Chicago P.D. Star Marina Squerciati Shows Off Amazing Body: "2024 Was a BIG Year For Me, Literally"

1. Maria Bello

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Maria Bello played Jacqueline Sloane. The actress loves Pilates and working out with a trainer. “I have a trainer named Aimee Carpenter, and she has this company called Indigo Mountain,” she says. “Some days we go for a hike, other days we do weights at my house. It's kind of like going with the flow instead of thinking, ‘I have to do 20 squats today.’ I also do Pilates at a studio called Embodiment.”

2. Pauley Perrette

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Pauley Perrette, 54, played Abby Sciuto. The actress prefers working out at home over going to a gym. "Learn the simple art of using your own body weight to work out,” she says. “There's no need to go to a gym. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, wall presses, running up and down stairs. Everything you need to get in shape, you have.”

3. Lauren Holly

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Lauren Holly, 59, played Jenny Shepard. The actress swears by Bikram yoga to stay fit and happy. “I practice Bikram yoga, which is a certain kind of yoga and it’s in a very hot room,” she says. “I love it—it’s like my own personal form of meditation because I can’t think of anything (besides the heat) through the whole class. I haven’t been practicing since COVID, and I miss it so much. It really gave my brain a rest and my skin a glow.”

4. Chris O'Donnell

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Chris O'Donnell played G. Callen. He admits co-star LL Cool J inspired him to get fit. "His arms are insane – they're as hard as a wall," he says. "I'm just an average guy trying to keep my body in good condition so I can still do the things that I love. I don't want to give up sports. I want to move around with my kids and play football in the backyard. I have to work hard to stay fit."

5. LL Cool J

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LL Cool J played Sam Hanna. The actor works out with a personal trainer. “It’s important to have somebody there to push me. Every player needs a coach,” he says. “There’s nothing wrong with not having a trainer, but I prefer it. I do a minimum of four workouts a week — usually an hour on workdays and two hours the other days. I combine weights and cardio. I jump rope, run and lift weights. I do pull-ups and push-ups, plus core work with a ball, while lying on an incline. I also run up hills. I measure my heart rate on the treadmill. I don’t use monitoring devices or apps. Instead, I go by the mirror. I rarely use a scale.”

6. Daniela Ruah

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Daniela Ruah, 39, played Kensi Blye. The actress has been dancing since she was 5. “Do I dance at home? Sure,” she says. “Sometimes my son and I will prance around the house and dance. He responds to music so wonderfully, but I wouldn’t say it is something that brought me back into shape. I didn’t do any (dance) classes. I wish I had. It was mostly gym work with a personal trainer, jogging, working out with the kids, and eating healthily.”

7. Jennifer Esposito

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Jennifer Esposito, 50, played Alexandra Quinn. The actress was diagnosed with celiac disease in her 30s. “It’s an autoimmune disease, so you really have to stay on top of it,” she says. “When you feel a flare coming on, if you don’t take charge right then, it’ll cycle out of control. I feel great right now, but my killer is stress, and I’m still learning how to deal with that. Meditation helps a lot.”

8. Kelly Hu

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Kelly Hu, 55, played Lee Wuan Kai. The actress prefers a plant-based diet. “I think diet is everything,” she says. “What you put into your body is not just important for weight management but affects every aspect of your life. I’m a firm believer in eating clean, organic, healthy foods. I stopped eating fast and processed food years ago and I think that’s the number one thing I’ve done for my skin and body. Luckily I enjoy cooking and have the time to do a lot of my own food prep even when I’m shooting.”

9. Rena Sofer

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Rena Sofer, 54, played Margaret Allison Hart. The actress wants to look the best version of herself at any age. “I don’t diet,” she says. “I exercise quite often. I’m very into hula hooping. I hula hoop for like an hour probably five times a week and that keeps my stomach and my back very strong and I work out at home. We have a home gym so I get on the elliptical or do lunges around the house, stuff like that… I’m an older woman who just doesn’t expect to look like a twenty-year-old so I don’t try to. I just eat what I want, but I eat in moderation and I don’t smoke and don’t drink and I take care of myself.”

10. Vanessa Lachey

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Vanessa Lachey, 42, who played Jane Tennant, never skips breakfast. "I'm a big breakfast girl. If I had a choice, I would sit down to sausage links and a ham-and-cheese omelet and toast and fruit,” she says. “Sometimes—and this is probably the Asian in me coming out—I'll do scrambled eggs over rice with soy sauce. It's a big comfort food for me. When I'm at a hotel I'll call room service at 7 in the morning and be like, 'um, do you guys have white rice and soy sauce?'"

11. Katrina Law

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Katrina Law, 37, who played Jessica Knight, fits her training around her filming schedule. “I went old-school—working out with weights and doing just one body part at a time,” she says. “For a while, I was doing a HIIT circuit. But sometimes with interval cardio, I find myself getting injured and wearing myself out a lot. When you’re working 14-hour days, you tend to break down. I found it easier to do very lazy, long cardio. And also yoga to stay stable and Zen out.”

12. Scott Bakula

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Scott Bakula, 68, played Dwayne Pride. The actor loves running, even in the heat. “Now that I'm healthy I try to run three or four times a week, a minimum of 45 minutes each time,” he says. “And then depending on if I'm training for something, I'm upping that for long runs on the weekend. Even if I'm not, when I have time, I do six to 10 miles on Sundays… I mix it up. Sometimes I'll go 30 minutes and walk for one, and then go 10 and walk for one. Sometimes I'll run 15 minutes, then walk for one; 14 minutes, then walk for one, and go down from there.”

13. Marina Sirtis

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Marina Sirtis, 68, played Orli Elbaz. The actress believes in aging gracefully over too much cosmetic surgery. “It doesn’t make sense for actresses to have plastic surgery because there’s no point in looking 40 when you’re 60 because you know what? They’re gonna hire somebody who’s 40,” she says. “They’re not gonna hire you – first of all, you look like you’ve been caught in a wind tunnel! So it doesn’t make sense for actresses.”

14. Cote de Pablo

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Cote de Pablo, 43, played Ziva David on the show. The actress swears by regular yoga sessions. “Four or five days a week, I do open flow Vinyasa [breath-synchronized yoga],” she says. “I bring a teacher, who happens to be a great friend, to my house. You look at this woman's body and you go, ‘Wow, the benefits of yoga!’ You can see that there's a lift everywhere. And it's completely natural. There's nothing fake about her body. I love natural beauty.”

15. Emily Wickersham

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Emily Wickersham, 39, played Eleanor Bishop. The actress does regular Pilates sessions and plays tennis. "For me it's about feeling good first... and I've realized that it comes from what I choose to eat," she says. "Once I started paying attention to what I was eating and becoming conscious of what made me feel good or bad, it was a game-changer."

16. Jamie Lee Curtis

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Jamie Lee Curtis, 64, played Dr. Samantha Ryan. The actress loves yoga, Pilates, and taking walks with her friends. “Fluids are key,” she says. “I walk with girlfriends. [It’s] incredibly good for you.”

17. Marisol Nichols

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Marisol Nichols, 49, played ATF Special Agent Zoe Keates. The actress taught herself to cook, and says it’s been a game changer. “My food philosophy is this: You’re not going to stick with any lifestyle change unless it tastes good,” she says. “Otherwise it’s torture. And why would you do that to yourself? I also recently rediscovered celery sticks and peanut butter. Remember that from when you were a kid? They’re so good. I also live on Zevia soda, which you can buy at Whole Foods.”

18. Jon Cryer

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Jon Cryer, 58, played Dr. Cyril Taft. The actor is a big fan of running. “I train five days a week but I only do three days of distance work,” he says. “I either do it swimming, running or biking. Now because I'm not really training for a triathlon, because triathlon season isn't till late August and September, now I just run pretty much. I run and I work out with weights with my trainer.

19. Bellamy Young

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Bellamy Young, 53, played ATF Special Agent Melinda Stone. The actress walks six miles a day on her treadmill and follows a vegan diet. “I think veganism has a branding issue, but other than that, it’s a great way to live,” she says. “I know a lot of people now like to go with ‘plant-based diet’ instead. I guess that makes it a little bit more palatable, but for me it was the answer to a myriad of things that weren’t working in my life. I had terrible cystic acne, no energy at all, I didn’t always digest food perfectly. And so it’s never been difficult in terms of a row to ho or anything. It’s just always been, um, I’ve just been lucky that my body and my heart were in line.”

20. Paula Newsome

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Paula Newsome, 50, played Jackie Vance. The actress loves the healthy lifestyle she enjoys in Los Angeles. “I have been really fortunate in that I’ve been able to work a lot,” she says. “In New York it was more of a struggle. At that time there was not as much film and television production. In LA I could make a decent living as an actress and LA is also great for my health. I eat healthier and work out more here I don’t think it would have been possible in New York. The quality of life here is different.”

The hot docs are in the house. Here we offer a fascinating glimpse into the lives and fitness routines of some of the most beloved actors from the iconic TV show "ER." This article delves into the personal health and wellness strategies of stars like George Clooney, Julianna Margulies, and Anthony Edwards, revealing how their roles on the show intersected with their real-life approaches to maintaining physical and mental well-being. From unique workout routines to personal philosophies and career insights, each segment provides an intimate look at the practices and beliefs that have kept these stars in top form, both on and off screen.

1. George Clooney

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George Clooney’s star-making role was as Doug Ross. He talked about how his parents influenced his career to The Guardian. “Both my parents are really respected where we’re from and I wouldn’t want to do anything to embarrass them. Also, my dad made one rule for me and that was: ‘I don’t care what you do in life, but challenge people with greater power than you and defend those with less power.”

2. Julianna Margulies

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Julianna Margulies played Carol Hathaway on the show. She shared some of her workout secrets with TODAY. “I like being alone with no to one hear me. I run or bike or go on the elliptical. I breathe into my body. I do a mixture of yoga and pilates. I love to stretch. I get tremendous joy from working out. I know it sounds crazy.”

3. Anthony Edwards

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Anthony Edwards played Mark Greene on the show. He revealed his morning routine to FOX News. "Morning coffee, get up on news and get out and do something I'm fortunate to do," Edwards said. "I'm fortunate to be able to work on my garden and there are these kinds of chores that you've put off for years."

4. John Stamos

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John Stamos played Tony Gates during the last few seasons. In 2016, he talked about his workout secrets with The Los Angeles Times. "I fit workouts around my schedule. I do Pilates about three days a week, using the Reformer and other machines, as well as doing floor work and a lot of stretching. I swim laps three days a week and do a lot of push-ups and pull-ups. For cardio I run up and down a hill."

5. Eriq La Salle

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Eriq La Salle played Peter Benton. Since then, he has started a directing and producing career, notably working on Chicago P.D. La Salle talked about working on Chicago P.D. to One Chicago Center. “I love telling stories at any opportunity, and I’ve been able and blessed to do it for years. This represents another level of success so obviously there’s more responsibility, more contributions, more input, more partnership, so I love it. I’m having a great time. This is a new set of responsibilities and challenges and I’m loving it even more than I thought it would.”

6. Ming Na Wen

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One of Ming-Na Wen’s many acting roles was as Jing-Mei “Deb” Chen. In this blog post, she talked about the importance of doing squats directly after a knee injury. “After surgery, I had a limited ability to bend my left knee. And with the help of my physical therapist, I learned many small moves that make such a big difference. The key is to do it RIGHT. Position is super important to target the right muscles.”

7. Linda Cardellini

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Linda Cardellini played the role of Samantha Taggert on the show’s last five seasons. She shared some of her workout and self-care secrets with Byrdie. “Sometimes I really have to motivate myself to move, and I’ll get really down if I’m not moving enough. Literally, my brain works better when I’m moving. I have a jump rope, and if I’m feeling low, I’ll make myself do jumping jacks. Also, we’ve sort of just started putting on music that we like and trying to dance, regardless of how silly you might feel, and it really helps. At the end of the night, I read to my daughter, which really calms us both and puts us in an alternate reality without having to turn on a screen. And I take baths—I think that helps a lot. I like Epsom salts.”

8. Maria Bello

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Maria Bello played Anna Del Amico on season three and four of the show. She also produced the 2022 film, The Woman King, and talked about why she wanted to tell the story to The Hollywood Reporter. “The Woman King was definitely born of my love of the continent in general. It’s based on women’s history, a story I found many years ago about this army of women in the 17th century. I was watching Braveheart and I was like, Why isn’t there a woman’s movie like this?”

9. Angela Bassett

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Angela Bassett played Catherine Banfield on the final season of the show. In an interview promoting Mission Impossible: Fallout, she shared her typical diet. “Monday, Tuesday, I may eat carbs, fruit; Tuesday, Wednesday, protein, veggies—veggies every day—no fats those four days, and then the last three days, I flood it with fat. Good fat, though: maybe coconut oil, salmon, almonds, almond butter, you know, olive oil, that sort of thing.”

10. Maura Tierney

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Maura Tierney played the role of Abby Lockhart on the show. In an interview with Salon, she talked about her feelings on society. “In life right now, I think we need to know what's true. I find it very disturbing that untrue things are being allowed to go unchecked. I feel just so dismayed, in terms of what's happened to the truth. We almost need a new word. We need to make up a new word because truth, it seems to be not mattering at all.”

11. Mariska Hargitay

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Mariska Hargitay had a supporting role as Cynthia Hooper on the show. In an interview with Parade, she talked about the struggles she faced trying to get her career off the ground, and how she didn’t quit. “I could have quit a million times, but my dad drilled into me that our family doesn’t quit,” she says. “So if you don’t get it, it means you’re not ready and you have to get up and try again. There’s really something to be said for perseverance and not throwing in the towel.”

12. Shane West

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Shane West broke down his career with E! News. He says that when he joined the show in season 11 as Ray Barnett, he wanted to understand everything about the character and show. "I like to do a lot of research as much as I can and prep before I start a project but this, I didn't know how," he explained. "Besides, back then, getting a bunch of DVDs and watching DVDs. I was on IMDb writing down like character names to the actor and the actress so that I didn't make a fool of myself because I got the wrong character name and put it to the wrong person. I didn't want to do that."

13. Parminder Nagra

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Parminder Nagra starred as Neela Rasgotra on the show. She talked about her career and how she’s approaching it to The Guardian. “I can’t start dissecting it, because I’ll go mad. I just think, life happens, work happens, and we’re all at the mercy of both. Lots of things have happened in my life over the last decade that I’ve had to adapt to. It’s meant I can’t do certain things.”

14. Gloria Reuben

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Gloria Reuben played Jeanie Boulet on the show. She was also a backup singer for Tina Turner, and opened up about the experience to The Today Show. “One of the things that she taught me is this: You can reach for anything, you can do anything, you can overcome, you can walk through and sometimes you got to fight your way through trauma and grief and the past and you know what? It makes you who you are today.”

Explore the fascinating lives of Chicago Med stars beyond the screen as they share their wellness journeys, personal philosophies, and unique experiences. From Yaya DaCosta's mindful approach to cooking to Torrey DeVitto's vegan lifestyle, each actor brings a distinct perspective to health and self-care. Dive into Colin Donnell's fitness transformation, Marlyne Barrett's rejuvenating routine, and Norma Kuhling's intriguing insights into her character. Discover how these talented individuals embrace mindfulness, challenge stereotypes, and contribute to important causes, giving you a deeper glimpse into the amazing bodies and minds of Chicago Med's remarkable cast.

1. Yaya DaCosta

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Yaya DaCosta talked about her love of meditation in an interview with SheKnows. “You know, while [I’m] cooking, it’s just about awareness, just about mindfulness. The way that I’m cutting the carrots. Or the way that I’m taking steps down the street and just being intentional about your next moves, focusing on your breath. It’s about reclaiming your physical, emotional, and spiritual connection and allowing yourself that time, no matter what it looks like. It doesn’t have to be pretty.”

2. Torrey DeVitto

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Torrey DeVitto is a vegan, and talked about this with People. “The way I eat is a heavy statement on my belief system,” DeVitto said. “I eat cruelty-free. It is my way of being able to take a stand against doing harm to any living creature. I enjoy eating so much. I eat for happiness, fuel and nourishment.”

3. Rachel DiPillo

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Rachel DiPillo talked about working on Chicago Med in an interview with Meet Us At Molly’s. “It’s so, so, so fun and educational for me to work with people who do their acting jobs very, very well, but who also function on set incredibly well. The way they communicate with people, the way they care about the story and what their characters are about, and how they’ve been helpful to me as a little more of a new kid on the block is really humbling. They’re really cool people, and I’m really pleased to work with them. It’s awesome.”

4. Colin Donnell

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Colin Donnell decided to be healthier, and shared his results on Instagram. He captioned the post, “I’m not #becomingwolverineagain, primarily because I’ve never actually played Wolverine BUT I am enjoying putting in some* work and getting into probably the best shape of my life at 40 years old and, welp, I’m pretty proud.”

5. Brian Tee

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Brian Tee is open about wanting to defy stereotypes with his characters. He talked about his role on Chicago Med with TODAY. “I’m not necessarily identified by my culture or identified by anything. I’m just playing a human being, and I think that’s really wonderful.”

6. Marlyne Barrett

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Marlyne Barrett talked about her workout routine in an interview with Women Fitness. “I do a lot of cardio work (i.e. the treadmill, hiking and the elliptical). I’ve also fallen in love with Pilates and I have a great instructor that takes care of me here in Chicago. After a trauma like pneumonia, Pilates has provided me with an expansion of the lungs and re-trained my breathing. I do that 4-5 times a week in-between cardio. I tend to also incorporate two massages a week to loosen the muscles and tendons with deep rest in-between. Since I push so hard, I allow my body to recuperate.”

7. Norma Kuhling

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Norma Kuhling talked about how she wanted fans to view her character, Ava, in an interview with One Chicago Center. “Ava’s such an interesting person to get to know,” she said. “I try not to pass judgment on her personally. You don’t want to judge the people you’re playing because you’re not being them, you’re being you. But it’s been really interesting. Every time I get a script I’m like, what is she going to do now?”

8. Kristen Hager

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In order to help with her role on Chicago Med, Kristen Hager did actual medical training. “I came out to Chicago a full week early to just do full days with two of our fantastic active trauma surgeons who work down the street from the studio,” she told NBC.com. “It was like a boot camp of how to get your P.h.D over the span of a week, and it was incredible.”

9. Jessy Schram

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Jessy Schram likes to give back to different charities. She shared some of her favorites in an interview with Naluda Magazine. “I love learning and getting involved where I can, recently I’ve been learning a lot about Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection, but I’ve had personal and continued involvement with Corazon De Vida, Red Eye, Support and Feed. They’re very close to my heart.”

10. Julie Berman

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Julie Berman spends a lot of time outside. One thing she likes to do is go swimming. She shared a bunch of posts on Instagram of herself swimming in Turks & Caicos. Berman posted this photo of herself in a pool. She also shared this photo of herself doing a flip underwater, captioning it, “Take me back to Turks.”

11. Mekia Cox

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Mekia Cox makes sure to stand up for what she believes in. During the Black Lives Matter movement of summer 2020, Cox shared several posts on Instagram supporting the cause. She posted this photo highlighting different resources people could donate to.