When it comes to health and fitness, Jennifer Aniston knows what she’s doing.
Just like another famous 52-year-old Jennifer we happen to be fans of—A.K.A. Jennifer Lopez—Aniston works hard to stay strong, lean and full of energy for her long days on set.
And if her appearances at both the 2020 SAG Awards and the 2021 Friends reunion were anything to go by, it’s definitely an approach that’s been working in her favour.
To discover exactly how the Morning Wars actress maintains her health and physique, we’ve rounded up everything Aniston and her personal trainers have said in recent times about her diet and exercise routine.
From her go-to workouts to her ‘guilty’ treats, keep scrolling for all the details.
DIET: Intermittent Fasting
Aniston is one of a number of celebrities who swear by intermittent fasting.
The actress discussed her penchant for the ‘non-diet’ diet—a style of eating that doesn’t restrict what or how much you eat, but rather, when you eat—in a 2019 interview with Radio Times.
In it, she explained that she follows the 16:8 version of the diet, where she consumes her meals during an eight-hour window, while fasting for the remaining 16 hours.
“I do intermittent fasting, so no food in the morning,” she said, according to Insider.
“I noticed a big difference in going without solid food for 16 hours. Fortunately, your sleeping hours are counted as part of the fasting period. You just have to delay breakfast until 10am.”
DIET: Balanced Nutrition With A Focus On Fats
When she does eat, Aniston favours a nutrient-rich, well-balanced diet full of healthy carbohydrates, protein, leafy greens and bright vegetables, with an emphasis on healthy fats, as directed by her trainer Leyon Azubuike.
“I love avocados, coconut oil, salmon, fish oil—anything that’s a good form of fat is great,” he told Women’s Health while discussing the actress’ diet in 2019.
Before she can break her fast to indulge in said healthy fats, Aniston enjoys celery juice followed by a post-workout black coffee to start her mornings, typically around 8:30 or 9:00am.
“Today, I woke up and had a celery juice,” Aniston said. “Then I started to brew some coffee, but I don’t drink coffee that early.”
Of course, it’s not all work and no play. In a 2016 interview with ELLE U.S., Aniston revealed her favourite ‘cheat’ treat when she wants to indulge.
“Pasta has taken over as my new favourite go-to-town food,” she said.
“I’ve learned how to make it,” she continued, detailing her love for pasta carbonara.
“And it’s not that bad for you! It’s just an egg, parmesan cheese, and a little pasta water. And we substitute turkey bacon for real bacon, so, you know.”
EXERCISE: A Varied Workout Routine
According to Azubuike, the Morning Wars star works out up to seven days a week for an hour-and-a-half each session, based on where they are in her “training cycle”.
“Depending on where we are in that cycle dictates the duration and intensity of Jen’s workout,” he told Women’s Health in June 2019.
“If I know Jen isn’t filming anything, it’s a different phase than if I know she has something coming up tomorrow. If she’s going to be walking up to receive an award, I’m not going to destroy her legs in the gym the day before.”
As a result, the actress does a variety of different workouts, Azubuike explained.
“We box, we jump rope, we do strength training, we do a lot of work with resistance bands—we’re big on resistance bands,” he said.
“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.”
The actress has also previously spoken about being a fan of stair climbing workouts.
“For me, changing up my workout routine is key. I always try to surprise my muscles. In Los Angeles, I work out at Rise Nation, which is a fitness climbing cardio class on the stair climber—it’s such a great workout!” she told Well + Good in 2016.
EXCERCISE: Boxing
While Aniston does favour a wide and varied exercise routine, she, like fellow actress Halle Berry, is a big fan of boxing to strengthen her body and calm her mind.
In a 2018 interview, Aniston revealed that she discovered the sport in 2017 and she was particularly enamoured with the “mental aspect” of the workout.
“Last year I discovered boxing, and I love it,” she said.
“I have this trainer named Leyon, who I believe hung the moon. 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.
“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. I’m just grateful it’s not actually the person, even though there’s one person. You know what I mean. It’s all good.”
EXERCISE: Yoga
Much like Spanish star Elsa Pataky, Aniston is a long-time devotee of yoga.
According to Insider, the actress has been practising the mindful art form with her instructor and close friend Mandy Ingber—who also teaches Kate Beckinsale, Emilia Clarke and Jennifer Lawrence—since 2005.
In a 2014 interview with ABC News, Ingber revealed that Aniston loves to add a cardio component to her yoga practice if she’s looking to lose weight.
“We up the cardio a little bit, if she’s looking to sort of trim down,” she said.
“So we add a little more cardio to the yoga, but also what she puts into her body is essential. That really is 80 percent of it… it’s not a big deal if you have a bite of this or that if you are mostly eating well.”
In 2017, Ingber provided further insight into Aniston’s yoga practice while in conversation with The Daily Mail U.K., revealing the ins-and-outs of the star’s unorthodox session.
“With Jennifer Aniston, I would do 30 minutes of spinning, 40 minutes of yoga, incorporating some of my hybrid, which is a yoga pose paired with a toning exercise,” she said.
“We would do some power yoga, vinyasa flow and then some yin yoga stretching, and then finish with the infrared sauna. We did that for 15-20 years, but right now I am taking a gap year from teaching.”
WELLNESS: Meditation, Me-Time and Gratitude Lists
As far as mental health and staying balanced goes, Aniston is a big proponent for taking the time out for self-care.
Per People, Aniston described her version of “me-time” as “my morning ritual of waking up, meditation, working out, walking the dogs”.
And like many of us, she’s also a fan of the Instagram-friendly ‘self-care Sunday’, usually spent enjoying some at-home beauty treatments.
“[Then] on Sundays, I usually do carve out a little afternoon mini spa day for me, where I give myself a good scrub and a nice mask. Sunday is usually my day to kind of indulge by putting on some nice music and giving myself some love.”
Another one of Aniston’s go-to wellness habits? Writing a daily gratitude list.
“I try to write down a gratitude list every morning as well, it always gives you a thankful shift. I’m just grateful for all of it,” she told the outlet.
DIET: Collegen Supplements
Jennifer Aniston is apparently a big fan of 2021’s hottest wellness trend, collagen supplements.
She adds a dissolvable sachet of the Vital Proteins original collagen peptides to her morning coffee or smoothie, which comes with the added benefit of including vitamin C and hyaluronic acid. (But don’t stress about the taste: the sachets are also flavourless.)
“I have had a passion for health and wellness for years. I know that this topic can be overwhelming so through this campaign, I want to show simple ways to incorporate collagen into your daily life,” Aniston told Vital Proteins, in an interview announcing her partnership with the company.
“For me, it’s adding it to my morning coffee and replenishing after a workout, but there is truly an option for everyone.”
Collagen is one of the most abundant forms of protein in the human body, making up between 25% and 30% of all protein in humans. Using supplements can be a great way to give yourself a collagen boost if you’re not getting it from your diet, according to the experts.
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