Kim Raver: “Family Is Extremely Important To Me”

To help women take charge of their health this summer, Colgate Total® has teamed up with Kim Raver, mom-of-two and actress from FOX’s “24″, to encourage healthy living through simple, everyday routines. Raver, a strong advocate for healthy living, shares some of her own parenting, health and beauty tips with Celebrity Baby Scoop.

CBS: Tell us about your partnership with Colgate Total and your participation in National Women’s Health Week

KR: “Yeah, I was just filming in London and I came to New York for Women’s’ National Health Week. I get what it’s like to be super busy. I think it’s important to have Women’s Health Week to remind us and to give us tips and ways to take care of ourselves. Moms are busy and trying to juggle it all. I’m really proud to have partnered with Colgate Total to give women ways to address health and beauty issues. So much is expected of us as women, as we are such care givers as it is. I think we need a reminder sometimes. For me, I’m filming in London and I’m flying back to New York. I have two boys and I’m a busy mom.

I try to find multipurpose products that can address beauty and health issues. I know that I’m going to actually take care of my health and beauty better if I can do it and save time. I talk to my girlfriends and we discuss how we are going to do it. I love exercising. When I was packing to come to New York, I was looking at my running shoes and thinking, ‘Oh, God do I really have to pack those?’ I think the minute you put them on, you know you’re going to do it, and I feel so good afterwards. In life, it is necessary to multitask. For example, I need to walk my dog, but I also want to go for a run and I need to pick up my kids and then memorize my lines. One of my favorite products is Colgate Total Advanced Whitening because it gives me a healthier and whiter smile. So, for me, I know I’m going to brush my teeth a couple of times a day and I know I can get it done. I know I’ll follow through with it. Another great thing is using moisturizer or foundation with SPF in it. That way we are taking care of beauty and protecting our health simultaneously. Summer is coming, so I talk with my girlfriends about how I can lead a healthier life. One thing I can do is make those doctor and dentist visits I’ve been putting off so I can go into summer healthier and accomplished. As a busy mom, I don’t think our health for ourselves comes first. We are focused on taking care of everyone else, but it’s really important.”

CBS: What kinds of healthy habits have you incorporated into your lifestyle?

KR: I think its finding ways to combine my health with the things I want to get done. For example, on the weekend I really want to be with my kids, especially if I’m working during the week. Sometimes I think I have to choose between my workout and spending time with my kids. However, I can do both by having the kids get on their scooters and I’ll put on my running shoes so we can run and scooter in the park. I also try to drink a ton of water. I think it’s key to staying healthy. Getting enough sleep is also important, because as Moms we rarely get enough, but it’s so important, even if it is a short 20 minute nap. It can be restorative, and I totally need that when I’m working. I feel better when I’m eating well, but I love to have indulgences. I love to eat yummy things. I think it’s easier to stay on course. I don’t like to use the word diet, because I don’t think that sounds healthy.
Even if I need to get into kick ass shape for a role, like playing a cop, I like to look at it as getting into athletic shape. It’s leading an overall living a healthy life so you can sustain it long term.”

CBS: Can dental issues lead to more serious health issues?

KR: “Definitely. That’s something I’ve learned. A healthy mouth is a healthy body. Your oral health is what makes your body healthy. That’s really important. It’s combining oral health with beauty. We all want to have that whiter smile and overall physical health.”

CBS: What other steps can women take to promote healthy oral hygiene?

KR: “Using products like Colgate Total Advanced Whitening. Colgate has awesome products to promote a healthy mouth. Flossing and eating right also lead to a healthy body.

CBS: You’re playing the role of Audrey Raines on 24: Live another Day. Tell us about your character. What was it like on set? Is Keifer Sutherland as intense as Jack Bauer?

KR: Audrey is a very complex woman. In season 4 and 5, she was very intense and she knew exactly what she wanted. She worked for the White House and CTU and she’s very well educated. She’s involved with Jack Bauer, so if you know the show, that’s a lot of intense drama. In season 6 she tried to rescue Jack Bauer in China and ended up being kidnapped and went through a whole series of horrific things. So when she came back she was not the same woman she was in season 4 and 5. We pick up Live Another Day and she’s definitely much better than where we left her in season 6. Her husband, played by Tate Donovan, has nursed her back to health. But I feel like at the beginning of the
season, she doesn’t have the strength that she once had. However, throughout these 12 episodes of Live Another Day she finds her voice again and becomes the Audrey we know. There’s also some great and complicated stuff between her and Jack Bauer.“

CBS: What was it like on set? Is Keifer Sutherland as intense as Jack Bauer?

KR: “Keifer Sutherland is such an amazing person. He is extremely talented. Because we spend so many hours together on set, it is like a second family. We get very close. We film some very intense scenes and work long hours. We are also filming in London so everyone is away from their main home, at least the American actors. It’s a very tight-knit group of people. I think everyone is excited to be back and filming again.”

CBS: Is Keifer Sutherland as intense as Jack Bauer?

KR: “He’s intense in a very different way. He is a very funny guy. I don’t know if people know that about him. He’s an incredible story teller. We’ll all go out to dinner and he’ll have people transfixed by what he is saying because he is such a great story teller. He is a very dedicated and loyal friend, which, again, I don’t think people know about him. They know him from his Jack Bauer character.”

CBS: What are Luke and Leo up to these days?

KR: “They are learning how to live in a completely new country. My husband and I decided it is important for us to all be together even when we have to work in different places. I took them out of school in December. They had been there a couple of years and totally up rooted them. We found two amazing schools in London. I’m really proud of them, as they have had to learn how incorporate themselves into a new schooling system and a new culture. That’s a lot of change, but they’ve really embraced it. They know they are very lucky to have that experience.”

CBS: What is it like to raise two boys?

KR: “It’s absolutely amazing and it’s 24/7 movement. Boys are so active and move all the time. They are into American football, soccer, baseball, so I’ll be making dinner and there are balls flying across the room, but I love it. I love the non-stop chaos. I have very loving children, and my family is extremely important to me. We find the time to have dinner together and read stories and tuck them in at night. That’s the highlight of my day.”

CBS: Do you have enough energy to keep up with them?

KR: “You’ve got to find it, right? You know what I mean? I gotta dig deep. Even if I’ve had a long day, they haven’t been with me on that long day. I think that’s part of motherhood. That’s always why having supportive friends and family is important. My mom is so amazing. She was a working single mom in the 70s before it was the hip thing to do. When you’ve got that example, the times when I’ve been exhausted and trying to find my way, I just think of my Mom and how she did it. Other moms relate too. You just do it. I’m really lucky to have an incredibly loving husband. I’m very grateful. We have to be grateful for what we have. Back to health, I love that I have to try to keep up with them. I feel lucky to have that in my life.”

CBS: Are you able to set aside me time?

KR: “What is that? (laughter) I think it comes back to National Women’s Health Week. We have to remind ourselves to make me time. For me, I like my little cup of coffee in the morning. It’s not so much the coffee, as much as it’s a nanosecond of me time. I do think it’s important to carve that out. I think that re-energizes me and I’m able to reach out and be there for everyone else. My girlfriends help remind and encourage me to go for that hike. I do feel re-energized afterwards so again, making my workout enjoyable so it is me time and not drudgery. That’s why I try to make my workout things I love to do – yoga, running or spinning class. A friend of mine had to deal with some very challenging
health issues. She told me she tried to do one little thing for herself every day. I hear what she’s saying and I try to do that now. Literally just stepping out and looking at the view or taking a deep breath. I know it might sound hokey but it really is true. That goes back to health and taking care of ourselves. I didn’t mention before but, ColgateTotal.com is a really good website to check out tips for taking care of ourselves.”

CBS: What are you doing this summer?

KR: “My husband is French, since we’re shooting in Europe, I think we are going to see my in-laws and let the kids spend some time with their grandparents. Then we will come back to the states and spend some time with my parents. As of now, I have time for family and traveling around and spending time with my boys.”

CBS: You’re fluent in both French and German. Are your boys learning any foreign languages?

KR: “My boys are bi-lingual in French because my husband is French. My Mom is German and that’s how I was raised. My German is rusty compared to my French because my in-laws speak French so that’s what we speak at their hose and with the boys as well.”

CBS: Do you think it is important to be fluent in more than one language?

KR: “I don’t know if it’s important but it’s definitely an addition to my life because it opens up a whole new world and culture. I love being an American and coming back home, but I also love that our family is part French and I get that part of my life.”

CBS: What’s up next for you?

KR: “We’re still in the middle of filming 24, so I think what’s up next is wrapping up 24 and spending time with my family.”

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Celebrity Scoop coming tomorrow! Bruce Willis new baby and "24" Kim Raver Talks Family! Hayden Panettiere Expecting First Child!

— Connie Gruning (@PBnWhine) June 2, 2014