ICYMI: Ashley Jones Interview

2016 was a big year for Ashley Jones, who in addition to popping in to B&B as Bridget, creating the role of Parker on GH and turning 40, became a first-time mom to son Hayden, born on May 24. She chatted with Digest about her approach to health and fitness (and shedding those pregnancy pounds) since welcoming baby.

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 [USANA.com] 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?
Jones: It was very strange! Especially because I wasn’t telling people I was pregnant at first. On Twitter, some people were like, “She looks a lot rounder than usual,” and I felt like I wanted to send out this big message like, “I’m pregnant!” At the time it was frustrating, but in retrospect, I’m glad I have that [for posterity] because I was carrying Hayden and that’s special.

Digest: Obviously, when you’re pregnant, you’re going to put on weight and your body is going to change. What was your mental attitude about that?
Jones: Seeing the number go up on the scale is daunting! I think most women weigh more than they’ve ever weighed in their life when they’re in the final stages of pregnancy. I managed to keep my weight gain pretty under control; for me, the harder part was post-pregnancy and breastfeeding, because I had to keep eating quite a bit in order to produce milk, and I wanted the numbers to go down faster than they were. You just want to snap your fingers and get there!

Digest: Where are you now in terms of what exercise you’ve re-introduced — and how do you find time for it?
Jones: It’s still really hard to find the time, but I love being able to go to yoga. It helps me breathe and just take the time for myself, an hour that’s just devoted to exercise and mental stability, and then I can shower and move on with my day right after. But I also really like social activities, like hiking with my girlfriends. When I have time and we can take the babies with us, it’s a good time to vent and share stories and hear about what they’re doing with their kids. I never thought I could carry a 15-to-18-pound backpack — or baby — while I was hiking, but your body kind of adjusts. I’ve reintroduced running, which I do love, and I have some great jogging strollers that are helpful — but it’s not always easy to coordinate with nap times. There’s always an excuse not to do it, though, so I try to remind myself not to harp on excuses, to be proactive and try to get it done in the morning.

Digest: What’s your best advice to other new or newish moms who struggle with that?
Jones: What people who are further along in the journey told me: “Go easy on yourself. Everything will come when it’s supposed to come.” When people told me that early on, it’s the last thing I wanted to hear. You don’t want to hear, “The weight will come off. Just enjoy this time.” You almost want to hear, like, “There’s a magic trick.” But I think it’s important to remember just to do the best you can. I try to tell myself, “If the house is a mess or I haven’t worked out, that’s okay. I’m going to do the best I can do, even if that means just taking the dogs on a walk.” I also try to remember not to compare myself to my friends or to someone else that I’m reading about. It’s so human to feel like, “They’ve got their act together so much more than I do,” but other people’s lives always look a bit more glamorous than they really are, you know?

Digest: In the entertainment industry, it seems like there would be added pressure on a woman to shed weight after giving birth. Did you feel any of that pressure, or put it on yourself?
Jones: I tried really, really hard not to put that pressure on myself. Some of the work was before the baby was born, to try not to gain too much excess weight. Living in L.A. and all of that, I think that there is some added pressure, but I think there’s pressure no matter where you are, no matter where you live. There’s a lot of pressure being a new mom! And then on top of it, you feel like, “Ugh, the baby was born and I don’t have my body back.” You come home and you still look pregnant. That’s such a shock. There are things you can do to try and help your stomach tighten, and breastfeeding helps, but the best advice I could give someone is to try really hard to not worry about that right when you get home. Just drink your water and try to get as much sleep as you can.

Digest: Have you been doing things specifically to try to counteract the post-pregnancy difference in your tummy area?
Jones: I did wear one of those bands that you can wear around your belly. I think it does help, to a certain extent. The main thing that I think helped me was, as soon as I felt like I could walk again, to do that for cardio and to get my body and circulation moving. Now I’m doing sit-ups and hot yoga and trying to do a more intensified version of what I used to do prior to being pregnant that will hopefully really help get my body back to where it was.

Digest: It sounds like you were pretty mindful of your diet while you were expecting, as opposed to thinking, “I’m pregnant, I can eat whatever I want.”
Jones: Yes, for sure, but I did splurge a lot. You don’t want to have too much sodium or too much sugar, and I was still within moderation, but I never used to sit down and eat, like, a plate of chips with melted cheese on top — but I did, and I still do! But, you know, you can do baked cheese and low-fat baked chips and low-fat cheese.

Digest: Are you actively trying to lose weight now?
Jones: I’m back to my pre-pregnancy weight, but now I’m at the point where I’m ready to take it to the next level, because everything’s a little different, a little softer. Not only did I just have a baby, but I also hit 40, so things just change. It’s kind of a lot to admit and swallow, you know? But it’s okay. Instead of looking at it like, “Oh, my goodness, I’m 40 and my metabolism’s probably changed,” and all this, I have to look at it like, “Wow, I’m 40, I’ve lived a lot of life, that’s awesome.” Instead of criticizing myself, I need to try to cherish and take care of the one body I have — especially if I ever want to try to do all of this [pregnancy] over again, which sounds insane right now! But maybe I will.

Digest: Any other wisdom we can steal from you that might be of use to other expectant or new moms?
Jones: I am a big fan of USANA’s products. I had been a fan of their protein powders and fiber and supplements for a while, and I started really learning a lot more about them when I got pregnant. They really helped educate me on what I could do to make sure I stayed healthy while I was pregnant and post-pregnancy. Something that became, and still is, part of my daily routine is their Proglucamune, which helps keep your immunity up. If you’re not feeling well, your whole life can come crumbling down pretty quickly, especially with a newborn. In the morning, I try to take two of the Proglucamune for immunity. A girlfriend of mine has a newborn and she thinks she has strep and the first thing I said was, “You really need to take these immunity supplements!” It’s helped me stay healthy and increase my energy, which is so important for moms.