How 'GLOW' Helped Alison Brie Cope With Body Dysmorphia And Depression

Netflix's series GLOW may be coming to an end but what Alison Brie has learned along the way will last a lifetime.

In the upcoming issue of Women's Health magazine, the 37-year-old actress opens up about how the fictional role has impacted her real life.

"It helped with my relationship to my body times a million," she says. "Before, I always felt at odds with it; I wanted it to be something it wasn’t. But I didn’t have the tools to do that in a healthy way."

In order to portray Ruth "Zoya the Destroya" Wilder in the series, Brie's workout regimen had to change drastically. She revealed that before she became the star of the drama centered around the 1980s women's professional wrestling circuit, "Everything was cardio, cardio, cardio."

However, now that focus has shifted towards strength training, which has helped her manage her continuing struggle with body dysmorphia.

"It took the motivation out of being skinny for Hollywood standards and made it about being strong for lifting other women, literally. There was a real goal," Brie says.

"I go back to red carpet photos where I thought I looked so horrible, and there are some where I now think, 'God, I looked beautiful'. And I’ll remember: 'An hour before that I was in tears; I thought I was so disgusting'. I think it’s something I’ll probably be working through my whole life," she says candidly.

Brie also speaks openly about her struggle with depression and how fitness plays a role in how she copes with that as well.

"When I’ve been in a really serious depression, I’ll drag myself to a yoga class—even if I don’t want to be around people—tears streaming down my face," she says. "But, 'Get in class, get out of your head, get blood flowing'. It ends up helping eventually."

Alison Brie's cover issue of Women's Health magazine hits newsstands on April 21.