THE HABITS THAT KEEP JEN FIT
THE ACTRESS OPENS UP ABOUT THE LITTLE HABITS THAT KEEP HER FIT, HEALTHY AND HAPPIER THAN EVER!
Over the years, Jennifer Aniston has raved about the virtues of everything from barre classes to boxing to keep herself looking fit and fab. But workout trends aside, it’s clear the star’s amazing physique can also be put down to incredible discipline – which was revealed in a recent interview with InStyle when Aniston was asked what she indulges in when she’s stressed. “A chip. Crunch, crunch, crunch,” she divulged – likely much to the annoyance of fans around the world. “I’m good at that. I can have one M&M, one chip. I know, that’s so annoying.”
While it’s obviously hard not to feel irritated at the disciplined actress, Aniston’s hard work shouldn’t be discounted. At 52, she’s made her health and wellness a priority in recent years, despite the demands of a successful Hollywood career. “I was hitting a stage in my life where I wanted to up the health game,” she told WHO’s sister publication People magazine recently. And it certainly shows, having not appeared to have aged a day since she first captured our hearts as Rachel on Friends.
Aniston’s commitment to her health and fitness was put to the test late last year, though. “Back in October my back went out; I’d done a really hard workout, and then one day I tried to get up and couldn’t,” she explained to People. “I literally fell to the floor and ended up having to go get an MRI. Sure enough, I had a 9mm bulging disc, which is really intense. So my whole workout had to change.”
“I was hitting a stage in my life where I wanted to up the health game” —ANISTON
Although she was only able to do Pilates to rehab her injury, Aniston maintained her consistency and dedication – putting in three or four sessions a week to get herself fighting fit again. “I absolutely love [Pilates],” she told InStyle. “But I was missing that kind of sweat when you just go for it.”
Currently ramping things up a little, Aniston is “going back to my 15-15-15, which is a 15-minute spin, elliptical, run”. “Just old school … I can chase myself around a gym,” she explained. “I need some kind of movement, even if it’s just 10 minutes a day on a trampoline.”
When it comes to her diet, Aniston has always been equally as disciplined – sticking to a nutrient-rich, well-balanced diet. She also helps to aid digestion by giving her body a slower start to food in the morning. “I kind of naturally do intermittent fasting, just because I’m not a breakfast person,” she explained to People. “I just like a cup of coffee and my collagen.”
Now in her 50s, collagen has become a staple in the star’s diet and she recently signed on to be the face of Vital Proteins – continuing to share the benefits of adding the supplement to a healthy diet. “I put Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides in my coffee every morning – you can’t taste it,” she shared. “Immediately I saw a difference in my hair, nails, skin, my endurance, my joints. I have a little cooler in my car with a bunch of Strawberry Lemon Vital Collagen Water in there, too.”
The rest of Aniston’s day is full of healthy carbohydrates, protein, leafy greens and bright vegetables, with an emphasis on healthy fats. But the actress says she isn’t as strict as she used to be. “I also started to give myself a break, allowing yourself to have pasta, a sandwich,” she continued. “Everyone’s very afraid of the bread basket, and I’m no longer afraid. As long as it’s all done in moderation.”
It was actually ex-husband Justin Theroux who reintroduced the star to the staple. “He has brought the pasta back into my life,” she divulged to People. “I don’t know whether I should thank him or hate him for that.”
Explaining that carbonara has taken over as her “new favourite go-to-town food”, Aniston says she’s learned to make a healthier version so that it can be a regular in her meal repertoire. “It’s not that bad for you! It’s just an egg, parmesan cheese, and a little pasta water,” she detailed. “And we substitute turkey bacon for real bacon, so, you know.”
The meal is certainly a delicious addition to the star’s diet and her body is thanking her for it! “There’s something my body appreciates about [having carbs], like, ‘Oh, thank you! Why are you depriving me of things I love?’” she joked.
Another indulgence of Aniston’s? “A margarita – clean, no sugar – or a dirty martini,” the star told InStyle of her go-to order, adding that even when drinking she makes sure to limit herself. “I only have two to three drinks, tops, and I don’t do exotic. When someone asks, ‘Would you like a cranberry-coconut-cucumber-spiced or hibiscus whatever?’ No, I would not.”
As for her other wellness habits, the actress makes sure to get some good shuteye every night. “I have this little device just for sleep apps and meditations, and I’ve been trying to go to bed earlier,” she recently shared. “It’s hard. The world shuts down, the phone stops ringing, and that’s when I can have ‘me-time’.
I can watch a show and just sort of putter.”
Slowing down is hard for the busy star, although she recently admitted that last year’s
“Immediately I saw a di erence in my hair, nails, skin …” ANISTON
lockdown in Los Angeles caused her to pause. “There was so much good and so much horror all happening at once,” she said of the pandemic. “For me, the good was a big decompression and an inventory of ‘What’s it all about?’ I like to work and be busy. Being idle is not preferable. It was important for those who were willing to let it be a reset to slowdown, take all of this in, reassess, re-evaluate and excavate. Literally cleaning out crap that we don’t need.”
She’s also become a big fan of meditation, which adds another level of calm to the yoga the star has been doing since her early acting days. “For me, I meditate every day – and sitting quietly, writing,” Aniston told People of connecting with her spiritual side. “That’s enough. And any kind of yoga practice is my meditation. I just have faith in a bigger picture, I guess. And I believe in humanity, even though there’s so much to discourage us from believing in it – but I do.”
While some have attributed her happiness to romance rumours with former co-star David Schwimmer (see breakout on previous page), Aniston explains she’s just perfectly content with how her life is going at this point in time. “I’m in a really peaceful place,” she admitted.
Working on the second season of Morning Wars with Reese Witherspoon and adding a newly rescued Great Pyrenees mix Lord Chesterfield to her brood of four-legged friends, the star is loving life. “I have a job that I love, I have people in my life who are everything to me, and I have beautiful dogs,” she explained. “I’m just a very fortunate and blessed human being.”
Although a future romance isn’t entirely out of the question. “I’m interested in finding a fantastic partner and just living an enjoyable life and having fun with one another,” she added. “That’s all we should hope for.”
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