Ex-Goth Ellie Goulding shares her secrets to getting fit

SINGER Ellie Goulding says she is a former ‘chubby Goth’ who learned to love half-marathons.

Endorphin addict ... Ellie Goulding has clocked up four half-marathons and designed a running shoe for Nike. Picture: Anthony Harvey

AFTER winning Best British Female at the Brit Awards, singer Ellie Goulding partied late into the night with her friends Ella Yelich-O’Connor (aka Lorde) and Katy Perry.

“That was a fun night,” she says. “Ella and Katy and I ended up dancing quite drunkenly to Drake!”

But now there’s no time for a hangover, because Goulding is due to play two dates in New York at Madison Square Garden this week in support of her album Halcyon, the New York Post reports. The album was first released in 2012, but has been so successful that Goulding rereleased it last summer as Halcyon Days with a slew of new songs — including recent hit “Burn” — confirming her status as a rising synth-pop star. (She also has three tracks on the soundtrack, out Tuesday, for futuristic movie Divergent.)

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But if her music career hadn’t caught fire, Goulding knows exactly what her backup plan would be: “I’d be a personal trainer,” she says, and she would probably be great at it. The 27-year-old is a self-confessed endorphin addict, to the point where she has now clocked up four half-marathons and designed a running shoe for Nike.

“When I was a teenager, I smoke and drank a lot — I was a chubby Goth,” adds the singer. “I was also really into music and, to me, music and sport didn’t really go together. You were either into one or the other. But now I devote my time to both and I’ve figured out how to make the two complement each other.”

Here are five ways Goulding learned to create a healthier version of the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle.

1. Vary your workout

“When I was 18, I woke up one day and decided to go running — like Forrest Gump,” laughs Goulding. Today, she’s so well known for it that the paparazzi have started snapping her while she jogs in London. But Goulding says she’s moved on to other areas too. “I mix it up a lot. I do boxing, yoga, gymnastics and a lot of intense cardio workouts, too.”

2. And mix up your music, too

Dance music is the preferred soundtrack to most workouts, but Goulding recommends broadening your horizons. “Recently I’ve been putting on music that has more of an epic, orchestral feel to it, like [film composer] Hans Zimmer. You can pretend that you’re running away from the apocalypse!”

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3. Don’t let your mind veg out

Catching up with Girls or reading the latest issue of Us Weekly while on the treadmill is no good. Keep your thoughts on the task at hand. “People I know say they think about song ideas when they run but I never do,” the singer says. “I focus on what I’m doing.”

4. But do try turning vegetarian

Goulding is enthusiastic about giving up meat and fish. “You won’t be able to explain why but you’ll feel a lot better,” she chirps. “People say to me that my skin has changed, my face has changed shape. I have more energy and feel like a much happier person.”

5. Remember: Snacks and carbs aren’t the enemy

“I’m just eating some popcorn right now — it’s a healthier option.” For Goulding, the phobia of carbohydrates need not be so intense. “They’re good for working out. Just as long as you do remember to actually work out!”

Read more celebrity lifestyle stories at the New York Post.