We all fall into workout ruts sometimes, but Jenna Bush Hager had some powerful motivation to get out of hers last year when she learned that she'd be dressing up as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader for TODAY's 2021 Halloween special.
“I have to tell you, when your boss says you’re gonna be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader -- and I grew up in Dallas -- guess what? You try to get fit,” she told ET in an exclusive interview this week.
The TODAY with Hoda & Jenna co-host spoke about the moment that inspired her to reboot her workout routine and revealed that she fell in love with dance workouts while preparing for her role as a cheerleader alongside TODAY's Savannah Guthrie.
The dynamic duo even got the chance to practice with the football team's real cheerleaders, and Jenna said she has been inspired to keep up with the workouts ever since.
“I’m continuing,” she said. “It was time. I had three kids. My youngest is two. It’s just sort of the progression of getting back into fighting shape.”
Having friends to keep you accountable while you’re embarking on a new fitness regimen is always helpful, and Jenna said she has enlisted her pals to break a sweat with her.
“I have friends who meet me a couple of days a week in my building and I work out with this incredible woman who was a (New York) Knicks dancer,” she said. “So, yes. There is dancing. There (are) ab workouts, which frankly (I) did not have an ab before we started doing it, but I found one little ab down in there.”
As part of her renewed interest in fitness, Jenna also tries to eat healthy but she also saves room for her favorite indulgences: chips and salsa, queso and margaritas. And when she and Hoda Kotb visit New Orleans next week for a book festival, Jenna is psyched to enjoy plenty of good food.
"We get to do the thing we love together, which is eat and drink,” she said.
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