There are plenty of reasons to admire Jennifer Lopez. She gave us the song “Love Don’t Cost a Thing.” She starred in many of our favourite rom-coms, such as Maid in Manhattan and Monster-in-Law. Now, she's turning 50 and still looks like she’s 28. Jenny from the block has also been killing the fitness game for years, and has said that staying healthy and working out are the “key” to her happiness.
Here’s what you should know about the fitness routine that has kept her sane, healthy, and happy over the decades she’s been in public life.
J. Lo works out in the morning.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Science has shown that there are some weight maintenance perks to working out in the morning, especially on an empty stomach, Dr. Anthony Hackney, Ph.D., a professor of exercise physiology & nutrition at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, previously told Refinery29.
It’s also true that life’s less likely to get in the way if you work out in the morning, which is why J. Lo prefers to do it then. "I don't like doing it later; it's harder to get there when I have my day going already," she told Hollywood Life.
She gets joy from her workouts.
"I am 100 percent convinced that working out is part of what makes me so happy," she told Hello!, a weekly magazine in the UK. "Dance has always been a huge part of my life and taking the time to move my body and do something that's so good for me is key to my happiness. And I really believe that when you take care of yourself and work to stay healthy, you're better able to take care of those you love. So working out is definitely a priority for me."
Lopez uses multiple trainers who tackle fitness in different ways.
It's not exactly what you'd call achievable, but if you can afford multiple, sought-after trainers like J. Lo, good on you. "When I'm in New York, I work out with David Kirsch — he's an amazing trainer," she told Hollywood Life in 2016. With Kirsch, she mixes things up. He told Insider that their workouts vary and consist of kickboxing, HIIT, circuit training, burpees, lunges, and ab workouts.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
“When I'm in LA, I work with Tracy Anderson” she also told Hollywood Life. She says she likes the balance going to two different trainers offers. “They have two totally different approaches. I like switching it up with my body,” J. Lo said.
She does the “platypus walk.”
Kirsch shared with Insider last year that one move he does with Lopez for butt sculpting is called the “platypus walk.” "The quickest, most effective workout for your butt is the platypus walk," Kirsch said. It’s a low squatting technique, which targets "the inner thighs and lifts and tones the butt."
She incorporates weight training.
Last year, J. Lo told InStyle that she added weight training into her routine because she didn’t want to lose muscle from all of the dancing she was dong. “I’ve taken care of myself, and now it shows,” she told the magazine.
Lopez has a workout buddy.
Lopez’s fiancé Alex Rodriguez has posted photos and videos of workouts the couple does together on Instagram. He called the duo the workout “dream team” in one October 2018 post. Some studies show that people will go harder and longer with their workouts if they’re doing it with a partner.