Jennifer Aniston looks amazing. Not just amazing for 52, but amazing full stop.
There would be women in their 20s who would kill for her abs. She’s never made a secret of the fact that she works out – hard. It takes dedication and motivation to look like that.
While Aniston won us over as ditzy Rachel in Friends, the reason we love Jen is that she’s real. Unlike other celebrities that gloss over why they look so good in their 50s, she lays it out for us.
So since she knows what she’s doing, it would be rude of us not to pay attention. Here’s a round-up of what it takes to look and feel as good as our favourite Friend.
Keep your body guessing
Doing the same thing every day is going to bore you, and it’ll eventually also bore your muscles. Aniston told People that she varies her routine. Typically, that could mean doing a spin-yoga class three days a week and then weight training or cardio at home.
“It’s basically just using my own body weight,” Aniston said.
“I usually do a trifecta. Fifteen minutes on the bike, 15 on the treadmill running and then 15 on the elliptical. You have to shake it up, you know, muscle confusion.”
Her current trainer, Leyon Azubuike, co-owner of Gloveworx, told Women’s Health: “We rotate these things so it’s always hard, she’s consistently being challenged—I’m a big fan of switching things up, so the body reacts in a positive way and changes.”
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Boxing is her new BFF workout
“It’s the longest workout I’ve actually stayed with consistently other than yoga. There’s something about the mental aspect of boxing — the drills, your brain has to work, you’re not just sitting on a bike. It’s amazing,” she told InStyle of working with Azubuike.
“Boxing is a great way to get aggression out. You get a mental release of all this crap you’re taking into your ears and eyes every day and have little fantasy moments imagining who you’re punching.”
She is a fiend for planks
According to Azubuike, Aniston is all about core work. This explains those amazing abs.
“She can hold a two- or three-minute plank rather easily,” he told Women’s Health, so to make sure that she really is working hard, he challenges her with plank flows. From a regular plank she moves to a side plank then flows to a plank with shoulder taps.
She does more than just sit-ups
“We do a lot of things that stretch the core, so we’ll do things where she’s hanging on a pullup bar, then she pulls her knees up and brings them back down,” Azubuike said.
“We’ll use a sit-up to shock the body occasionally, but it’s not a major part of our core regimen,” he said, preferring to do V-ups and use an ab wheel to create that firm midsection.
Resistance bands are the way to go
“We box, we jump rope, we do strength training, we do a lot of work with resistance bands—we’re big on resistance bands,” Azubuike said.
Ditch food ‘rules’
“My general philosophy is to eat healthy. It’s pretty clear: eat as many organic fruits and veggies as you can, keep sugar [intake] low, drink tons and tons of water, and get good sleep,” Aniston told Yahoo!Food.
“I allow myself to indulge once in a while. I’m good at keeping my starches to a minimum. I don’t like ‘white’ foods, and I’ll always cut back on some breads if I’m trying to slim down for something special. But I don’t give myself any rules anymore.”
Intermittent fasting for the win
Aniston told UK magazine Radio Times she is a fan of the 16:8 fasting window.
“I do intermittent fasting, so there’s no food in the morning. I noticed a big difference in going without solid food for 16 hours,” Aniston told Radiotimes.com
Eat good fats
Azubuike encourages Aniston to reach for the good stuff, “I love avocados, coconut oil, salmon, fish oil—anything that’s a good form of fat is great,” he said.
Rest your body
The rumours of twice-daily workouts are just that, Aniston told People.
“Oh, that’s not true. Oh my God, no way! About an hour a day. And I usually take Sundays off.”