Eva Mendes discusses parenting, therapy, and posing on the red carpet

Wow, just wow! Eva Mendes looks fantastic on her first cover since giving birth to daughter Esmeralda in September 2014. For the Women’s Health April Beauty Flip issue, the actress opens up about motherhood, red carpets and how exactly she stays in shape.

Her baby girl with Ryan Gosling is already six months but that doesn’t mean Eva is ready to dish out parenting advice. “I don’t feel like I’ve really earned the right,” she admits to the magazine. “I want to respect all the moms out there. They’re going to be like, ‘You know what? You’re a few months in. Just shut up.”

One thing we bet the moms — and any woman for that matter — would love to hear from her on is the subject of diet and fitness. “I haven’t eaten meat in about six years, because I don’t agree with factory farming here,” the actress who just turned 41 explains. “This is just what worked for me, it’s important to say, but when I cut that out I immediately felt better. And also, after a year of eliminating it, my skin looked brighter and healthier overall.”

To keep in shape she runs, incorporating sprints and lifts light weights. She also adds, “nothing too heavy, because my muscle bulks up pretty easily.” She continues, “I mix it up with yoga, or sometimes I’ll hike with my trainer.”

And just like the majority of women, she learned that this is something she just has to do. “I realized a long time ago that I needed to have some kind of routine,” she says. “I don’t love it, but I’ve made peace with that.”

Something else that she has come to terms with is posing on the red carpet. It is only natural that she is a hot commodity on any red carpet she hits. Every which way, photographers call out her name making her a bit uneasy. “I find [it] incredibly embarrassing. You’re just, like, modeling in front of people,” The Place Beyond the Pines star states. “I’ll see pictures later and I’m like, ‘Oh, there’s my detached look, or ‘There’s my cute, approachable look.’ And then I have this crazy eyebrow. I just want to get it over with as fast as possible.”

Eva does find solace in her close group of girlfriends and family. “I’ve had the same girlfriends since I was 12, and I’ve made amazing girlfriends since,” she notes. “And my mom and my two older sisters have always been there telling me I could accomplish anything. We have each others’ backs in the best way.”

One other person who has her back is her therapist. “Having [a therapist] who’s totally objective and who points out my patterns — I find that really helpful,” she mentions. “And I’m lucky to work with someone who doesn’t just sit there and nod her head, you know? I need to hear what you think! Tell me what’s wrong with me so I can fix it!”

Well, we don’t think anything!