Zoe Saldana Poses Nude in Pre-Pregnancy Photo Shoot

Before her baby bump became visible, Zoe Saldana stripped down to pose for Women’s Health U.K.‘s naked issue. The September 2014 edition of the magazine, which celebrates the launch of its inaugural Body for Life campaign, shows the stunning Guardians of the Galaxy star embracing her sultry side.

Lately, the actress admits, “My body is less toned. I do look in the mirror and see things I don’t want.”

Saldana adds, “My first reaction is I breathe and I think, ‘I’m a woman. I’m 36. My body is changing.'”

Even so, the pregnant actress says she’s “exactly” where she should be. “I do feel beautiful in a way that even when I was working out a whole lot, I sometimes didn’t,” she says. “Because there have been times that I was really slender and I didn’t like that I sometimes looked a little too muscular and flat chested—you’ll never be completely happy, so at the end of the day it’s like, ‘F–k it. Just be happy, regardless.'”

VIDEO: Zoe Saldana dishes on her green body paint in Guardians of the Galaxy

Zoe Saldana, Women's HealthJohn Wright/Women’s Health

While the mom-to-be doesn’t comment on her pregnancy directly, she hints that her biological clock had been ticking. “This past year I’ve had to start letting go. My body dictated it as if saying, ‘Slow the f–k down!'” says the Avatar star, who is expecting twins. “And I struggle with that. I love to be an athlete.”

As she awaits the arrival of their firstborn children, Saldana plans to slow down. “I’ve learnt to listen to myself,” she says, “so whenever I don’t feel like doing anything that starts with ‘I should’ then I don’t.”

PHOTOS: Celebrity baby bumps

Zoe Saldana, Women's Health