Mariska Hargitay Shares Yummy Mummy Body Secrets

She only became a mother two years ago, but already Mariska Hargitay can’t imagine life without her son August. The little boy who she says is “all light” brings the same happiness to his famous mother’s life.

“You look at babies and they’re full of joy. It’s a pure state, a place that can inform every part of your life. What is life without it,” she mused in a recent interview with SELF magazine.

Mariska always looks gorgeous, but she insists it was a desire to keep up with her son – not vanity – that inspired her to shed the baby weight.

“It’s not about being fat or thin. I’m a full-figured woman. It’s about how am I going to keep up my energy,” she explained.

So how does she do it? For the most part she avoids “sugar, yeast, and wine.” The latter is a weakness Mariska calls her “mack truck,” yet she knows she could never “give up wine for life.”

“Everything in moderation,” is Mariska’s philosophy, and it seems to be working for her!

“If I’m supporting myself, I’m supporting my kid. If I’m happy and healthy, I can be a better wife and mom, I can do a better job.”

But diet isn’t the only key to Mariska’s fantastic bod. She also enjoys 30-minute jogs an weekend sessions with a personal trainer while Law & Order: SVU is on hiatus.

She might be 44, but Mariska hasn’t ruled out expanding her family with husband Peter Hermann.

“It’s hard. I think a lot of it is up to God and nature and we’ll see what happens,” said Mariska, adding that she’d “definitely … love to” adopt one day.

I’m sure August would love a little brother or sister too!