Jenna Bush Hager has opened up about her six-month physical transformation, revealing she has been working out with a personal trainer at the ‘crack of dawn.’
The Today star, 40, was talking about new year’s resolutions on the morning show earlier this week when her fourth-hour co-host Hoda Kotb, 57, commended her on her appearance, saying viewers have been writing in about how great she looks.
‘Can I tell you something that I’ve noticed and our viewers have noticed over the past few weeks?’ Kotb said. ‘People have noticed that there’s like a transformation that’s been happening with you. You are — they are just saying, “Jen is looking amazing. She’s never looked this good.”‘
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Jenna Bush Hager, 40, detailed her new workout regimen on the Today show this week after her co-host Hoda Kotb noted viewers have been saying she’s ‘looking amazing’
Bush Hager said she has ‘figured out what works’ for her, noting that her transformation has taken ‘almost six months.’ She is pictured in August 2021 (left) and December 2021 (right)
‘That’s so sweet,’ Bush Hager replied, but Kotb wasn’t done gushing.
‘Something is happening,’ she insisted. ‘I think for someone like you and me who constantly is berating and belittling, I think one of the things we should do in January is celebrate when something good happens. Celebrate it!’
Bush Hager, who welcomed her third child, Hal, in 2019, explained that getting back in shape has been a process for her.
‘I will say I think I have figured out what works for me,’ she said. ‘And I think the hard thing is I think we expect things to happen overnight. This has actually been almost six months.’
The Today host shared that she has been working out with a personal trainer at the ‘crack of dawn’ before heading to the show. She is pictured in April 2021 (left) and January 2022 (right)
Bush Hager showed off her figure while dressing up as a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader for the Today show’s Halloween special in October
The mother of three credited her toned physique to her grueling early-morning workouts with her personal trainer.
‘The difference is I wake up before the show and work out — and really work out. I work out with an awesome woman named Amanda. Donna joins me sometimes,’ she said of Today contributor Donna Farizan.
‘Donna is a great inspiration,’ she added. ‘She gets up at the crack of dawn and meets me. And another friend of mine comes.’
While Bush Hager is feeling good, she admitted that it’s been a process. She encouraged others who are struggling with their weight to be kind to themselves.
Bush Hager shared that Today contributor Donna Farizan (center) has been joining her early morning workouts, saying she is a ‘great inspiration’
Bush Hager and Kotb braved the cold to do a grueling open rooftop workout in below-freezing weather last February
‘Here’s the other thing — anybody that’s either gained weight during the pandemic or had babies and gained weight, it just takes time, and you have to give yourself that grace. Because my body isn’t 18 anymore,’ she said.
Bush Hager also shares two daughters — Mila, eight, and Poppy, six — with her husband Henry Hager.
It was her mother, former First Lady Laura Bush, who reminded her that it takes her about two years to get back in shape post-baby.
‘She said, “Of course, you look like that now. Hal’s two and a half. It’s right about time. Give yourself that grace,”‘ she recalled.
In 2019, the Today hosts each stepped on the scale on the morning show. Bush Hager, who was 37 and three months postpartum, weighed 171.6 pounds while Kotb clocked in at 157.6 pounds
Bush Hager and her husband Henry Hager have three kids: Mila, eight, Poppy, six, and Hal, two. It was her mom, Laura Bush, who reminded her it takes two years to get in shape postpartum
‘I had three babies, so it’s going to look this way,’ she added. ‘Maybe just allow yourself the time.’
Back in 2019, the Today hosts each stepped on the scale on the morning show.
Bush Hager, who was 37 and three months postpartum, weighed 171.6 pounds while Kotb clocked in at 157.6 pounds.
Neither of them was happy about their weight at the time, but Bush Hager pointed out on the morning show this week that they have learned to embrace where they are at.
‘I think both of us, even though we’re not the thinnest, we’ve gotten used to “this is us,”‘ she told Kotb, who agreed.