Kerry Washington is not concerned about getting her body back to the state it was in before she had her daughter.
She told Self magazine that she certainly wants to be healthy and feel good, but she's aware that her body is the site of a baby-making miracle, and she's honoring all of the new changes that have come along with that experience.
"A few weeks ago, my manager asked: 'Do you feel like you're back? I feel like you're back,' " Washington said. "She meant it as a total compliment, but we had this great conversation where I was like, 'You know what? I try really hard not to use that language, because it's not about going backward in life.' ”
She explained how she doesn't want to undo what brought her daughter into the world, so she's conscious about the language she uses to describe her workout regimen.
"I've been really focused on not being 'back' to anything, but being the best version of myself right now," she said. "My body is the site of a miracle now. I don't want to be premiracle,” Washington explained.
Exercising is about taking care of the vessel that she uses to live, mother and love.
"I have to take care of myself in order to live life the way I want to," Washington said. "It's important to have rest days. But in the long run, if I don't work out for, like, three days, I feel worse, not better."
Kudos to Washington for encouraging people to tweak the way that mothers talk about post-baby life.
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Diana Ozemebhoya Eromosele is a staff writer at The Root and the founder and executive producer of Lectures to Beats, a Web series that features video interviews with scarily insightful people. Follow Lectures to Beats on Facebook and Twitter.