Body Beautiful

- Mara Levinsky

Soap Opera Digest: First things first: Give us an update on Hayden!Ashley Jones: Oh, my gosh, he is so scrumptious. His personality is coming out and he’s just so smiley and loves to laugh. He’s learning his name and gets a kick out of seeing people that he recognizes. No one can explain the joy that babies can bring until you’re living it — and we are in the thick of it! I’ve gotten to the point when I look around the house and I’m like, “You know what? It’s okay there’s baby paraphernalia everywhere, dirty dishes and a lot of laundry to do.” You have to learn to let a lot of stuff go, especially with a 4-year-old [stepson Huck], too. Digest: Prior to pregnancy, what was your fitness routine? Jones: I was very active. I worked out all the time. I was at yoga probably five days a week, pretty intense, hot yoga, and if I didn’t go to yoga one day, I would try to run three miles or go for a hike or something like that. Digest: What adjustments did you make during pregnancy? Jones: Back to the theme of letting go, I really wanted to be the girl that could power through pregnancy and still run three miles a day and all of that, but I just couldn’t accomplish that because I got so tired. I had to constantly let that go. When you’re pregnant, certain things, like swimming or walking, are safer than other activities; you probably don’t want to be wrestling or things like that! I did force myself to walk as much as I possibly could, and I monitored how many steps I was taking with an app on my phone and that kind of stuff. And I discovered some great prenatal antioxidants from USANA and was good about taking those; I take their postnatal antioxidants, too. Digest: Was it strange to see yourself on-screen when you were pregnant?