Jeannie Mai on Married Life and Self-Care Practices
Newlywed Jeannie Mai Jenkins tied the knot with Jeezy at their home in Atlanta on March 27, and now the pair has even more to celebrate.
Other than being able to call herself a wife, The Real co-host has a new role that the couple has been commemorating together.
Jeannie joined Owl's Brew, a female-owned hard tea seltzer brand, as their Chief Brand Officer alongside co-founders and tea experts Jennie Ripps and Maria Littlefield.
"As I've had more years of experience with drinking, the more important it’s become for me to consume quality ingredients," the 41-year-old tells ET exclusively.
"How many more mornings after do I want to waste, regretting the night before because of a raging headache, or having a week of breakouts because of overconsuming toxic sugars? ... I love that Owl's Brew allows me to have a great time, but to also feel even healthier and more energized the next day," she continues.
To do so, Owl’s Brew fresh-brews all of its products using 100% real organic tea and botanicals, steeps them in large kettles, finishes them off with real fruit juice, and in some cases, a splash of real cane sugar is added.
Other than changing her drinking habits, Jeannie has also been focusing on her overall health after catching a rare form of epiglottitis in November 2020, which forced her to exit Dancing With the Stars abruptly.
"I lost so much weight because I couldn’t eat solid foods for about two months, which also left me feeling really weak and frail for longer than I was prepared for. I didn’t love the way that I looked because my body lacked nutrients and I could see my bones through my skin. ... I felt my muscle mass decrease and disappear," Jeannie shares.
While it has taken Jeannie time to start feeling like herself again, she believes it's all about balance when it comes to her diet and workout routine.
"My diet is a combination of eating whatever I want, as long as I’m physically active and also consuming water, fruits and vegetables daily. While I may enjoy a delicious pizza, I’ll also make myself an acai bowl or a power protein smoothie to snack on throughout the day," she explains.
"My job always keeps me moving and my husband just built a gym in our home, so that daily reminder to get a workout in is really convenient and impossible to ignore. I try to get at least an hour of movement in every day and I love anything outdoors including tennis, jump rope, swimming and bike riding," she adds.
To wind down after a busy day, Jeannie enjoys indulging in self-care practices. "I love taking a bath with a book and keeping my phone off, taking myself out on a lunch date, going on long walks, binging my favorite YouTube shows instead of going out for the night, taking naps, and meditating in the morning instead of getting straight out of bed in a rush," she notes.
Regardless of what her week looks like, Jeezy is always by Jeannie's side cheering her on. "We support one another by communicating with each other so that we are aware of our hectic schedules and we give each other the right amount of space and the right amount of quality time, depending on whether work is draining or exciting us at any given time," Jeannie says.
"We have grown incredibly close since getting married. I’m so surprised because I was so in love with Jeezy the day I committed my vows to him, and now I’m even more exponentially in love with him because things have shifted into an even more healing and comfortable space," she shares.
Owl's Brew Boozy Teas are gluten-free and vegan and spiked to 4.8% ABV. The brand is available at Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Total Wine, GoPuff and more.
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