Soap Hub Wellness Wednesday: Y&R’s Kate Linder Dancing in the Light

While Esther Valentine has gotten plenty of workouts in over the years polishing up the Chancellor mansion of The Young and the Restless, her portrayer, Kate Linder, stays fit dancing and doing other activities. She recently sat down with Soap Hub to discuss movement and motivation for this week’s Wellness Wednesday.

Kate Linder Talks Physical and Mental Wellness

Earlier this year, Linder celebrated 40 years of playing Esther on Y&R. The character served as Katherine Chancellor’s (the late Jeanne Cooper) loyal maid for years. During the show’s memorable masquerade ball, which featured most of the cast, Linder showed off her real-life dancing skills when Esther performed a routine. Find out Linder’s thoughts on both physical and mental well-being.

Soap Hub: Do you have a regular fitness regime? Did you have to change things up due to COVID?
Kate Linder: I dance. I wasn’t able to go to the dance studio once COVID started. Fortunately, I’m back there now. During the early days of the pandemic, I followed exercise instructors on YouTube, and I did a lot of walking. I started walking with my friend Sandra and her dog. I did a lot of walking. It’s really, really good for you.

Soap Hub: What walking tips do you have for people?
Kate Linder: There are these leggings I have now, and they have side pockets in them. They’re perfect for your phone and keys and wallet, which I feel you should bring with you when you’re walking. It feels like our phones are attached to our hips, but they’re good to have for security. I recommend also going with a friend. There’s not only safety in numbers, but it makes the time go by faster once you get started talking. I haven’t done as much walking lately since the dance studio has opened up again, but I need to get back to it.

Soap Hub: How long did it take to get back into the swing of things once you returned to the dance studio?
Kate Linder: Not long. I’ve been dancing for so long it all came back fairly quickly.

Soap Hub: What advice do you have for someone who’s looking to start up an exercise routine?
Kate Linder: Be kind to yourself. If you don’t do something one day, you can pick it up again the next day. It’s okay to not do something every day. I was working out to YouTube videos. It’s okay to start with just five minutes. Then, you can up it another five minutes and keep going.

Soap Hub: Is there something you’d like to focus on more?
Kate Linder: I have to remind myself to drink enough water. It can be dangerous if you’re dehydrated.

Soap Hub: You post weekly messages on your Instagram. They’re very inspiring. When did you start doing them?
Kate Linder: I call them Sunday Messages. I started doing them when the pandemic started. I’m about to do my 124th, so I know how long we’ve been in this. When everything first shut down, I tried to think of something positive to do. I thought, ‘I’ll do this video chat and keep it short.’ The response was great. People from all over the world were commenting. I decided to keep doing it because it also helps me.

It depends on what hits me. I’ll hear something during the week, and I’ll think to myself, ‘This will be something good to address on Sunday.’ I think it’s important to get up, show up, and never give up. You’ve got to get out of bed each day and get dressed and try. We all have bad days, but if you push yourself to show up, it can be a good thing.

Soap Hub: What do you get out of doing your Sunday messages?
Kate Linder: My Sunday messages help me, too. It makes me feel good when I get feedback from people. At one point, I thought I should stop doing them, but then I realized I should keep doing them. I always try to close with saying, ‘Don’t forget to take care of yourself and don’t forget to take care of each other.’

The Young and the Restless (YR) airs weekdays on CBS. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Genoa City, check out all the latest that’s been posted on Y&R spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.

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