Zac Efron Talks About Agoraphobia And Changes He Made To His Fitness Routine

Zac Efron has made many changes to his life in recent years; from staying home more to changing his fitness routines. The actor recently opened up about having agoraphobia, an anxiety disorder that involves the fear of being in crowded groups. During his October 2022 Men's Health cover interview, he said, "I just don't go out. People in large groups, it triggers my agoraphobia."

The 34-year-old actor didn't go into too much detail about the condition, but he did open up about the insomnia and depression he faced because of the negative effects of attaining his 2017 "Baywatch" body. The rigorous training and routine he went through to get the body he isn't sure is "really attainable" wasn't easy and did some damage. "There's just too little water in the skin. Like, it's fake; it looks CGI'd," he said. "And that required Lasix, powerful diuretics, to achieve. So I don't need to do that. I must prefer to have an extra, you know, 2 to 3 percent body fat."

He went on to explain what those extreme lifestyle changes did to him; filming until midnight and waking up at 4 a.m. to train some more. "I started to develop insomnia and I fell into a pretty bad depression, for a long time," he said. "Something about that experience burned me out. I had a really hard time recentering. Ultimately, they chalked it up to taking way too many diuretics for way too long, and it messed something up."

The actor said it wasn't until his Australian sabbatical that he began to reevaluate his fitness routine and take giant step back from his typical healthy lifestyle. "At one point, that was a dream of mine - what it would be like to not have to be in shape all the time. What if I just say, 'F**k it' and let myself go?" he said. "So I tried it, and I was successful. And for all the reasons I thought it would be incredible, I was just miserable. My body would not feel healthy; I just didn't feel alive. I felt bogged down and slow."

Now things are different for the actor. He's on a foam-rolling kick, stretches, does yoga and self-massage with a Theragun. He's also gotten into ice-baths saying, "it's my favorite part of the day." Efron also has a new awareness to injuries thanks to the many he's experienced in a short period of time. Four years ago in a span of just over a year, he tore his ACL, dislocated his shoulder, threw out his back, shattered his jaw, and broke his wrist.

In addition to acting, Efron took on a role with Kodiak Cakes earlier this year by officially joining the company as its Chief Brand Officer and new board member. The "High School Musical" star told Forbes, "Kodiak Cakes is an incredible company that offers comfort food made with good ingredients. The fact that they've made a lot of efforts in wellness, wildlife conservation, and sustainability connects with me. It feels like food with a purpose."

Efron's role at the company is multifaceted. "One of the coolest things about our partnership is I'm not just lending my name to the brand; they're actually giving me the opportunity to roll up my sleeves and collaborate on everything from new products to ideas like branded apparel and several give-back initials, which are all really fun," he said.

Efron has a reputation for helping preserve the environment with the Netflix series, "Down To Earth With Zac Efron," where he explores various environmental issues. He executively produced the show along with his wellness expert friend Darin Olien.