Hoda Kotb Talks Heart Health, Workouts and Tunes (of Course!)

Credit: Rabbani & Solimene Photography

You know those people on TV who just seem real and cool and like you’d have a really, really good time if you just got to hang out with them, have a cocktail and just talk? For us (and we bet for a lot of you, too), TODAY Show co-host and author Hoda Kotb is one of those people. She’s goofy, she’s smart, she’s positive, she has an opinion — and she’s so, so giving. She’s committed to empowering and improving the lives of women, and we are so totally behind that. (Maybe she’ll be the next one to visit us from TODAY!)

We recently got to chat with Hoda about all the stuff above, plus her experience hosting the Woman’s Day 13th-annual Red Dress Awards, honoring those who have made significant contributions in the fight against heart disease. Read on for our chat with Hoda!

Q&A With Hoda Kotb

Can you tell us what you’re most excited for about this event? I am excited because this is one of those events that empowers women. You watch women who have transformed their lives. We are going to meet five exceptional women who have done just that. Some of them feel like they have gotten a second chance. I think it is amazing watching people who are uplifted.

Here’s Susan Spencer, Woman’s Day editor in chief, Hoda Kotb, and Kassie Means, publisher and CRO of Woman’s Day at the event. Photo credit: Rabbani & Solimene Photography

What’s the No. 1 thing you want women to know about heart health and/or their health in general? Women need to learn to put ourselves first when it comes to our own health. We take care of everyone else and then we put ourselves last. We need to put ourselves higher up on the pecking order.

You love music. What’s your all-time favorite workout song? Okay, three workout songs? “Uptown Funk,” “In The Ayer” (Flo-Rida and Will.I.Am) and “Switch” (Will Smith) and bonus is “The Perfect Fight Song” (Taylor Swift with Pink, Ellie Goulding and Rachel Platten).

Your new book, Where We Belong: Journeys That Show Us the Way, is being called inspirational and motivational. What’s the one thing you hope it inspires in people? I hope that people realize that is never too late to find the place in your life where you belong. The book shows you no matter what your age, no matter what time it is in your life — you can always find where you are meant to be. Whether it is professionally, spiritually, personally or physically, these people will motivate you to find that place.

What’s your own workout schedule like? I get up at 4 a.m., and start working out at 5 a.m. I do 30 minutes of cardio, I pad around the gym and talk to people, I pick a weight up and put it down … I do it every single day. My advice is ‘do a little a lot.’

“Do a little a lot.” We might just have to meme that, Hoda. Thanks for the great interview! —Jenn