Ricki Lake is at the top of her game these days.
The TV host, now 55, spilled the beans exclusively to PEOPLE on Thursday, May 9, during the Community Access Gala in New York City, which celebrated its 50th anniversary supporting homelessness and mental health causes.
Talking about her life in her 50s, Lake opened up about feeling better than ever before. "It's pretty funny, you know. When you hit your 50s, people expect you to start slowing down, heading downhill," she shared. "But for me, it's the total opposite. I feel amazing – the healthiest and fittest I've ever been. Plus, I've got this incredible partner by my side. Every day, I feel like I'm living the dream."
She reflects, "I've put in the work. When I look back at my journey, I see the highs and lows, the twists and turns. It's been quite a ride."
"But let me tell you, I didn't have anything handed to me on a silver platter. I didn't come from wealth. I've hustled and taken risks, and it's all paid off," Lake asserts.
Offering advice to those seeking their own path to fulfillment, the Hairspray icon – who recently shared a throwback photo of herself rocking a white dress from 2007 – emphasizes the importance of self-love.
"Put yourself first, always," she urges. "I mean it, truly embrace and accept yourself. Once you reach that place of genuine self-love and self-acceptance, amazing things start to happen."
"I may not be superhuman, but when I set my mind to something, I usually get it done," she asserts. "I've got a whole lot of willpower. I've been at both ends of the spectrum – I've been big, I've been skinny. I've tipped the scales at 260 pounds; I've been down to 120 pounds."
Lake emphasizes that her perspective in her 50s has shifted away from fixating on the number on the scale. "It's not about that anymore," she explains. "It's about feeling our best for as long as possible."
Sharing practical advice, she encourages people to get moving. "Take a stroll. Get outside and soak up nature, rain or shine. I'm lucky to live in Malibu, surrounded by these gorgeous mountains."
"I hit those trails with my pup and my hubby every morning," Lake shares. "It's like meditation for me. Plus, it gets your blood pumping, revs up your metabolism, and let me tell you, it's made a world of difference for me."
The Quran - Chapter Al-Hujurat : 13
O humanity! Indeed, We created you from a male and a female, and made you into peoples and tribes so that you may ˹get to˺ know one another. Surely the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous among you. Allah is truly All-Knowing, All-Aware.
Human beings differ from each other in many ways, notably in terms of race and place of origin—some are black, some are white, some are from the rain forests, some are from the tundra.
But all these differences are for the purpose of identification—not for the making of distinctions.
Indeed, many evils have stemmed from these differences being used to discriminate between one person and another, between one community and another, between one nation and another.
Humanity has been eternally torn asunder by such prejudice. Human beings, in view of their origin, are all one. Among them, if at all there is any basis for distinction, it is as to who is fearful of God and who is not. Even this is known only to God and not to any human being.
