From cycle rides to writing a journal: Orange Is The New Black star Vicky Jeudy reveals how she stays fit, healthy, and relaxed - without sacrificing thin-crust pizza

She plays the unfathomably fit athlete Janae Watson in Orange Is The New Black. 

In real life, the Netflix star Vicky Jeudy is bubbly, talkative and far from menacing.

But her physique is killer.

'I have to be ready for anything,' Vicky explains on a break between filming the fifth season of the show in New York City. 

Vicky Jeudy (above) is nowhere near as aggressive as her Orange Is The New Black character Janae Watson (right). But she is in peak physical condition - and has some tips to share

All four seasons are peppered with scenes of her character, a former track athlete, obsessively working out in her cell.

She has also had her fair share of fight scenes.

So routine exercise is part of the job description.  

For all of us who have a love-hate relationship with the gym, it may come as some relief to know Vicky wasn't always a fitness pro; it wasn't until her mom signed her up for a workout class when she was 17 that she really started enjoying exercise. 

Now it's a core part of her life.  

Here Vicky explains how she makes fitness 'a party' and healthy food delicious - without sacrificing pizza:

As soon as I wake up I... 

Just have a glass of water.

Sometimes I go to the gym early in the morning and I don't like to eat before because it makes me nauseous.

Before any of that I write in my journal. 

Everyone wakes up with so many things going on in their head. I write it all down, get my thoughts out on the page, then leave it there. 

It helps me keep my work-life balance so I can put all my energy into everything, including fitness.  

If Vicky works out in the morning, she'll do it before breakfast. When it's not blisteringly hot in New York, she likes to run in Central Park (pictured with OITNB cast mate Quincy Chad)

For breakfast...

I try to keep it simple. 

If I'm at home I make smoothies, and I throw everything in it - spinach, banana, coconut water, plant-based protein powder... anything.  

But sometimes I have to be at work at 5am, so I'll wait until 7am and make something on set. 

We have a blender at work [on the OITNB set in New York City] so sometimes I make smoothies there too. 

Some days I cheat and I'll have an omelette and a lot of bacon!

Lunch?

Yesterday at work it was Taco Tuesday. I had a salad with it, and added spinach onions, ground turkey, and guacamole. 

I can't have too much dairy because it breaks me out so I skipped the cheese. If I do have dairy it's a very small amount.

Dinner is usually...

Just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich if I'm at work.

At home it'll be vegetables with quinoa or brown rice, sometimes with chicken or fish. 

My favorite way to work out is... 

Make it fun! Vicky used to be a fitness instructor and would get all her friends to join in

Dancing and kick-boxing.

I also love bike-riding in Central Park. I'll go for about an hour and a half. 

When I'm riding there's nothing going through my mind. Even though it's exercise, I'm not doing it for speed or for fitness, it's more for relaxation.

In the winter I'm hoping to be out in LA so I'm going to learn to surf.

When I hit the gym...  

I get on the treadmill for the first 10 minutes for a warm-up. Or jump rope for 10 minutes.

Then I'll do circuits - everything 25 times each. It might be jumping jacks, walking lunges back and forth, mountain climbers, tricep curls, crunches... Lots of things.

Then I'll focus on a muscle and get my heart rate up.

At the end I stretch for 10 minutes.

I used to be a fitness instructor...

At school, I never really did sports. I tried the swim team in high school but I didn't really like it. I did track for a semester but that was it. 

Then when I was 17 my mom signed me up for my first fitness class. My the time I was 18 I loved it and started teaching! 

It was great, I would get all my friends to come down. Since then, fitness in general always feels like a big party to me.

The secret to staying fit is...

'If my body's tired I'll just go to sleep and won't work out. You need balance'

Finding your balance. 

If my body's tired I'll just go to sleep and won't work out. 

That workout can raise your cortisol levels, which are going to do more harm than good. You won't burn anything. 

Last year I was so exhausted with work that even after sleeping 10 hours I still felt exhausted. I went to go get a pedicure and fell asleep in the chair!

It didn't help that I was doing a regular hard core workout at the gym at the time. 

Now I'm more conscious that you don't have to do aggressive exercise all the time, you just need to find what works for you.  

I'm trying to find my balance right now since starting the new season. I've been trying to think: what are some creative ways to fit exercise into my day. 

We started shooting five weeks ago. Before that I had a lot more time but the other day I worked 14 hours. 

I haven't been able to get to the gym last week and this week, it's been pretty hectic with work.

I'm going to make sure I get some sleep then I might try out a new dance cardio class. 

To train for a big race...

Start running - but slowly. And start working your body as a full unit. 

I'm currently training to run a 5K in New York this November to raise money for Haiti through Sean Penn's Haitian Relief Organization. I'm Haitian so I'm really excited to be part of it.

A lot of people focus on running to prepare for a race. 

Warming up: Vicky is currently training to run a 5K to raise money for Haiti through Sean Penn's Haitian Relief Organization. She's training with full-body workouts, not just running

I'm coming to the race from a different angle so for me it's about a balanced fitness program. I try to do all kinds of exercise to work out my whole body. 

Right now I'm running indoors because it's so hot!

When the fall comes I'll run outside. 

Cheat days? 

Yes! 

I love Waldy's Pizza on 27th & 6th in Midtown [New York City]. 

Their thin crust pizza is super thin.

I get fresh tomato sauce, mushrooms and onions on it.

Guilty pleasure: Vicky loves pizza from Waldy's (pictured) in Midtown Manhattan

I have tried fad diets... 

But they don't work. 

I tried the Atkins diet but it would never work for me because I can't have too much meat. So that's why I started looking into vegan options.

One time I tried a body-builder's diet - three egg-whites in an omelette, things like that. That didn't work for me either. 

Kick-boxing is one of Vicky's favorite sports. In winter she plans to tackle surfing

Avoid any foods? 

Cheese. I stay away from dairy in general, it makes me break out. 

Oysters. I tried them, I don't like them.

Meat. If I have a lot of meat it makes me break out and feel nauseous.

Take any supplements? 

Yes. 

Probiotics, vitamin D (last time with my blood work it was extremely low), and pre-natal vitamins. 

I feel all females should take a pre-natal vitamin, it's good for your skin, for you hair, and I want a kid some day.

All women should make sure their body is healthy now so you can do whatever you want later. Females, we are walking hormones. Guys have it easy!

Alongside working out, Vicky recommends writing in a journal to keep your mind clear

I am not married or actively dating but that doesn't mean I shouldn't be looking after my hormones and keeping my body balanced.   

I know what it's like to have a bad injury...

When I was living in Atlanta I was doing a squat and pulled a muscle in my back. 

I took off three to four months. But that's not an excuse to eat a lot!

Can't live without? 

Some guys love cars, I love my kitchen gadgets. 

I have three that are so important to me: my Omega Juicer, Bruzel Juicer, and Vitamix Blender.