Alessandra Ambrosio on Fitness as a Mom: "I Think I Have a Better Body Now"

Updated on April 9, 2016 at 11:00 AM

Alessandra Ambrosio is front and center on the new issue of Net-a-Porter's digital magazine The Edit. In the accompanying photo shoot, lensed by David Bellemere, Alessandra models a range of athleisure looks, all handily available to shop right on Net-a-Porter. Fitness was also the theme of the interview Alessandra did with an editor from the publication. She spoke about dancing, fitness after motherhood — Alessandra has two kids, Anja and Noah — as well as having to push herself to actually work out. Here are highlights from Alessandra's interview:

On fitness after becoming a mom: "Your body will never go back to exactly what it was before pregnancy, whatever people tell you. It can't. But I think I have a better body now than before I had kids. It's partly because I work out, whereas before I didn't, but also to do with the shape — it just looks more formed now and I feel better about it than I did. Not that it was easy getting back into shape post-pregnancy: after having Anja I only had three months to lose all the weight [before doing the 2008 Victoria's Secret show] and I was on this 1200-calorie-a-day meal-delivery service that I hated. I couldn't do that again."
On her love of dancing: "It's so stressful before the Victoria's Secret show. There's so much pressure on us all — not just in terms of shape — and the energy gets sucked out of you, so my favorite thing to do afterwards is dance all night long. Yes, we'll have a pizza party and drink, but I don't even care that much about the food. It's about being young, normal and carefree again."
On pushing herself to work out: "It wasn't until I did my first Victoria's Secret show that I started exercising. Even when I got pregnant with my daughter and moved to California, I couldn't understand this lifestyle my fiancé [businessman Jamie Mazur] had. For him, exercise was physical and mental at the same time; going to the gym was his friend, whereas it had always been an enemy for me. Now that it's a healthy, normal part of my daily routine, my kids will grow up seeing it in the same way, and I love that."

In a 3.1 Phillip Lim jacket, Prism swimsuit, and Illesteva sunglasses.

Wearing a Loewe jacket, La Perla bra, Koza shorts, and Nikes. With Frends headphones.

Wearing an Alexander Wang top and Alexander Wang bra.

On the cover of The Edit.