'Dancing With The Stars' Jenna Johnson Doesn't Run to Stay In Shape — She Walks
Dancing With the Stars pro Jenna Johnson-Chmerkovskiy has been absolutely crushing it on the ballroom competition show for more than five years — she earned a coveted Mirrorball trophy after just two seasons as a pro, after all. And although Johnson surely gets a cardio fix from her daily four hour rehearsals with her current celebrity partner, Queer Eye star Karamo Brown, the 25-year-old dancer says she still loves to hit the gym throughout the DWTS season to keep in tune with her body.
"Going to the gym is really important to me during the season, and not so much so ‘Oh I need to get my cardio in,’ but more of just a mental check and awareness of my body," Johnson told Woman's Day.
Because of her demanding schedule on DWTS — there are rehearsals, costume fittings, and camera blocking sessions — Johnson says she likes to keep things lighter at the gym, but still makes sure to get her heart rate up and her endorphins flowing. The gym is her "happy place," she says, and it helps her stay focused throughout the week.
When asked what her go-to exercise at the gym is, Johnson says, with a laugh, that she usually opts to set the treadmill on a high incline and go for a nice long walk.
"I laugh because when I was going out I would see those ladies that would, like, speedily be walking down the street with their arms swinging wide and I would always make fun of them, and now that is totally me at the gym," she said. "It’s great because it’s low impact so it’s not hurting your knees like running will. It’s just great and I get to turn on a show that I want to get caught up on an I just watch it and it’s the best!"
While walking on a treadmill may seem easy, the dancer says that it's an amazing total body workout.
"It engages your whole body because you’re on that incline," she said. "It engages your glutes, your legs, as well as your abs, so I love it."
The Utah-native has also shared some of her favorite full-body toning exercises on her Instagram page, which includes plenty of bicep curls, crunches, and squats to keep her strong throughout the competition.
A post shared by Jenna Johnson Chmerkovskiy (@jennajohnson) on Aug 10, 2019 at 10:51am PDT
Johnson added that, in addition to keeping up with the gym, she makes sure to take plenty of vitamins and probiotics, and gets a good night's rest, to keep her body as healthy as possible.
"I tend to get really sick during the season because my body’s just exhausted, and I’m constantly sweating and working," she said. "I’m the type of person that cannot survive if I have a lack of sleep. I just turn into an angry monster so I have to be pretty consistent about getting a good night’s rest and, you know, even if that means saying no to a dinner date or going out somewhere."
You can watch Jenna performing on Dancing With the Stars Mondays at 8 p.m. on ABC.
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