Keke Palmer Talks Post-Baby Body, Says New Moms Should Do 'Whatever Makes You Feel Good' (Exclusive)

"The main thing I've learned through my experience is do what makes me feel happy," Palmer tells PEOPLE exclusively

After welcoming her first baby, son Leodis "Leo" Andrellton, with boyfriend Darius Jackson in February, Keke Palmer is learning to listen to her body.

Speaking to PEOPLE for the Pretty in Pink portfolio in this week's Beautiful Issue, the actress and singer shared some words of wisdom for new moms who are coping with the pressure to "bounce back" as it pertains to weight.

"There's always this thing of, 'How'd they do it?' And I think for me, the main thing I would say to any new mom is do what you can when you can, whatever it is that makes you feel good," Palmer, 29, tells PEOPLE exclusively.

"If it's important to you, then hell yeah put in the work miss girl. Get you whatever diet you want to do or whatever workout regimen that works for you. And if that's not what you're worried about, then don't worry about it," she continues, adding that the most important thing is that each individual does what they deem necessary to "feel good."

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Related:Keke Palmer Shares Sweet Easter Photos with Her 6-Week-Old Baby Leo: 'Blessings to All'

In her experience, Palmer says that in the first couple of weeks of motherhood, "I didn't want to do nothing. I didn't want to talk to nobody. Then I was like, 'I need to talk to somebody. I need to do something.' Then I was like, 'Now I want to get active.' It changes, so go at your own pace."

The Nope actress is also urging new moms to "keep it real" and not "get caught in the hype of it all."

"Anytime you see a celebrity doing a snap back or whatever like that, it's part of the damn gig," she says. "A part of our jobs is to look good and to look the part. So don't think it's this thing where it's like, 'We doing it because we got it like that.' No, the job is on the line. If we want the checks to get signed, we got to be what we got to be."

She also opened up about her own health journey and remains utterly relatable as she details how she satisfies her needs.

"I've gone on my own personal journey with how I feel about my physical appearance. And I think the main thing I've learned through my experience is to do what makes me feel happy," Palmer says. "If I feel like I need to hold it back and I need to do a little bit more work, or [if] I want to feel better about myself, I just do it."

Related:Keke Palmer Celebrates Her Post-Pregnancy Body Changes After Baby Son Leo's Birth: 'Get Into It'

She continues, "Other times I'm like, 'Yo, pull up in the drive-through. I want the number five, large.' You know what I mean? I do what I feel when I need to, because sometimes taking it easy, that is what you need."

The new mom is relishing the moment with her son as she gears up for the release of her new album titled Big Boss and an accompanying visual film on KeyTV with the same name.

"The movie and the album follow my journey in the music industry and how I came to own and being proud of being an independent artist and being a lone wolf in a lot of ways," she says. "But in the movie, you start to see that a lot of times we create this lone wolf identity for ourselves, even though we have so much love around us."

She continues, "It's just not always the love or the validation that we are sometimes seeking. And so it's my journey of discovering what it means to validate yourself and what it means to go where the love is, and that you are always going to create the best work from those that already support you. You don't have to convince anyone."

For more from Palmer's exclusive interview, pick up this week's issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

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