Since my blog is titled Eat Like an Actress, I thought it was about time we took a look at some the things actresses actually eat! Because, after all, they are, whether we like it or not, a huge influence on our lifestyles, often looking to what they eat, where they hang out, what they wear, how often they workout etc., to determine what we can do to enhance our own lives and emulate some of our favorite star’s qualities.
And so to start I decided to take a close look at what the most successful, and what I consider the most seemingly balanced (health wise) actresses diets and fitness routines to see what we can learn from them without having to pay all the thousands they do to personal trainers and chefs!
And at least for me when I think of enviable Hollywood bodies, Jennifer Aniston is almost always top of the list. Why? Because not only is her body almost an enigma for her age, but it quite often beats the physiques of celebrities half her age, and that is no easy feat.
So what is it exactly that she does to achieve and maintain her perfectly toned and fit Hollywood body? Well, after researching a number of articles and interviews over the years with her, it is pretty clear that she eats incredibly clean (meaning no processed foods at all) the majority of the time, and exercises at least 5 days out of the week.
For years it has been said that she followed “The Zone” diet, which is a diet designed by Dr. Barry Sears, based on the principle of proper hormone balance to prevent cellular inflammation. It centers on a 40:30:30 ratio of calories obtained from carbohydrates, proteins and fats respectively. She has said she eats a lot of salmon, lentils and quinoa (all great sources of protein) and green vegetables, takes supplements of liquid fish oils and resveratrol, a heart healthy compound found in the skin of red grapes, (which is why red wine is said to be good for the heart!).
I love how Jennifer Aniston, is one of the actresses that actually admits to working out hard core to maintain that body of hers. There’s nothing worse then a celebrity that tries to pretend she hardly ever works out or eats healthy as the reason behind her flawless body, and tries to have the public believe she has the genes of a goddess, and us mere mortals will never achieve such perfection. It’s 99% of the time lies. In a recent interview with “Instyle Magazine” Jennifer said
“I work out almost every day, at least five or six days a week,” she says. “I do 40 minutes of cardio: spinning, running, the elliptical, or a combination of all three.”
Aniston also says she does one day of pilates per week, and yoga three days a week, while constantly trying to mix up her routine. She also admits she does stretches and sit ups every night before bed.
From the research about her diet it’s clear Jennifer consumes a lot of fish, occasionally eating steak as well, often teaming it with a healthy grain like lentils or quinoa, and always a lot of vegetables. The fish oils she supplements in her diet means she is always getting the proper amount of heart healthy Omega 3’s and she admits to occasionally indulging in margaritas, chips and guacamole.
Overall Jennifer Aniston seems to have an extremely balanced diet and a great fitness routine. Basing her workouts mainly around yoga and pilates is what helps her achieve that toned and lean look without appearing too muscular and of course regular cardio keeps off any unwanted pounds.
While it is true to say that maintaining such a clean eating and regular fitness routine is a hell of a lot easier when you have millions at your disposal to spend on personal trainers and in house chefs, it is still something we can all achieve for ourselves with just a little dedication and will power.
Start by finding a yoga and/or pilates class near you, and start trying to go two or three times a week, and switch out that burger and chips for a delicious piece of fish and brown rice for a few dinners a week and of course eat your veggies every day! Even if you start of lightly you will be one step closer to a body like Jen Aniston’s and of course you’ll be a lot healthier for it too.
Image via Angela George [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
