By Alyssa Boddicker
Everyone’s favourite down-to-earth celebrity keeps it real with her fitness routine, just like everything else she does. Jennifer Lawrence does not go out of her way to spend hours at the gym everyday, but instead she focuses on looking fit and strong instead of simply ‘skinny’. We found out insights of celebrity trainer and chiropractic sports medicine doctor, Dr. Joe Horrigan who focuses on actors/actresses so they don’t injure themselves while training for blockbusters, including Jennifer Lawrence. Clearly he’s done his job as Jen truly has become not just the Girl, but the Body On Fire.
The Workout
Cardio: To start up every workout and to get your blood pumping, cardio ranging from biking, to running, even skipping (a Lawrence favorite), is the perfect foundation for any workout regime. Jen’s trainer recommends a 5-10 minute warmup (think steep hills on a stationary bike or treadmill) followed by 20 minutes of high intensity cardio for a prime cardio workout.
Circuit Training: Next up is building that muscle to get you feeling like you can take on any Hunger Games arena, and this means strength training. The most efficient way to strength train is to do our favorite high intensity workout, circuits. If you don’t know what circuit training is already, it basically high intensity exercises for a short amount of time that target specific muscles. It’s recommended that you do each exercise for 30 seconds or 10-15 reps, move onto the next muscle group, and once you hit multiple muscle groups that’s a circuit. For example, bodyweight squats, push-ups and sit-ups should all performed in one circuit. “You could also add jumping rope, (among other things)” said Dr. Horrigan. “If you can do any of these exercises for 20 minutes at high intensity, you will see results.”
Adventures: Adventurous workouts were also a key component for Jennifer Lawrence to get her perfect bod. Hiking, rock and tree climbing, and archery lessons got her in ship shape for Hunger Games, and these same workouts have somewhat continued since she left the “arena”. To this day Jennifer has been taking her exercise outdoors, running and hiking around Hollywood, getting her adventure in on a more tame level.
Yoga: Namaste, Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence. For the days where she’s not running through The Hills or sweating through circuits, Jen keeps her body moving with the calming powers of yoga. Doing a low intensity workout, like yoga, once or twice a week to let your body relax and recover is ideal to keep from muscle cramps and tears. Some of Jen’s go-to yoga poses include sun salutes, reverse warriors, chair poses, planks, and tree poses.
The Food
We all know Jennifer Lawrence is no stranger to the indulgences of food. From eating pizza at the Oscars, to halting an interview because she couldn’t stop thinking about fries, not to mention the countless GIF’s of her food obsessions; it’s safe to say Jen does not miss out when it comes to food. Her realness when it comes to eating is refreshing from a hollywood celebrity, but even J.Law has a few food guidelines when it comes to her second favorite f-word.
Our girl loves herself some bread. Although Jen is avid about not dieting and never missing out on all things delicious, according to her trainer, she’s instructed to look for carbs that serve a purpose (good carbs, yes they are a thing) versus just fats. Fish, and less fatty fish specifically (tuna, mahi mahi, and cod to name a few) is another Lawrence essential that she goes for when preparing to fit into one of those Dior ensembles. The most important food rule for Jen, however, is portion control. As long as she keeps the amount of food she’s eating in mind so doesn’t blow up like a balloon, Jen’s in the clear as far as she’s concerned.
When it comes to drinking, Jen knows it’s important to stay hydrated, and is almost always seen leaving the gym with water bottle in hand. Smoothies are also a great way for her to get protein, fruit, and veg in a liquified, no-fuss way, and all you need is a straw. JLaw is also a big advocator for the benefits of red wine, which we’re sure is the only reason her and BFF Amy Schumer indulge in the stuff on occasion…
The Mindset
As humorous as JLaw is, once she hits the gym, Jen gets serious. “Jennifer was an utmost professional,” her trainer, Dr. Horrigan said. “She was never late. She never missed a workout. She never complained. She did everything that was asked of her and she usually did so with a smile.” Although all of us do love to moan about the gym, we should follow in Jen’s footsteps and treat going to the gym with the dedication of a job (although we can’t promise we’ll be smiling the whole time).
Another tip to keeping in the fit mindset is calming the mind, something that can easily be done while also exercising through yoga. As we mentioned earlier, Jen whips out the yoga mat once or twice a week to help her body recover from workouts. Another benefit of her yoga routine is to allow Jennifer to clear her mind from her hectic lifestyle. Setting aside time to unwind from life shouldn’t just be a luxury for Hollywood’s elite, so take a few minutes during your day to hit a couple of downward dogs, or at the very least some deep yoga breathing to calm yourself from a stressful day.
The last key element to staying with JLaw’s Laws of Fitness is to keep. it. fresh. What we mean by this is from your workout routine, to what you eat everyday, you should constantly switch it up so you don’t get bored and stop trying at all. Workout wise, switch up which circuits and cardio you do, as well as on which days you do them. As for food, maybe don’t have a cheeseburger for every meal.
No matter how much you take away from JLaw’s Laws of Fitness, we’re hoping you take away the dedication, sharp realness, and all around no fuss attitude Jennifer Lawrence has when working on her body, we know we all hope to.
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“Girls see enough of this body we can’t imitate, that we’ll never be able to obtain…these unrealistic expectations. It’s better to look strong and healthy”- Jennifer Lawrence
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