Alison Brie and Dave Franco spent early pandemic days sleeping in and eating too much before finding a routine that helped their relationship thrive

• Brie told Insider that at the start of the pandemic she and Franco slept in and ate a lot.
• Eventually, they got into a routine that involved hiking and doing "something creative."
• "But the flip side is we couldn't be too hard on ourselves," she said.

Alison Brie says keeping active was a major goal she and husband Dave Franco had when the pandemic was at its peak.

The star of "GLOW" and "Promising Young Woman" told Insider recently while promoting the Earth Day initiative The Planet Oat Project that, as two actors, they're familiar with having to deal with the mundane down time that comes between projects. They felt they were up for the challenge when the pandemic completely shut down Hollywood.

But Brie admits at the start of the pandemic the two were less motivated, leading to lots of sleeping in and eating.

"There were a lot of pasta dinners," she admits with a laugh. "And then you start thinking, 'Well, why should I get out of bed at all?' That was something that as the pandemic went on we were like, 'No, let's get up. Let's do a workout, let's do something creative.'"

She said they started creating a daily schedule, and Brie credits that routine as a hugely helpful part of helping get the two through each day. Along with taking hikes, the couple began working on a rom-com script together. They ended up promoting Franco's directorial debut (which Brie starred in), "The Rental," during the pandemic.

"But the flip side is, we couldn't be too hard on ourselves," Brie said of the secret to their routine. "On days when you want to stay in bed and watch three seasons of 'Schitt's Creek,' that's okay. That's great!"