Soap Hub Wellness Wednesday: GH’s Josh Kelly Chooses To Dance It Out

Josh Kelly made quite the entrance onto General Hospital when his character, Cody Bell, parachuted into the Metro Court Pool. The athletic actor sat down with Soap Hub to talk about how he stays in shape for such events for this week’s installment of Wellness Wednesday.

Josh Kelly Talks Fitness

Kelly has various fitness-themed photos on his Instagram page, including one that shows he studied karate at a young age. Now, the actor continues to stay fit in a variety of ways. Find out his thoughts on wellness, both physical and mental, and why one of his favorite activities is dancing!

Soap Hub: Do you hit the gym or stay active by doing other things?
Josh Kelly: I don’t like going to the gym. I have quite a few things I do at home. I actually ended up inventing [something]. It’s my own little tool that I am going to try to market in a few years. I invented it around the time of Season 3 of UnREAL.

Soap Hub: That’s the show on which you played Jeremy, a cameraman for the fictional dating series Everlasting.
Josh Kelly: Yes. I had to get in great shape. Obviously, diet is the most important thing. I like to stay healthy, but I find that I stay in much better shape when I’m working. When I’m working, I work out. When I’m not, I don’t. I figure when I book something [I’ll recommit].

Soap Hub: What helps you work out?
Josh Kelly: I like to work out while I’m studying something. I find it helps cement the words in a different way. I’ll go for a hike with my buddies — Jesse Kove [Cobra Kai] or Tom Degnen [ex-Joey, One Life to Live]. We’ll hike and sometimes run lines during our hike. We help each other with tapes and auditions. It’s nice to go with someone.

Soap Hub: Do you have any diet tips or nutritional advice?
Josh Kelly: Drink lots of water and use portion control with food. Think about what your relationship with food is. Changing your mental mindset can make a big difference. Ask yourself why you want to eat. Are you hungry, or are you just trying to comfort yourself? Getting off sugar is key. Sugar’s the killer, I feel. It’s hard at first to remove sugar from your diet, but you may find that once you do, you stop craving it. I feel that if you can cut out sugar, you’ll see great results.

Soap Hub: Do you have any advice for people who are looking to get started on a wellness plan?
Josh Kelly: Yes. Try to figure out ways to stay happily active. Combine exercising with something you already love to do, like listening to an audiobook when you hop on a stationary bike or an elliptical machine. Like with food, it’s about changing your relationship with working out and making it a less fearful thing.

If someone has never worked out or not worked out that much and is starting up again, don’t overdo it when you begin. If you work out too hard at first, you’re really going to feel it the next day, and you might not go back. Start slow with pushups or crunches. If you’re a more social person, you can sign up for a class. I’m kind of a hobbit, but I do think I’m going to sign up for some dance classes.

Soap Hub: Why dance?
Josh Kelly: That’s how my dad met my mom, and they’re still together. He said to me once, ‘You don’t have to dance well. If you’re dancing, you’re dancing with the girls.’ I was initially terrified of dancing. I was afraid people would judge me or make fun of me. I love to dance.

Soap Hub: You GH co-stars Kelly Monaco (Sam McCall) and Cameron Mathison (Drew Cain) have competed on Dancing With the Stars. In fact, Kelly won the first mirror ball ever! Would you like to do that show?
Josh Kelly: I’d love to do it. Marty Kove [ex-Romeo Slade, Edge of Night], Jesse’s father, was on last season. I went to the season finale. That show is so much fun.

General Hospital (GH) airs weekdays on ABC. Check your local listings for airtimes. For more about what’s coming up in Port Charles, check out all the latest that’s been posted on GH spoilers, and for an in-depth look at the show’s history, click here.