The 10 Ways Jennifer Aniston Makes 50 Look Amazing
While many of us would love to think that Hollywood A-listers like Jennifer Aniston have it easy and can achieve their dream bod with little to no effort, that is simply untrue. Sure, the celebs we see on the big screen have private chefs, shoppers, and personal trainers at their disposal, but weight loss (and weight management) requires the same essential lifestyle hacks the rest of us must implement in order to see results.
Aniston achieves her trim tummy by doing the nitty-gritty: following a diet and exercise routine that works for her. Luckily for us, she's been vocal about how she gets in tip-top shape—and stays there. From her go-to workout routine to her favorite breakfast, below you'll find the actress' secrets to keeping fit and eating healthy.
She shakes up her cardio routine.
If the mere thought of cardio makes you cringe, you shouldn't force yourself to an hour on the treadmill. While cardio can keep your heart healthy, you should also experiment with different forms to keep your spirits high. After all, what's a workout without the endorphin rush? Whatever you do, make sure you aim to constantly move throughout the day. "I work out almost every day," Aniston told InStyle magazine in their March 2012 issue. "I do 40 minutes of cardio: Spinning, running, the elliptical, or a combination of all three."
She does HIIT workouts, too.
HIIT, or high-intensity interval training, has been shown to increase weight loss without increasing your time spent at the gym, and Aniston has totally adopted the trend. "I still love yoga and cardio, but these days it's been interval training. I think muscle confusion and switching it up is important," she told SHAPE. "I work out at Rise Nation [a 30-minute total-body climbing workout] and with my trainer [Rise Nation founder] Jason who just has me carrying really heavy ropes around and throwing medicine balls against walls and stuff. I'd never really done anything like that before, but I love it." In addition to keeping her body challenged with a boot camp-like training routine, Aniston also enjoys Pilates and resistance circuits.
She doesn't let travel derail her workout.
Don't let all-day beachside hangouts and the resort's all-inclusive swim-up bar deter you from sticking to your slim-down plan. Consistency is key when it comes to weight loss, which means that vacations pose no excuse to leave your running sneakers at home. Aniston revealed to InStyle, "I take 8-pound weights with me whenever I'm staying in a hotel." Can't find the time to fit in a workout between sightseeing and booking excursions? Aniston suggests doing arm exercises using dumbbells when watching TV.
She indulges…in moderation.
"I also indulge when I want to," Aniston has said, as reported by Women's Health. "I don't starve myself in an extremist way. My advice: Just stop eating junk every day!" Instead of loading up on snickerdoodle cookies and chocolate-coated candies, try reaching for better-for-you swaps such as a square or two of 70-percent dark chocolate or strawberries dipped into our #1 best peanut butter.
Aniston also told Bon Appétit that she feels powerless around "tortilla chips. Homemade, really good, fluffy-crispy tortilla chips." She is not afraid to splurge on carb-heavy Mexican food every once, and a while and neither should you!
She drinks lemon water in the morning.
Instead of immediately heading to the pantry for a bag of granola, Aniston revs her metabolism with a soothing drink: warm lemon water.
"Usually when I wake up, I'll make my standard cup of hot water with a slice of lemon in there," she told Well+Good.
One study including middle-aged and older adults found that those who drank 500 milliliters (about 2 cups) of water 30 minutes before each meal for 12 weeks lost 44 percent more weight than those who didn't drink water prior to a meal.
In addition, there are specific compounds in lemon have been found to demonstrate both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities in the body. One is even believed to treat chronic ailments such as obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and even hypertension.
Aniston sets herself up for maximum calorie burn by adding lemon into her water before breakfast.
She makes protein-rich shakes for breakfast.
When it is time for breakfast, Aniston says she usually wakes up to a protein-rich shake.
"I make a quick shake with protein powder, spinach, maca powder, berries, and vitamin C powder I put in there that's pretty good. I'm not a big breakfast person, but I made myself become a breakfast person," she told SHAPE.
Aniston also revealed another one of her go-to morning shakes with Well+Good.
"Usually I'll have a shake, with some sort of pure protein, then bananas, blueberries, frozen cherries, stevia, a vegetable mix of dynamic greens that goes in there, maca powder, and a little cacao," she said.
There's truly no added sugar in this celeb's morning shakes!
She follows The Zone Diet.
The Zone Diet was created by biochemist Dr. Barry Sears as a way for people to reduce inflammation in the body through diet alone. Essentially the diet calls for careful monitoring of which kinds of foods you pile onto your plate. It restricts grains and starches, and instead requires an increase in fruits and vegetables. Your plate should comprise 1/3 lean protein, 2/3 carbs, and a dash of healthy fat. In a day, you should strive to get a relatively equal split of the macronutrients: 30 percent protein, 40 percent carbs, and 30 percent fat. On this diet, women only get about 1,200 calories a day and men get roughly 1,500. Aniston, as well as other fit celebs including Sarah Jessica Parker and Sandra Bullock, have all reportedly tried the diet and were pleased with the results.
She makes her margaritas skinny.
Aniston recently revealed her low-sugar margarita recipe to InStyle.
"It's basically silver tequila with lime juice shaken and over rocks. And some people like a little Cointreau, some don't. It's a cleaner margarita. No sugar, no mixes, no agave. I don't like sweet drinks," she said.
Just imagine how many calories and carbs you would save by making this margarita instead of ordering a sugar-laden restaurant cocktail?
She drinks a lot of water.
According to SHAPE, the former Friends star drinks 100 ounces of Smartwater every single day. Jennifer Lopez, who is about the same age as Aniston and also in incredible shape, has also said she herself drinks a lot of water. Water is pivotal for proper digestion, which can ultimately prevent you from becoming bloated.
She kicked fad diets to the curb.
It's no news that fad diets are not a sustainable way to keep weight off. In 2016, when Aniston was asked by Yahoo Food if she had any former stints with fad diets, she said: "Sure, the Grapefruit Diet. I think there was a watermelon one, and if you just think about it for two seconds, if anyone just lives on watermelon, you're going to lose weight," she said, "I did do Nutri-System, like, 20 years ago, that actually worked. It just happens to be astronaut food, but it still worked."
At 50, the actress no longer gives herself rules anymore and, instead, eats wholesome foods and exercises regularly.
