Kelsea Ballerini Says She Wants to Be ‘360 Healthy’ as She Steps into Her 30s (Exclusive)

Kelsea Ballerini has reached a stage where she can quickly identify what she wants from her life — and what she doesn’t.

The award-winning singer/songwriter, 31, tells PEOPLE that she is stepping into her 30s with an approach she describes as being “360 healthy.”

“I want to be mentally healthy. I want to be physically healthy, emotionally healthy, and I want to be able to sustain the life and the career that I’ve been lucky enough to build for myself,” she explains.

Ballerini adds, “The goal now is like, can I run around on stage for 90 minutes and have that energy to do it? Can I wake up and take both the dogs on a walk and make sure that Dibs is going to all of his doctor appointments, and I’m on Zooms in the middle of it? Can I be present for everything that I need to? Can I make time for my friends, for my family, in the middle of all the chaos?”

Maintaining that level of energy can be a challenge, but coupled with healthy eating and staying active, Ballerini says her partnership with Celsius, whose products she drinks consistently as a self-defined “Celsius girly,” keep her energized. “Days are long and I really want to be able to show up and be present for every bit of it, whether it’s meet and greet or radio room or press or the actual show … and sometimes I need a little help to put a pep in my step,” she adds.

Ballerini’s love for Celsius, which she affectionately dubs “Kelsius,” even extends to her being the brand’s newest ambassador.

As for her go-to fitness routine, Ballerini says, “For me, it’s walks” that make her feel her best. “Walking is so good for you. It also makes you get fresh air and some good sunshine, and that’s so good for your mental health.”

Otherwise, Ballerini totes, “I’m a Pilates girly. That for me has been my tried and true the last five years because I don’t hate doing it, and I don’t want working out to feel like a punishment.”

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In terms of nutrition, Ballerini maintains her belief in an “80/20 rule. So 80% of the time I’m really healthy, 20% of the time catch me at McDonald’s.”

But the Patterns creator also likes to eat at home. “My favorite thing to cook — I’ve been upping my protein a lot recently just because I didn’t realize how much protein we’re supposed to have as women— and I cook a really good chimichurri steak … that is my go-to. I’ll do it a couple of times a week. I have some in the fridge downstairs ready to go.”

Though Ballerini looks to remain consistent in her 80% healthy majority, she has no problem leaning into McDonald’s as her splurge. “As a kid, I was such a picky eater, and my parents joke with me, like, ‘All you would eat were waffles and chicken nuggets.’ So I think it’s just probably my inner child craving it still.”

Overall, Ballerini says, “I think especially in my early twenties and mid-twenties, the idea of fitness was very much only aesthetically driven, and that was my goal.” She further adds that “the older I’ve gotten” coincides with how much “mentally healthier I’ve gotten as well,” all thanks to a conscious pivot to the aforementioned practices of being “360 healthy.”

She concludes, “It’s the most important thing to me now, honestly.”