This is exactly what Jennifer Lopez eats, how and when she trains, how much sleep she gets and what she gave up to get into the best shape of her life

It would seem Jennifer Lopez is quite literally the Benjamin Button of the modern universe, immune to the ravishes of time.

In August 2018, the Bronx-bred star celebrated her 20-year tenure at the top of the music charts at the MTV Video Music Awards. Watching on from the audience at Radio City Music Hall as JLo moved about the stage with JaRule in a rendition of “I’m Real”, my jaw was quite literally “On The Floor.” Take a look.

But it was a tribute to her 90s crops, hoops and handkerchief bandanas which proved Lopez’s body is actually at its strongest right now at the age of 52. “I see pictures of myself in my twenties and go ‘Oh, I look better now!’ I embrace who I am. I feel sexy, I feel youthful, I feel pretty sometimes,” Lopez told US Weekly.

“I’ve taken care of myself, and now it shows,” she said in another interview with InStyle US.

Jennifer Lopez and Ja Rule during 2001 MTV Video Music Awards – Show at Metropolitan Opera House in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic, Inc)

Aside from the strenuous workouts, Lopez credits age and perspective on giving her the confidence to be really secure within her own skin. “Women get more confident as they get older,” she told W magazine. “Men in their 20s are very confident and cocky, and women are super insecure. And then it flips: Men get super insecure, and women get comfortable in their own skin, in a way that makes them more beautiful.”

Lopez’s age-defying body is always at the top of the press pile, and particularly at the moment as Netflix airs her documentary Halftime. So how does she do it? Here’s everything we know about Lopez’s healthy eating, exercise and sleep routine by way of a compilation of interviews over the years. (Spoiler: There are no morning espresso shots and nightly glass of Merlots.)

Jennifer Lopez gets 8-10 hours sleep a night:

Without a full night’s sleep, Lopez says she feels crazy, emotional and tired all of the time. “The number one tip is to always get enough sleep,” Lopez told InStyle US. “I can’t stress this enough. Ideally I would love to get nine or 10 hours of sleep, but either way, I always make sure I get at least eight.”

Her fiancé, former American baseball player Alex Rodrigues concurs. “[Lopez] really leans in to the big fundamentals,” he told Harper’s Bazaar US. “Like getting her rest, eight to 10 hours. She doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke. She lives a very clean life.”

Jennifer Lopez works out at least five days a week

Lopez credits her three-year Vegas residency (calling for her to workout in the morning and then perform on stage at night) as the period where she began to see her body really change and her muscles become more defined. Today, the strength of her body is one of the most appealing parts of the singer. In order to achieve this, Lopez has a trainer on each coast; Tracy Anderson in Los Angeles and David Kirsch in New York (where she does planks, push-ups and boxing).

But Lopez admits it’s not always easy to get up and go and train. “Very rarely will I skip my workout,” she told US Weekly. “Sometimes, I work too late the night before, and I’m like, ‘Ugh, I can’t do this.’ But I tell myself, ‘Just do it. It’s only an hour.’ It’s just talking yourself off the ledge of being a lazy bum.”

“I don’t like doing it later; it’s harder to get there when I have my day going already,” she continues. “I work out three or four times a week.”

Jennifer Lopez will break up her exercise routine with dance

“It’s no secret that I love dancing, so it doesn’t even feel like exercise to me,” Lopez tells People. “I freestyle dance with Tracy Anderson five times a week. We’ll incorporate light weights (3 lbs/ 1.4 kgs) for the arms and moves that focus on the butt and thighs and engage the core.”

Jennifer Lopez doesn’t drink coffee or alcohol:

A huge difference in Lopez’s lifestyle compared to the average person is the little luxuries she omits from her life. Alcohol, smoking and drinking are off limits (she sips decaf in the morning). Even after the superstar was honoured with the 2018 VMA’s Vanguard Award, she put her children to bed and went to her own after party at Beauty & Essex on New York’s Lower East Side and reportedly didn’t consume a single drop of champagne. “I don’t drink or smoke or have caffeine,” she admitted to Hollywood Life. “That really wrecks your skin as you get older.”
MILAN, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 20: Jennifer Lopez walks the runway at the Versace show during the Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2020 on September 20, 2019 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Jacopo Raule/Getty Images)
Jennifer Lopez’s green vegetable intake is huge

“We eat a lot of green vegetables, asparagus, Brussel sprouts, broccoli and kale,” she told Hello of her eating habits with her children. “I love to cook a lot of stuff, I love cooking Puerto Rican food because that’s what I grew up on.” This includes a lot of pork and chicken and if she’s out at a restaurant, Lopez will order fish and veggies. “I do try to eat right,” she told People. “And I don’t always want to.”

Jennifer Lopez Fuels Her Body With Quality Proteins

Advising Lopez is her personal trainer, Tracy Anderson, who makes sure to keep her client on a strict diet. “I have her eating very clean because she needs really good fuel for all the things that she’s doing,” Anderson posted on her website in 2018. “It’s all organic and it’s all very well thought out, with the balance of very high quality proteins and a lot of nutrient-dense food… everything is fresh.”

Protein options however exclude salmon. According to Lopez’s chef Kelvin Fernandez, he’ll cook a different fish option for her. “I know Jennifer doesn’t love salmon, so if I’m cooking salmon for the [table], I always got to do a sea bass or a halibut or cod for Jennifer because she’s just not a fan of the texture and the taste of salmon,” he told US Weekly.

According to the Hollywood Life, Lopez mixes her lunch options up but a typical day is protein and a veggie-packed salad. She reportedly loves broccoli, peppers and zucchini with a drizzle of vinaigrette on top. She usually has a protein with quinoa for dinner.

Jennifer Lopez counts her blessings

From her little family home in The Bronx to the bright lights of Uptown, Lopez – while a firm believer in hard work – isn’t cocky in her achievements. Every morning she begins with a meditation session and credits this – (and staying out of the sun) – for her youthful looks. “I also definitely think beauty comes from within – you have to have keep your mind, soul, body and spirit in sync,” she told InStyle US. “I am a firm believer in meditating and when you are happy and feel joy and love, you radiate beauty.”

But how to get that powerful mind? Lopez wills herself young. “I am youthful and timeless. I tell myself that every day, a few times a day,” she told Harper’s Bazaar. “It sounds like clichéd bullshit, but it’s not: age is all in your mind. Look at Jane Fonda.”