A lifelong dancer, Jenna Dewan Tatum wasn't stressed in the least about losing the 33 pounds she gained before giving birth to daughter Everly in May 2013. In fact, Channing Tatum's actress wife of three years rarely gave it a second thought. "I didn't think much about losing weight," the 5-foot-3, size-0 Dewan Tatum — who was in her skinny jeans and back on the set of Lifetime's Witches of East End six weeks after giving birth — tells Us Weekly. "I was overwhelmed and in love with my baby!"
A vegetarian since age 13, former backup dancer Dewan Tatum, 33, took a proactive approach to fitness during her pregnancy — a plan that paid off tenfold. "The second I found out I was pregnant, I called [my trainer] Jen Johnson," she tells Us. "We found areas we wanted to target: arms and legs. I wanted to keep the muscles alive. Plus, I felt so much better. Working out kept me sane. I would feel a burst of energy and all my hormones would regulate."
In addition to focusing on fitness, Dewan Tatum — who tells Us her pregnancy pounds "melted off slowly" — fine-tuned her diet for her sake, and Everly's. "I think a lot of women find out they're pregnant and are like, 'Let's go crazy and eat ice cream every day!' To me, it was, 'I'm growing a human being, and I want to give this little soul the best nutrition I can," admits the star, who continues her healthy eating regimen post-pregnancy by nosing on oatmeal, green salads with chopped-up veggie burger and even enchiladas to sate her Mexican-food craving.
As Everly grows, Dewan Tatum is forced to fit in exercise when — and where — she can. One busy mom tip the actress swears by? Bedtime for baby is mommy's me-time. "When I'm rocking Everly to sleep, I do lunges across the nursery, squats or calf raises," says the star, who also manages to fit four 90-minute sweat sessions with Johnson into her weekly schedule. "Suddenly 45 minutes have gone by, she's asleep and I got a little workout!"
Of course, it helps that little Everly is tuckered out thanks to playtime with her actor dad. "He's like a big kid. He plays with her, and she laughs harder and smiles bigger than she does with anyone," the proud mom gushes. "Dad comes around and it's playtime. She's like, 'Mom, I'll talk to you later!'"
