Ashley Greene finds being physically fit “really empowering”.
The 36-year-old actress gave birth to her daughter Kingsley last September, and Ashley has since gently returned to her exercise routine.
The ‘Twilight’ star — who is married to Paul Khoury — told PEOPLE, “I really wanted to focus on making sure I gave myself enough rest to get everything back on track and make sure I didn’t try to jump back to where I was and hurt myself.
“I feel like there’s this idea that you’re cleared after eight weeks and you can just jump back in, and that’s so far from the case. I think it’s really damaging to a lot of people.”
Ashley works out five times a week and believes it is good for her mental health.
She shared, “My workout also depends on my baby. My life is her life now.
“Physically we all want to look good, but I want to feel good – and mentally I have to. It’s just a really empowering thing as a woman.”
Ashley has previously admitted that she felt like an “alien” after giving birth.
Discussing her post-pregnancy workout routine, Ashley told E! News: “I just had the goal of wanting to feel connected and like myself again.
“I felt like I was an alien in my own body for a while. And I really wanted to feel like I was in control again.”
Ashley also insisted she was in no rush to regain her pre-pregnancy figure.
She said: “Do I want everything to be hard again and there to be nothing when I jump? Of course.
“But I’ll probably get there in a year, as opposed to saying, ‘In three months I’ll be back where I was.’ I think that’s another key factor, which is not to set an unrealistic expectation on things .”