How many actors have a patented self-help program? The Forgetting Sarah Marshall writer/star does. Presenting the five pillars of Healthtronics.

As told to Qimmah Saafir

1 The camera doesn’t lie.

Exercise is my least favorite tenet of Healthtronics, yet it’s vital. Before How I Met Your Mother I kept hearing that TV adds 10 lbs. I was a basketball player in high school, but 10 years later I looked in the mirror and was like, “What the fuck is going on!?” I enjoy the beer and stuff, so I have to do something to balance it.

2 Be kind.

I like “Be Kind” much better than exercise; it should be the number-one tenet for everybody. You create the world that you live in, and to me it takes a lot less effort to be nice than it does to be a jerk. You might fool people into thinking that you’re talented, but I’d much rather be around someone who’s nice than someone who’s talented.

3 Pursue your passion with vigor.

When I was on Freaks and Geeks, Judd Apatow took me aside and said, “Listen, Segel, you’re a pretty weird dude. The only way you’re going to make it is if you’re working constantly.” So when I’m not filming, I’m at home writing. It keeps me out of trouble. I don’t have to go to the bar, I can just stay here and write.

4 Don’t hate, congratulate.

My whole crew started out as underdogs—we couldn’t get our show [Freaks] to stay on the air! But now that everyone is having their share of success, it’s inspiring. You see your friends doing well and working hard—it makes you want to do the same. I feel more proud of them than I do competitive.

5 Control your breathing

This is the buttress to the other Healthtronics rules—you can use whatever form of breathing works for you. It can be a pretty capricious business; it took eight years of pounding the pavement to make things happen, and I’m fully aware that it could be over soon. Stick-to-it-iveness is what you need to have.

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