Ayesha Curry Opens Up About Her Health Journey And Kicking Off 2023 With New Goals

Ayesha Curry is starting 2023 with some new health and fitness goals in mind. The cookbook author, 33, recently talked about her three year "health journey" and new goals with PEOPLE.

Curry, wife of NBA star Stephen Curry, said she's not so much into New Year's resolutions, but actually more of a "monthly resolution type of girl." She explained that it's easier for her to keep track of each small win throughout the year as they happen.

"I've kind of been going through a health journey for the past three years now. I'm into manifesting and writing things down and setting my intentions and goals," she explained. "I am obsessed with that and I find that it really works for me, being able to visibly see things."

One thing she's focusing on during January is building "a little bit of lean muscle" after her weight loss over the past year. "I've lost 35 lbs. over the past year, which I'm really excited about, but now I want that definition and I want to feel strong in my skin," she said.

The free fitness challenge begins on January 2 and runs for 14 days. According to MyFitnessPal's recent Instagram post about the challenge, they've "collected the absolute best members tips, guides, recipes, how-to's and more to help you step into the new year on the right foot - literally!"

While Curry admits it can be tough to maintain New Year's resolutions, she said the program's way is "not overwhelming, it's approachable." "When the new year comes around every year, everybody's going all in, balls to the wall and wants to do the most, and you almost always end up failing," she said. "And so with this Jumpstart Your Health Challenge, it just makes it easy. It's not overwhelming, it's approachable."

Curry, mom of three, daughters Riley, 10 and Ryan, 7, and son Canon, 4, tries not to compare her progress and ability with anyone else. She's learned to not be competitive with her health and fitness journey and to be happy with her progress along the way.

"I'm married to a high-performance athlete who does it all. And I think I had to be honest with myself and realize that I can't do that, and I don't have to do that to see the results that I want to see," she said. "I kind of had this inner competition that didn't exist. And so I was almost always defeated in whatever it was that I was doing because I couldn't do it to that level."

She continued by explaining that you can only do what you can. "I think I had to take a second, take a deep breath and just realize, do what you can and that's enough."

Finding what works best for you is the key, and for Curry, it wasn't "aggressive high intensity workouts." "I started to realize that the more aggressive high intensity workouts don't actually work for me. So for me, taking a hike and being out in nature, or going for a jog, or working out for 20 minutes instead of an hour actually works better for me," she explained. "And I started to see more results. Pilates and yoga and hiking, that's the stuff that I saw the most change."

She also encourages being gentle and realizing that some days may just feel off. "You might have a day where it doesn't feel great and it's not working and that's okay," she said. "But know that any step, whether big or small, is a step in the right direction."

Celebrating the little wins are something that Curry encourages. In an Instagram post from October, she does just that. "I love a good 'celebratory' glass of champagne like… 'Yay, it’s Thursday!' Or 'I didn’t wear sweatpants today!'" 

Many of her followers hopped into the comment section to let her know this is relatable. Facebook commented, "either is worth celebrating 👏" and another follower added, "Wearing sweatpants is also a celebration. 😂 🍾"