Jennifer Aniston spoke to TODAY.com about her approach to fitness, diet, and overall wellness. Jennifer is famously fit and has pretty much looked the same for the past 30 years, so sure, I’ll take her advice. But I’m trying to figure out why she’s randomly giving it now? I thought it would be to promote a partnership with this fitness method, Pvolve (annoying name) that she keeps talking about, but there’s no mention of a brand partnership. Maybe she’s an investor? Anyway, Jennifer talks about learning to feel content with shorter workouts and how she motivates herself.
For decades, Jennifer Aniston had a “no pain, no gain” approach to exercise.
“The workouts I used to do were exhausting and painful,” Aniston, 54, tells TODAY.com, noting that she would often injure herself from overexertion. She’s since stopped that cycle and shifted her approach to fitness.
Jennifer Aniston’s workout routine includes functional fitness
Aniston’s lightbulb moment came in 2021, after a friend introduced her to Pvolve, a fitness method that combines resistance training with low-impact exercise. The actor, who quickly became a devotee, is now an advisor for the online platform.
“It’s functional exercise. It’s mindful, it’s small movements,” Aniston explains.
Virtual classes range from five to more than 60 minutes.
Feeling content with shorter workouts is a big deal for Aniston, who used to feel panicky if she didn’t have time to do a long workout. “My mind used to (tell) myself that if I didn’t do 45 minutes to an hour workout, I wasn’t drenched, (it wasn’t enough),” she says.
“I put my body through it … and over time, breaking your body, pushing your body that hard is just diminishing returns,” she reveals. “And as long as I’m going to live, I want to be able to move.”
Though Aniston says she allows herself “that freedom” to take a day off, she offered advice on how to motivate yourself to exercise when you’re not in the mood.
“Just do 10 to 20 minutes, you can do anything for 10 to 20 minutes,” Aniston says. “You start to enjoy it, that’s the other thing. I really do push myself, just at least do that little bit. I’ll immediately feel incredible. You just instantly start to feel those endorphins and that energy. ”
Aniston says that’s one thing that appeals to her about the Pvolve platform, comparing it to a “good salad bar” because you can pick and choose what you’re in the mood for.
If I think about her comments in reference to Apple Fitness, my preferred platform, I definitely agree with what she’s saying. They also have shorter workouts available and I find those very motivating because I may feel like skipping my workout but then think okay, I’ll just do a quick 10 minutes of strength of HIIT or whatever to get it done. And then I end up getting into it and doing more than I planned to. It really does kickstart those endorphins and those shorter workouts are a welcome break from the days when I run. I do kind of have a similar mindset to Jennifer where I’ll do too much cardio and push myself too much and it’s counterproductive because then it takes me longer to recover. So I definitely agree with her advice, if not the platform and its ridiculous name.
Photos credit Getty Images for Netflix and via Instagram
Now that I’m in my late 30s and have a mother who has not aged particularly well, I’m all about functional fitness. I do a combination of Pilates (love Jessica Valant!) and Jazzercise. I try to get in 30 minutes five days a week. It really does make all the difference for my mood and my body. I feel much stronger and happier.
Thanks for the Jessica Valant rec – I’m always looking for workouts I can do at home (helps combat the lazy if I don’t have to drive anywhere!).
I’m in my 40s and am feeling how not including stretch and mobility have hurt me. I’ve taken up Yin yoga at a local studio and it has been so so good for my back, hips, and fascia. I’m not super fit, but I’ve committed to moving for at least 30 minutes a day (walking, cycling, and kayaking are my top picks), and it has made a big difference in my mental health and how much I appreciate my body for what it is.
Love Jessica Valant Pilates!!! Someone on Celebitchy recommended her about a year ago when I was ramping up to hip replacement surgery. I did her 20-min beginner’s pilates pre and post surgery. I love all of her videos! Her podcast is good too!
Pilates is great. I was a yoga fanatic for a number of years, but after hip surgery, I’m enjoying the pilates for the glute and hip strength routines. It’s all about the glutes! And Pilates is so easy to do at home.
I’m so distracted by that terrible lace front in the photos, but interesting concept. I think it is easier to exercise in short bursts especially if you are getting started again rather than facing down an hour class, or five miles on the elliptical.
True. Starting small and working your way up is the smartest approach. We don’t have to kill ourselves with staying active we just have to be smarter.
I envy people who live with wonderful climates as opposed to living in the SE portion of Texas. I can’t possibly do any outdoor activities for 7-9 months per year as with the heat index it’s in the triple digits for months on end. I would have to wait until several hours after sundown to get my walks in.
“Terrible”? You’re being extremely nitpicky.
I ran distance for years and consistently gained 10 pounds every time I finished a half-marathon. Now 3-5 miles is my norm with 20 minutes of stretching afterwards and I feel good with no injuries. I have also been trying to think of everyday things like gardening, walking, or playing with my kids as exercise, but I haven’t heard the term functional exercise before. A friend of my describes it as “some kind of movement every day.”
I’m also in my late 30s and I also had the light bulb of my exercise shouldn’t be punishment. I enjoy it a lot more as I frame it as keeping myself active and able as I get older. And I’m not killing myself or injuring myself for some idea that it has to be super hard. (I do have a few challenging workouts since I don’t want to get in a rut and want to build muscle, but am very aware of not wanting to injure myself.)
I believe that she may have changed her approach to fitness, but no way does she only work out for 10 or 20 minutes — this is the same person who like a year ago said she only eats one M&M.
I agree. I mean, lots of people can run 2 miles in 20 minutes. That’s not a light workout to me. Unless she is talking about walking or bike riding, but I doubt it. She is still pushing herself hard. Probably 3 times a day.
Yeah but that’s the thing: if she’s only eating one M&M and lives a relatively strict lifestyle with a clean diet and not a lot of booze then those 20 min workouts might be enough.
Me? I like beer and pizza so I need at least an hour of exercise.
I only ate one m&m yesterday, but it’s because I found it on the floor. =D
lol
What’s up with her face? t looks different, no??
I think she has filled her under eye area.
This is true, you only need like ten minutes with weights a day to keep in shape (if you eat right), no need to tear yourself apart with a marathon (unless you actually enjoy it).
But must everything always be branded (Pvolve? Blech). Just call it stretching and exercise. I also cannot stand the word fitness, it makes me think of stinky outfits and gyms that smell like metal and rubber. Someone yelling affirmations into a loud mic. Yuck fitness.
10 minutes with weights a day AND some sort of cardio for heart health. What I’ve never appreciated about her message is that it seems to be directed at staying a certain size although at least now she’s talking about how she feels. In any event the heart needs some sustained work, too.
I get what she’s saying. One reason I work out every other day is because I know if I had to do it every day, I would dread and resent it.
I ease myself into it by starting with on line yoga. The woman who does my videos is upbeat and encouraging but not in an annoying way, lol. Then I do jump rope which is fast way to get my heart rate up, works out my core and is also fun. It reminds me of being a kid.
All in all it takes between 20 and 30 minutes, maybe 40 at the most. But on my “off” days I might do a shorter yoga routine and it’s a treat instead of a chore.
I think it’s pretty solid advice. Obviously she does more than that herself, she looks amazing, but especially for people just starting or those super busy, it’s great to find 10-20 minutes to do a workout, and it’s not so intimidating.
I think 20min a day is enough to look the way she does. Not 20min or waking or bike riding, but 20min of strength training or HIIT, yes.
I totally get what she’s saying. Short bursts of exercise with virtual classes do make it easier to get some movement in. That being said, Pvolve is a terrible name. If you hike or backpack, you’ve probably seen one of those devices so that women can urinate outdoors standing up without pulling their pants down. the name of this exercise program sounds like a brand-name for one of those devices.
There are tons of great exercise videos for the over 50 folks on YouTube, I do them 4-5 times a week. They combine weights and low-impact HIIT cardio, and I find them challenging but doable. Jenny McClendon has some great videos, as does Senior Fitness with Meredith. I also use a stationary bike and rowing machine on the cardio only days. I’m old and just can’t do the high impact stuff I used to do but I really enjoy these routines.
Good for you! I love all the free videos on YouTube as well.
Jennifer face aged strangely. I watched an a Friends episode and she was cute. Now her face is broad, swollen, almost distorted.
Is Pvolve any more ridiculous than Peloton? No.
Is Pvolve any more ridiculous than CrossFit? No. Especially if you consider CrossFit studios are full of high intensity gym rats, which the name doesn’t imply. Actually I’m kind of intrigued by Pvolve since Aniston and I are both over 50-yrs old. I had to give up regular intensity Jazzercise many years ago when I started having problems with arthritis in my feet. Nice to know that some people can get exercises geared for 50+ yrs old on YouTube, but I hate the advertising model used on YouTube. Might try Pvolve.