Jenna Bush Hager Has Opened Up About Her Weight Loss and Fitness: Quotes About Her Transformation

On Making Changes

Jenna opened up about how her focus on health and wellness has changed over the years.

“I have to be really cognizant of what I put in my body, and I think I realized [in the past] that I wasn’t doing that to the best of my ability,” Jenna told Women’s Health in January 2024. “My kids were eating really healthy, and I was just grabbing whatever I could.”

She revealed one of her biggest tips to staying hydrated throughout the day.

“The key is drinking a ton [of water], right?” the mom of three told the outlet. “During the show, I try to remind myself [to drink water] as often as I can.”

On Body Image

During a January 2023 segment on Today about body image, Jenna candidly revealed that her late grandmother Barbara Bush once told her that she looked “chubby” while wearing a bikini. Years later, the former first lady apologized for making the comment and shared that her own mother, Pauline Pierce, had made similar comments to her as a child. 

“Her mother always thought of her sister as the really beautiful one and would say it. ‘Martha’s the pretty one. You’re the funny one. You’re the smart one,’” she explained. “And so, like late, late at life, she said, ‘When I said those things to you, I was talking to myself.’” 

Jenna’s grandmother died in April 2018 at the age of 92. While she “adored” her, the TV host confessed that Barbara, whom her twin sister is named after, had a “biting personality.” The experience caused Jenna to not wear bikinis and instead opt for one-piece swimsuits for years because she felt like she “wanted to hide.” 

Eventually, her mindset changed, and she decided it was time to let the words go. “After having three kids, three C-sections, [I did it],” the Texas native revealed about wearing bikinis again. She has shown off her bikini body on rare occasions on Instagram since. 

On Her Workout Routine

During an episode of Today, Jenna revealed what her daily workout routine usually looks like. 

“The difference is I wake up before the show and work out — and really work out,” she said. “I work out with an awesome woman named Amanda. Donna [Farizan] joins me sometimes.” 

“Donna is a great inspiration,” the former teacher added of her fellow Today contributor. “She gets up at the crack of dawn and meets me. And another friend of mine comes.”

“I’m obsessed with jumping on mini trampolines or doing dance cardio,” she later told Women’s Health. “But those things are hard to do before work.”

On Giving Herself Time

The blonde beauty encouraged others on a similar fitness journey to not be so hard on themselves. 

“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,” she said on air. “Because my body isn’t 18 anymore.” 

On Embracing Her Body

Back in November 2019, Jenna and Hoda weighed themselves on live television. A week after, they reflected on the experience during a Today segment. 

“I thought I weighed what I weighed at the end of college, and what I realized is since then, I’ve had three babies, I am 20 years older — I’m never going to weigh that again, and that’s OK,” Jenna said on the program. “Life is so much more beautiful because of it.”

On Her Inspirational Halloween Costume

In October 2021, Jenna and Savannah Guthrie dressed up as Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders for the Halloween episode of Today. She explained that wearing the costume was actually a motivator behind her fitness journey. 

“I have to tell you when your boss says you’re going to be a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader — and I grew up in Dallas — guess what? You try to get fit,” the former first daughter told Entertainment Tonight in March 2022.

Jenna and Savannah performed with members of the iconic cheerleading squad, inspiring her to add dancing into her daily workouts. 

“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 continued. “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.”