Bright-smiling brunette Mariska Hargitay shines on the cover of Self's November issue, and the Law & Order: SVU actress reveals her source of joy and inspiration inside the magazine. We recognized her as a standout on the Emmy red carpet just a couple months ago, and while all eyes are often on the beautiful actress, she told Self that her motivation for working hard is to be the best mom possible for her son, August.

Mariska admits that she fell out of her exercise routine during the show's previous season, but was committed to getting back on her game off-season. She said, "I want to be a fun mom, not a gasping-for-air mom."

To find out her trick for looking and feeling 10 years younger, read more.

The 44-year-old working mom explained, "You know how you wake up in the morning and sometimes you look gorgeous and sometimes you look like you got hit by a Mack truck? I've realized my Mack truck is food. If I don't have sugar, yeast, and wine, I have no undereye bags and my skin is perfect!" Mariska added, "I'm not going to give up wine for life. Everything in moderation. 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?" Her son isn't the only one who can benefit from her healthy attitude — we all could take some notes from this well-rounded role model.

Visit Self to check out Mariska's versatile, 24-song workout playlist.