From daily affirmations to cutting out booze, we break down the newlywed's surprisingly simple health and wellness routine
Jennifer Lopez is living her best life, once again. Currently honeymooning in Paris, after tying the knot to Ben Affleck in an intimate Las Vegas ceremony - she’s now legally known as Jennifer Affleck, folks - the pair are reportedly gearing up to host a lavish wedding for family and friends at Ben’s mansion in Georgia in a few weeks’ time. But before that, this weekend J-Lo will celebrate her 53rd birthday - and she looks sensational.
How does she still look so phenomenal? One person asking said question was aesthetic Dr Sophie Shotter, who posted a video to her Instagram explaining how she thinks J-Lo does it. "The answer is a huge investment both financially and in terms of her lifestyle," Sophie says. "You don't get to look like this if you don't live cleanly. She's going to have an insane exercise regime and she's going to eat very, very well."
Regarding Jen's infamous abs, Sophie speculates that Jen is likely to have had some help from a muscle toning treatment such as EmSculpt. "The key for her is that her face matches her body," she continues. "She doesn’t just look good from the neck up. She’s probably been investing in treatments that stimulate her collagen bank all over her body. Whether it’s [skin lifting treatment] Ultherapy (ultrasound therapy) or radiofrequency microneedling [to tighten and firm], there are treatments at play here that are keeping her skin in incredible nick."
Sophie adds that J-Lo is likely on hormone replacement therapy, because she's either perimenopausal or menopausal, when her hormones are starting to drop. Sophie speculates that J-lo is likely to have some 'great injectable work along the way too.'
With everyone from fellow celebs to cosmetic doctors consistently wowed by Jen, it comes as no surprise that in a survey by cosmetic surgery clinic The Private Clinic, J-Lo’s body came out as the most aspirational of all the celebrities, with 21 per cent of people surveyed citing hers as the body (and bottom) they most covet. “Jennifer Lopez’s frontrunner position is a clear demonstration of the desire for health and fitness, over mere youth when it comes to body shape,” said the survey by the Private Clinic.
Top 'bottom' treatments requested are the Emsculpt Butt Lift non-invasive electromagnetic pulses which lift, firm and strengthen the glutes, explains the Private Clinic's Dr Tracy Mountford. “It’s the equivalent of 20,000 squats in a 30-minute procedure." Another effective option is CoolSculpting, a fat-freezing technique to recontour and restore the ‘S’ shaped back silhouette in women (ie with a prominent and perky bottom) which delivers up to 27 per cent fat loss on each treatment session.
The good news is, Jen's other health and wellness rituals are relatively simple to follow. Here's what J-Lo says she does herself to stay at the peak of health and body confidence.
1. Get at least 8 hours sleep
"The number one tip is to always get enough sleep. I can't stress this enough," Jennifer told InStyle. "I would love to get nine or ten hours of sleep, but either way, I always make sure I get at least eight."
2. Always wear SPF
It’s a no-brainer, but Jen always wears sun protection. "I don't wear a lot of makeup when not working and am a firm believer in SPF. I try not to stay out in the sun too long," she said.
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3. Never sleep in makeup
Another obvious one, but J-Lo is committed to removing her makeup each night before bed. "I never go to bed without taking my makeup off, [and I use] night creams to keep my skin hydrated," she told People.
4. Daily affirmations
Before Jen even reaches for her skincare (or looks at her phone), she likes to pull a daily affirmation card to kickstart her morning routine, which she describes as feeding her "mind and soul,” and “setting myself right up for the day with the right thoughts.”
5. Invest in luxe skincare
According to Hello! Magazine, Jennifer is a fan of Lancer and La Mer skincare, with Lancer’s The Method: Cleanser, £54, and Lancer Eye Contour Lifting Cream, £87.50, among her must-haves. La Mer’s Moisturising Cream, £65 for 15ml, is a staple too, with J-Lo’s long-term makeup artist Scott Barnes saying it’s always on the makeup station.
Back in 2014 J-Lo revealed that she loved Dr Hauschka’s Rose Day Cream, which is slightly more affordable at £31.
6. Launch your own skincare line
Admittedly not something we can all do... But to give us mere mortals a chance at getting that iconic J-lo Glow, Jennifer launched her own skincare range in 2021. JLo Beauty, available in the US, includes serums, cleansers and sheet masks all designed to give us our most radiant skin ever.
Jen says it's all she uses now, and regularly shares her morning skincare routine (exclusively using her own products) to Instagram. She starts off with her gel-cream cleanser, That Hit Single , $38, which she loves for an 'extra clean feeling", and follows with her That JLo Glow Serum , $79, which she calls "vitamins for the skin." "As it dries it gives a beautiful glow," Jen says.
The third step in her morning routine is SPF, using her That Big Screen broad spectrum SPF30 moisturiser , $54, which has a whipped cream texture, designed to be used every day.
7. Work out 4 times a week (with a personal trainer on each coast)
A body like Jen’s doesn’t come easily, sadly. The 52-year-old works out three or four times a week, preferring to exercise first thing. In New York she works out with holistic weight trainer David Kirsch, who wrote The Ultimate New York Body Plan, £5.76. His Instagram is flooded with inspirational gym videos, some of which feature Jen . When Jennifer is in L.A., she works with Tracy Anderson, founder of The Tracy Anderson Method, loved by Gwyneth Paltrow and undeniably one of the hardest cardio workouts in the world. "I like the balance that the two different trainers give me," she says. "They have two totally different approaches. I like switching it up with my body.”
8. Walk like a platypus - the J-Lo bum workout
According to Kirsch, JLo's non-negotiable bum workout is the platypus walk. Never heard of it? Us neither, but apparently it’s the quickest and most effective workout for your butt.
The low squat technique works the inner thighs and lifts and tones the butt and involves walking back and forth while in a squat - looks weird, but if it gives us even half of the booty J-Lo rocks, we’ll give it a go.
9. Spiderman pushups - the J-Lo arm work out
Jen might be best known for her booty (we were coveting it long before we’d even heard of Kim K) but her arms mustn’t be overlooked. Her perfectly sculpted muscles come courtesy of spiderman push-ups.
We’re not sure we’d have the balance to blast this one out, but practice makes perfect…
10. Always cleanse after a workout
Post work-out Jen makes sure to cleanse fastidiously. “I always, always wash my face after a workout. That helps keep my pores clean and my skin feeling healthy,” she told Hello! “Then I’ll usually put on moisturiser and sunscreen, with maybe a little make-up if I’m going out or moisturiser and eye cream if it’s the evening.”
11. No alcohol, caffeine or smoking
"I don't drink, or smoke, or have caffeine ," Jennifer told Hollywood Life. "That really wrecks your skin as you get older."
12. Drink plenty of water
She’s not the first to credit her glowing skin to drinking lots of H20, and definitely won’t be the last. “Drinking plenty of water, especially before a workout, can help you push harder and get more out of your exercise routine," Lopez told Hello.
13. Eat your greens
With a physique like that, it's obvious Jennifer follows a healthy diet. "We eat a lot of green vegetables, asparagus, Brussel sprouts, broccoli and kale. I love to cook, I cook a lot of stuff, I love cooking Puerto Rican food because that's what I grew up on," Lopez told DailyMail.
13. Use a Chunky Chopstick Styler
We all saw the clip of J-lo doing a power-punch before her Super Bowl performance back in 2020, with her hairdresser Chris Appleton stepping out of the way just in time, but do you know the tool behind her iconic tresses? It's the Chunky Chopstick Styler, £29.99.
Explaining why he loves the tool so much, Chris, who was also behind Jen's wedding day hair, said: "It glides. The barrel doesn't get stuck to the hair, it glides off the hair so effortlessly. There is nothing more annoying than when you are styling and the hair just sticks to the barrel. There is no stiffness with the Chopstick Styler which is amazing. The Chunky Styler's barrel is rectangular which gives the longest-lasting curl. I think it is really important when you spend the time to style your hair that the curls have longevity. There is nothing worse than when your curls drop out when you brush the curls out and the Chunky Chopstick Styler really ensures the curls are well defined and keep their shape."
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14. Fall in love
No one can deny that post-wedding glow radiating from Jen right now. And since rekindling her romance with Ben, we have to admit, J-Lo’s youthful luminosity is in overdrive. The second coming of Bennifer looks great on her.