Exclusive

Jenna Johnson, Dancing With the Stars Pros Share Their Behind-the-Scenes Health and Fitness Secrets

Exclusive! In this week's blog, Jenna reveals her workout routine and gets the scoop on snacks

By Jenna Johnson Oct 23, 2017 6:19 PMTags

Dancing With the Stars professional dancer Jenna Johnson, now part of the dance troupe on the ABC series, is taking you behind the scenes of season 25.

How magical was Disney Night last week?! I didn't want it to end. In an industry where you are forced to be a bit more mature than most, it was nice to be a kid again and, of course, to feel like a princess. I especially loved the opening number that I was in because even though we were dancing to the iconic "It's A Small World," the contemporary version of the song we used had a very serious message behind it that is worth repeating:
 
"It's a world of laughter,
A world of tears.
It's a world of hopes,
And a world of fears.
There's so much that we share,
That it's time we're aware,
It's a small world after all."

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I think this was a great moment for DWTS to use our platform to try to unite our world just a bit more, even if it's through song and dance (and Disney!). Bringing smiles to people's faces makes it all worth it to all of us at the end of the day.
 
So how do we keep up with the physical demands of DWTS in order to keep you all smiling? Lots of people wonder what us dancers on DWTS do to stay fit and healthy. We have been asked many times what we eat, what our workouts consist of and if we have any tips (spoiler: we ALWAYS have tips!). I wanted to ask the professionals specifically what they snack on during a long day of rehearsals and if they have any dietary restrictions or regimens, check out the video above!

To be completely honest with you, during the season we are constantly on our feet. Going from one rehearsal to another, to camera blocking, to fittings, to extra rehearsals…And then Monday hits us and that's another crazy long day of dancing. We burn a lot of calories just by dancing so much but outside of that, some of us do proper gym workouts and some of us don't.

 

I personally have to go to the gym for a solid workout in addition to my dancing days, and not because I think I need extra exercise, but because I know my body and it's become an important part of my daily routine. Working out early in the morning is a form of meditation for me. It's practically the only hour to myself and I get to shut off and just sweat it all out. Typically, my cardio consists of an inclined walk and run on the treadmill for 40 minutes. After that I'll do three sets of 20 push-ups, 100 crunches, and then I'm off to rehearsal. It's quickly become my happy place and keeps not only my body healthy but my mind too!

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I am also pretty conscious of what I eat. I'm am definitely NOT perfect with my nutrition, but I strive to be aware of what I put in my body. I try to stick to REAL food, meaning anything that has been grown naturally or organically and that is not majorly processed: meats and proteins, a lot of green vegetables, less sugary fruits, solid starches and nuts. I must admit though, any time I am within a 50-mile radius of chocolate I am the first one to grab a piece and eat it! It's really one of the true joys in life, chocolate. Plus it sometimes can be pretty hard to find healthy snack while on set because we are spoiled with the most amazing treats. I usually cave, but I challenge myself on a daily basis to always eat all of those four food groups I listed above throughout my day.

So, get excited because tonight is Movie Night! We've got drama, animation, sci-fi, hockey and much more. It's going to be a really fun night and I hope everyone has even more fun watching. Make sure to vote for your favorite couples this week.
 
And I'll see you next week for Halloween Night… rest assured we have some scares in store!

Dancing With the Stars airs Mondays, 8 p.m. on ABC.