‘Scandal’ star Kerry Washington lands the September 2015 cover story from Self Magazine. Posing for Bjarne Jonasson, the actress who had her baby girl Isabelle 17 months ago, invites interviewer Molly Knight to join her in a pilates class on the set of ‘Scandal’.

“We are on the Scandal set in Hollywood, standing in a dressing room that has been converted into a small gym for the actress. The space houses a pilates machine, blocks, resistance bands and a smattering of free weights. Washington’s trainer, Julie Turner, arrives, and they begin a quick exchange about the day’s workout; their shorthand has been honed by two to six pilates sessions a week for the past five years.”

Kerry explains in ‘The Secret to Kerry Washington’s Balancing Act’ why she loves pilates, saying that unlike many forms of exercise, pilates allows her to be her true self. ” I cry, I laugh. I get to go: Where is my body today? What do I need today? How can I take care of myself and push myself past my comfort zone? How can I be both loving and challenging?”

Committed to a lifetime of exercise, Washington explains what every smart, aging woman knows: “I have to take care of myself in order to live life the way I want to,” she says. “It’s important to have rest days. But in the long run, if I don’t work out for, like, three days, I feel worse, not better.”