Cherry Hill's Lauren Cohan on the physical demands of 'The Walking Dead'

Cherry Hill zombie fighter Lauren Cohan is on the cover of the new Health magazine. She discusses The Walking Dead and growing up in South Jersey below and her fitness regimen, meditation, family and her fear of blood, especially her own, here.

Your show is filmed in Georgia, so what's the best part of working outside of the Hollywood bubble?

We're an hour south of the city [Atlanta]. I've learned the power of deep connection—the people, the material, and the story. The most fun part is that it's family. I am so close with everyone, and we've had the same core group of people together for so many years. And now we have a generation of Walking Dead babies. We have game nights, we cook together, we eat together.

Maggie has evolved so much over the years—and the role has gotten more physical. Is there anything you've been able to do physically that surprised you?

From a physical level, it's extremely challenging. Some scenes are much more difficult than others. Sometimes I didn't think I'd be able to run as much as I have on the show. There's so much running and action. But I love the physical element because it's a good release for a lot of the emotional tension.

You grew up in New Jersey, and then you moved with your family to England when you were 13. What were you like as a kid?

I was very skinny. You know when your knees don't even look like they're attached to your body? Kids at school called me Snap, like my legs were about to snap because they were so thin. I was so gangly, even sneakers looked awkward. Everybody kind of goes through some phase, and it's hard if you're singled out for anything. But there was this one boy in particular who made fun of me and, it's funny, then later, when we were 18 or 19, he wanted to go out with me.