Lauren Graham has a way of making you feel like you need to be friends with her TV characters–she did it on Gilmore Girls, and she’s done it again on Parenthood. Fortunately, she inspires that same feeling in real life.

Our October cover girl showed up to our Los Angeles shoot in a jean skirt and flowing peasant top, looking so comfortable that we decided to shoot her in denim for a couple different cover options. The star, who accepted SELF’s challenge to tone up with trainer Michelle Lovitt for our cover story, was very proud of her newly svelte figure and worked closely with fashion director Evyan Metzner to pick outfits that showed off her body. She had no problem baring a little skin in oversized sweaters, button down shirts and little else.

“I could have just given up coffee, but no, I gave myself this fitness challenge while on vacation on my family, my boyfriend’s family, while in New York City, and I really found out a lot about what it’s like to try and achieve a goal,” Graham said. “One thing I really learned about was the power of other people and when you start looking for inspiration, just saying that can bring it into your life. You can’t do it alone.”

Graham also dished on what’s coming up for her character on Parenthood: “We’ve jumped forward in time about six months, so a lot of changes have happened. Some important people are coming back into Sarah’s life and she might finally get a personal life, which I think is important to people. It will be a year of personal growth for her.”

Go behind the scenes at Graham’s cover shoot:

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