J Lo's Diet and Workout Regime at 50, what's her secret?

I was working through a scathing comment thread about Jennifer Aniston’s diet on Guardian and noticed every other person said they wanted to know what Jennifer Lopez was doing because she looked better than Jennifer Aniston at 50. Whilst I definitely don’t support this kind of bitchy media conversation piece, I can tell you what JLo is doing and why she looks so good at 50. I have my Hollywood insiders ;-) and I have Instagram where JLo posts about her workout and diet regularly haha!

Before I launch into JLo’s trade secrets I’d like to also say that genetics do play a role as does Jlo’s team of staff, but, what she is doing is fairly simple and though I can’t promise you’ll look like Jlo I can say that if you followed something similar you would 100% be your own version of fabulous at 50. First of all let’s talk about her workout.

JLo lifts heavy, she works out like a body builder with her trainer Dodd. She splits body parts, she has a leg day with standard body building exercises such as:

• hip thrusts

• leg press

• calf raises

• walking lunges

• leg extensions

She lifts heavy for her upper body including:

• Bicep curls

• Tricep extensions

• Push ups

• Shoulder Press

• Lat pull downs

She also trains her abs with weights which is clever because it helps to avoid the classic ‘middle aged spread’, the belly fat which women tend to get after menopause once estrogen drops out. She includes plyometric training in her weekly routine, another very clever addition for a woman going into her 50s. It helps to manage body composition and prevent bone loss, an issue all women face as they age. The answer for an aging woman is not light walks and a little swimming as is often recommended. It’s actually better to maintain intensity as we age but to include more rest time. Ageing science supports that we should do high intensity every week, getting your heart rate up to at least 80% of its maximum.

A gentle walk is not an option if you want to stave off the relentless process that is getting old. Many symptoms of ageing are linked to decreased hormone levels, particularly testosterone. The less testosterone you have, the harder it is to retain and build skeletal muscle (all the muscle that is not part of your circulatory system or digestive tract). Skeletal muscle burns a lot of calories. As you lose skeletal muscle, your metabolism slows, meaning any calories you consume are more likely to end up as fat. And fat secretes the hormone estrogen and proteins that promote chronic inflammation and insulin resistance, ultimately leading to a fast breakdown of the body.

All in all JLo is training around x4 to x5 a week, a number that anyone can match once they have built fitness over time (around 3 months).

Jlo’s Diet

Her trainer Dodd says JLo stays away from processed food and gets her nutrients from whole food sources including egg whites, white meat turkey, chicken breast. grass-fed beef and salmon or sea bass for healthy fats. She has a handful of nuts and once a week has a cheat such as a chocolate chip cookie. She doesn’t drink alcohol and drinks a lot of water.
When she craves sugar but is being hyper-regimented Dodd says her snacks include sugar free jelly, sugar free popsicles, protein shakes and protein pancakes. I mean this is square a body builders diet.

What’s important to note is that JLo moves in and out of calorie deficit. She bulks up and leans down to maintain a healthy metabolism. This may be the most important thing she does when compared with many of her Hollywood counterparts who are chronically dieting. Chronic dieting is basically a fast ticket to aging. Let it be said that JLo doesn’t go fat, she just puts on a bit of extra fat and then loses it when she has a big event. Taking time on and off intensity is so important for the body and will help to maintain youth. Don’t get stuck dieting, your hormones will turn against you. Don’t lose too fast either and definitely don’t get so lean that your body and metabolism down regulate and if you do, get out of that place and fast.

Weightlifting ladies, is the closest thing we have to the fountain of youth right now. Pair that with eating a high protein diet with a range of nutrient dense whole foods and you are on your way to your own version of fabulous at 50 or 60 or even 70+. They say that youth is wasted on the young but with a few changes to our diet and lifestyle, we can maintain our youth - to an extent - and have all the wisdom that goes along with maturity too, if that is what we want.