Tayshia Adams Has A New Love In Her Life: Herself

Bachelor Nation has watched Tayshia Adams fall in love before, but her latest fairy-tale love story features a much smaller cast than any season of The Bachelor or The Bachelorette. Adams has spent the past year nurturing what is arguably the most important relationship anyone can have: the one she has with herself.

“Self-love and self-care means giving myself time to feel and be in the moment,” she tells me over Zoom one sunny afternoon. “It's so hard, especially when I'm always on the go, to just sit and be.” Lately, Adams has been sitting on her own, watching New York City celebrate summer from the balcony of her apartment, and treating herself to dinner for one.

Another form of self-care that Adams is particularly passionate about is running. Running was her first athletic love and Adams remembers her high school track team fondly. A recent partnership with Asics has afforded her some moments of full-circle nostalgia. “I started in high school and Asics fitted my entire team. That's what we all grew up on,” she tells me. “I think it speaks volumes because they're still one of the No. 1 running shoes out there.”

While an injury kept Adams from training for some time, she’s been getting back out on the pavement and practicing self-care by setting small goals for herself. “It could just be running for 10 minutes, running for half a mile, or running until I get tired,” she says, but according to Adams, it’s the smallest goals that predicate the biggest progress. “If you do that every single day, the endgame is always going to increase. Start setting goals and you’ll keep surprising yourself.”

I, for one, am here for that mentality. I’m also here for her favorite self-care tools and practices, go-to skin care products, and her advice on how to get back to working out once you fall out of the habit. Ahead, Adams gets vulnerable and shares her pathway to inner peace.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Elite Daily: How do you define wellness?

Tayshia Adams: It’s funny because I don't know if you can actually define it. I think it's different for every individual. Some people are introverts or extroverts and require different things. For me, I define wellness as being the best version of myself, allowing all emotions to flow through me the way that they’re supposed to, and being able to experience and navigate through them. That's how I define wellness.

ED: Do you think that your multiethnic background shapes the way you approach self-care?

TA: Maybe. Yeah, I guess I do. I don't know if it has to do with my ethnicity, but I feel each parent loves differently and nurtures differently so maybe, if that has anything to do with culture, then yes. On my Mexican side, my family is very close. Family is absolutely everything and that's definitely a part of how I was raised. I go to my mom and my grandma for everything. They have a really intense sense of empathy and knowing that I have their support eases a lot of stress and pain.

ED: Where do exercise and wellness intersect for you?

TS: It's interesting because your health could be something that you wake up with every single day whereas your happiness is defined. Sometimes it's not even defined by you. It's just something that just happens, it ebbs and flows. For me, working out is something that can really get me to a positive place — if I am already happy or if I'm feeling really down low. It provides endorphins, but also keeps your body from being stagnant and that really helps me personally. It’s something that I definitely utilize at the beginning of every single day to try to get on the right foot.

ED: Can you talk a little bit about your morning routine? How do you get yourself focused, centered, and ready to face the day?

TA: I have an alarm and, no matter what, I am up at [that time] unless I'm sick. I think it’s very crucial to a successful workday, but also for your body. It does the body good. So my alarm goes off at 6:30 a.m., every day, and I get up right away, go make my coffee, and usually read my devotional. On Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, I go see my trainer, do Pilates, or go on a run. On Wednesday mornings, I volunteer. I'm always up and about, but all of those activities always start between 7:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. By the time I'm done with all of them, usually around 9:30 a.m., my mind is working and I'm surrounded by people, which also helps jumpstart and motivate me.

ED: Lately, self-care has become a way to sell things, but the actual idea of it is really rooted in self-love and doesn't require any products at all. How do you practice self-care without stuff?

TA: I've actually been on a really big self-care journey that I’ve been trying to navigate in the last year because I found myself at one point [thinking] everyone says, ‘You have to love yourself first,’ but what does that actually mean?

For me, that means going to a restaurant, drinking coffee, and even reading a book, or just sitting on my bed reading the Bible. It's drinking water, sitting on my balcony, and just looking out across New York City.

Self-care has also taken the form of running a lot, which is something that I really took up when I moved to New York. I stopped for a couple of years after an accident and started back up during [lockdown]. New York has really just given me a whole new love for it. With that, I’ve become really grounded and, I would say, more grateful actually for my surroundings.

ED: I love the idea of creating gratitude from enjoying what you have. What advice would you give to somebody who's fallen out of doing something that they love and wants to get back into it?

TA: Oh my gosh! My favorite thing to do sounds so superficial, but get running shorts or a really pretty sports bra or, at least, a cute T-shirt, something like, that actually gets you excited to put it on and makes you feel good. Then go outside and just start — just start! — and have a small goal for yourself. That’s such a beautiful part of running. I set the smallest goals for myself.

Start with, ‘OK, wait, I'm just going to go a half-mile more.’ Then out of nowhere, you end up completing three, four, five miles and you feel so good that you don't want to stop there, so I would definitely say, make a small goal for yourself, but also treat yourself. What's going to make you feel confident and good about yourself? Even if that's new socks, something super minimal, it could be something that motivates you.

ED: That's such a great tip. In terms of favorite athletic brands, do you have a few that make you feel the most confident or capable?

TA: I started running in high school and the first brand that I ever wore was Asics, which is why I’m so happy to be able to be an ambassador for them now because it really rings true to me and my running journey and how it all began. Asics also has really incredible shoes.

ED: Amazing.

TA: It's the only way.

ED: We’ve talked about self-care without stuff, but now let's move on to self-care with stuff. What would you say are some of your favorite relaxation tools?

TA: After I work out, I generally foam roll, which is really nice. I do yoga at times and I use my computer [for that], so I’d also say a yoga mat and my computer. I love to just do a quick little decompression yoga session on Sunday night to end the week. Everything melts off and I can start my Monday off right. I also really love a good magnesium spray.

ED: Interesting!

TA: Yeah. It really helps with your muscles and gives you a little bit more of a soothing factor for them. It releases fatigue and just helps reset. It’s very restorative. It also helps with sleep, which is imperative. I love magnesium, honestly. I use it when I go to bed for a good sleep. Calm has a really good powder you could use. They also have sleeping capsules, which I absolutely love.

ED: Do you have any favorite apps that you use for a quick workout at home?

TA: I use an Asics app called the Runkeeper. I actually never realized it before. It monitors every single type of workout, it's really great for setting goals, and they have little workout programs there. The other thing that I love to use is my Garmin watch. I love my Garmin. It helps pace you, but also I love looking at getting better per mile. Those are the two things I love.

ED: What does your nighttime routine look like? How long does it take you to wind down?

TA: It probably takes about 30 minutes. I always start with a shower and good skin care. Then I make my tea and I either read, do a crossword, or Wordle. It’s really the tea and a book before bed. That really just helps me knock out.

ED: What kind of tea?

TA: Oh my goodness, I have a sleep tea from Sakara that’s incredible. I also have one from Sama, a lavender rose tea, that helps me.

ED: Can we get a quick skin care routine drop?

TA: Oh, let's see. When I'm about to work out, I love putting on Blemish and Aid Defense from SkinCeuticals. That's my top-top-top thing. I love my Supergoop sunscreen. My eye cream comes from SkinMedica. I love my No7 [Lift & Luminate Day Cream]. It’s a moisturizer and a sunscreen it's literally the best. I just started using a retinol from No7, and a really good hylauronic acid from Lancôme called Génifique.