Age is just a number to Jennifer Aniston, the global icon best known for her role as Rachel Green on Friends. Over the years, she has stacked up numerous awards, including the Golden Globe, Primetime Emmy and Screen Actors Guild, as a consequence of being one of the greatest talents of her generation.
But Aniston is not just a renowned actress, she is also a prime example of how even a global famous star can maintain a healthy, balanced and happy life, in all aspects, away from the Hollywood spotlight. With her dedication to a balanced diet, consistent exercise and self-care, she is a good model to inspire us to not be involved in a chaotic routine, and the importance of always keeping a balance between professional and personal life.
eating with purpose
When the topic is what to eat, Aniston tells that her daily diet contains a high protein quantity, plenty of water, vegetables and salads, keeping it the most healthy possible during the week.
By Saturday or Sunday, she allows herself to have a “cheat day” to indulge in her favorites, without feeling guilty, and eat Mexican food, pizza, pasta and all that stuff that might not be the richest in nutrients, but still delicious and gives everyone a dose of serotonin that is highly needed. She is a firm believer that balance is the key point in life.
mental health needs attention too!
Alongside having good nutrition, the star reinforces how essential taking care of mental health is to maintain an overall wellness. She believes it can be done by limiting screen time and being alert of what type of content is being consumed, highlighting that we are not made to stay all day receiving endless information.
“Put your phone down and get outside. Surround yourself with friends and connect with people”, Aniston states to People.
Despite facing challenges with self-love early in her career, Aniston mentioned that her perspective has evolved over time.
“Of course, we’re all going to grow older, but how can we thrive as we grow older? And that is about giving your body the attention that it deserves.”
She went on to say: “For me personally, I loved my 30s, but my 20s were nothing. I was a nightmare. I didn’t understand working out until my 30s and 40s.” The actress has “all you can do is the best you can” as her mantra.
physical activity is essencial to wellness
Another important pillar for keeping her body healthy is physical activity. She self-described as a morning person for exercising. Aniston admits she is not the type of person that will come home from an exhausting whole work day and go to the gym — this would be the last thing she would want to do at night, even if she admires who keeps this routine.
Since partnering with Pvolve in 2023, Jennifer says that she “absolutely loves” it. Pvolve is an exercise program that combines functional movements with resistance equipment to tone, strengthen and rejuvenate the body through both on-demand streaming and in-person classes.
The fitness company, along with Aniston and her Pvolve trainer, Dani Coleman, created a monthly workout calendar based on her own training routine. They also launched “Jen’s Spring Challenge”, which ran from May 13 to June 9, encouraging members to complete 12 classes during that time.
“It’s very accessible, and it’s not intimidating to people”, Aniston explains to People of Pvolve’s workouts. “It is a workout I haven’t ever really tried before, and it is so doable”.
The actress is really focused on her fitness goals as it has an important place in her career and personal life — she tries to workout three or four times each week, at least.
Currently, her priority has turned into strength training, yoga, hiking, developing posture, muscle endurance, flexibility and body awareness. She emphasizes the importance of strength training for women in their 50s.
“If you lose muscle, your bones get brittle — osteoporosis. We fall down, we break a hip and that’s a wrap.”
For those lazy days, when exercising seems to be a struggling activity, Aniston tries to stay focused on the plan and ignore the missing motivation. Her trick is simple but effective: “I say, ‘Just go. Do five minutes. Just move for at least five minutes”, she highlighted in an interview.
“Then you find if you’ve gotten through the first 10 minutes of anything, you can probably do another 10 and then another 10, and then you just keep going.”
The 80/20 Rule: a refusal of deprivation
The 56 years old actress follows a wellness and health rule called the 80/20 rule. “Eighty percent healthy living and then 20 percent is: go have a martini, go have your pizza and burgers and stay up late with your friends”, she stated in an interview for Page Six.
This rule keeps the idea of having a strict healthy lifestyle 80% of the time, focused mainly on nutrition, and being more flexible for the remaining 20%, allowing yourself to have whatever food you desire. The purpose is keeping the fun — giving yourself little pleasure moments, while also eating healthy, consciously and equilibrated.
By following this method — long-term healthy eating without completely depriving yourself of the foods you enjoy — consistency is encouraged.
Eating the minimal quantity of whole processed food is the essence of this project. “I do 80/20. I gave myself days where I can have whatever I want. I don’t deprive myself”, she shares during an interview with Allure.
You’ve got to live your life. No restrictions — except hard drugs.
Overcoming sleep struggles
Even with this “perfect” routine, Jennifer reveals that she still struggles with sleeping well and the right healthy quantity hours, needing to improve it.
“I’ve been trying hard to put myself in bed during the week at 10 p.m., turn everything off and then just sit there and let the world come crashing in”, she explains. “I’ve been trying to meet that challenge for myself. Some days you’re great and on point, and some days you’re just not”.
Although with this gap, Aniston is kind to herself, being “a big believer in trying not to be hard on yourself”.
The world is so mean right now and so aggressive and negative. So why would we do it to ourselves?
Finding balance is the key!
Aninston’s approach to health and wellness is a reminder that, even with the chaos of fame, balance is achievable with effort, dedication and a bigger purpose. She proves that it is possible to stay grounded and live a fulfilling life — prioritizing physical health, mental well-being and self-care, without sacrificing joy or indulgences.
Her journey proves that we don’t need to deprive ourselves to lead healthy lives, and self-compassion is just as important as the routines we follow. In the end, by her practices, she inspires us all to find our own path to wellness, reinforcing that balance is key and perfection is not the goal.
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The article above was edited by Luna Bahdur.
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