, which often manifests as visual symptoms like geometric patterns, flashing lights or possibly a shimmering effect (sort of like heat waves). If you think you have migraine, be sure to talk to a doctor to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment plan.

AM: Is there a number of migraines that one may have where a person suffering from them may feel that they need to visit their doctor to ensure that there isn’t something else that is going on?

DR. ES: We consider a person to have the disease of migraine if they have experienced five or more attacks in their lifetime. If you have experienced several headache attacks you think might be migraine, it is a good time to go to your doctor to get a proper diagnosis and treatment plan. There are two typed of migraine treatment: acute treatments are used at the moment of the attack to reduce the attack severity. Some people may use over the counter medication, like Excedrin Migraine, whereas others may use prescription medication acutely to treat the attack. All people with migraine, of any frequency, should have an acute migraine treatment plan. Preventive treatments are taken routinely to reduce migraine frequency, such as daily medications, injections every three months, or lifestyle changes. People with migraine who are experiencing 4 or more attacks per month should talk to their doctor about prevention options.

AM: What is it about Excedrin that helps those that suffer from migraines?

DR. ES: Excedrin Migraine is a combination of three components: acetaminophen, aspirin, and caffeine. Excedrin Migraine is an FDA-approved over-the-counter medication for migraine.

After chatting with Dr. Seng to find out about the differences between a headache and a migraine, how they start and the need to diagnose this condition, we sat down with LaLa Anthony to give us more information on how she handles this while living a busy life as a mom, actress and more!

ATHLEISURE MAG: We've enjoyed watching you in Power and I loved that you were in Beverly Hills 90210 Revival and hope that you and the show will be back for another season - what's your process like when you go about selecting shows that you will be apart of?

LALA ANTHONY: I like to pick characters that I’m drawn to and feel like I can bring to life. I try to look for different roles so I’m not always playing the same type of character. 90210 was definitely something that was different for me and I had a great time doing it.

AM: Being a busy mom and always having a number of shows and appearances you're a part of have migraines affected those experiences?

LA: Migraines have definitely affected many experiences and caused me to not feel present for certain moments. I always power through for work or to shoot – you have to because when you’re on set there is a whole production crew relying on you to show up. But there have been other days I can’t function or get out of bed.

I get really upset when a migraine impacts moments with my family. There have been events at my son’s school that I couldn’t go to because of a migraine and I had to rest in bed all day. Kiayn is in middle school now and with school, basketball practice and hanging out with friends, family moments are even more important. It's frustrating that migraines can get in the way.

Luckily, I’ve learned my triggers and to treat my migraine as soon as I feel it coming with Excedrin Migraine. It’s a brand that has really helped me get my life back.

AM: Many battle issues with migraines, what are your triggers when you know that it's coming on and what are you able to do to alleviate it?

LA: I know immediately when a migraine is coming. Changes to my routine including not sleeping, eating certain foods and stress will trigger a migraine and I'll be on edge all day. It starts off feeling like a mild headache but gets rapidly worse. I try to catch it and treat it right away with Excedrin Migraine so it doesn’t disrupt the rest of my day and I can continue to be present.

AM: Do migraines create situations where you're not able to participate in something or be at a 100%?

LA: All the time. I get a migraine about once a week and unfortunately, migraines can really leave me exhausted and with no energy. Even if I’m having a great day, a migraine can come on suddenly and make it difficult to feel in the moment. I was struggling with a migraine at a family reunion once and it was so hard to feel present. It was really disappointing since family reunions only happen once every couple of years and it’s something I was really looking forward to.

AM: What is the Excedrin Take Two program?

LA: This partnership with Excedrin was so authentic for me because, like I’ve said, it’s a brand that really does help me get back to myself when a migraine is trying to sideline me. And I’m not alone at all in that – in fact, almost 9 in 10 migraine sufferers say they have had to miss an important life event due to a migraine and 91% of them would like a second chance at their missed moments. So that’s what Excedrin Take Two is all about! Excedrin is giving migraine sufferers a second chance to relive and enjoy a moment missed by a migraine. All you have to do is share your story at for a chance to win a “Take Two!”

AM: As someone who spends a lot of time traveling, what are 3 things that are in your carryon or maybe a kit that you keep on set that you have at the ready to either make you comfortable or to feel like you have a bit of home with you.

LA: I always like to pack a candle and I always keep my favorite snacks (like trail mix / Crunch bars), and Excedrin Migrane, just in case!

PHOTOS COURTESY | LaLa Collection NY

IG @LaLa

Read the Oct Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Something You Should Know | Migraine with Dr. Elizabeth Seng and LaLa Anthony in mag.