Cobie Smulders on Going Topless for a Magazine Cover: It's About 'Being Happy with Your Body'

Cobie Smulders isn’t afraid to show some skin.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron actress sheds loads of layers in the latest issue of Women’s Health, as she chats candidly about her personal approach to fitness, why she took a break from social media, and developing a healthy body image.

“It was my first topless photo shoot where I wasn’t trying to appear ‘sexy,’ which was interesting,” Smulders, 33, says. “Because it’s a women’s magazine, I feel like being topless is more about being confident and about being happy with your body rather than trying to excite somebody else.”

Smulders – who welcomed her second child with her husband, Saturday Night Live‘s Taran Killam, over the winter – says she doesn’t spend a ton of time to stay in shape, despite her killer post-baby body.

In fact, it was her role as a personal trainer in the upcoming film Results that finally taught her to enjoy fitness.

“Through this film experience I learned a lot and learned really how to work out, take control of your body, to strengthen it and just become stronger and more capable,” the former How I Met Your Mother star says.

Smulders adds that this newfound love for exercise has been crucial in helping her deal with stress – and it’s also made her a SoulCycle fan.

“I know it’s, like, a thing,” she says. “But there’s one really close to my place and I go, and I sweat, and I just pound it for 45 minutes and then I feel great.”

The mom of two also speaks candidly about social media, which she took a break from after deciding it was “a major time suck.”

“I find that you’re not present when you’re attached to those things. You’re always thinking about ‘Oh, that would be a great picture for Instagram,’ or ‘Let’s see what’s going on in these people’s lives,’ and it was just taking up too much of my energy and too much of my time,” she said. “So I took a break.”

Surprise! Cobie Smulders Actually Never Wears Makeup