'You’ve got to live your life, no restrictions' - Jennifer Aniston’s 80/20 approach to wellness is so refreshing

Jennifer Aniston says she takes an 80/20 approach to health and wellness that makes sure she is not 'restricting' herself or letting diets and exercise take over her life.

When we decide to boost our health and wellness, the first things to go are usually what we love most; unhealthy foods, alcohol, late nights. We know that an excess of these things isn't great for our health, both physical and mental, but Jennifer Aniston's approach to keeping healthy isn't all or nothing.

We know about her love for exercise - for Pvolve and cardio-focused 15-15-15 workout in particular - but in an interview with Allure, Jennifer revealed she takes an unrestrictive 80/20 approach when it comes to wellness. But what does that mean exactly? She explained, "You’ve got to live your life. No restrictions - except hard drugs. It’s the 80/20 approach. 80% healthy living and then 20% is; Go have a martini, go have your pizza and burgers and stay up late with your friends. There's a balance.

"A beautiful martini is always a lovely way to relax," she added.

It's a refreshing approach to wellness and a much more realistic way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Especially if you're looking to stay motivated, Jennifer's 80/20 approach is good to keep in mind - if you know that keeping up with your exercise and healthy eating means you can then blow off some steam later, you're much more likely to keep at it.

It's an approach that Grace Walsh, our digital health editor here at woman&home, says is 'perfect' no matter where you find yourself in your wellness journey. "Balance is key as the saying goes and Jennifer Aniston's approach is perfect," she says. "If you're looking to make changes to your life, the 80% will get you there - but the 20% is just as important. Food and drink is about more than just sustenance, it has a huge connection to our social lives and helps us maintain relationships with friends and family, which are just as important as nutrition for enjoying life."

And don't just take Jennifer's word for how effective it is, there's plenty of research backing up her approach. Grace explains, "Research shows that the more you restrict yourself, the more likely you are to overindulge and have more than you otherwise would, so it's better to just have what you want in the first place."

When she's focusing on her healthy 80%, Jennifer's routine is about more than just exercise and healthy eating. It's also about having good sleep hygiene and looking after her mental health by welcoming in 'positivity and gratitude' too.

She told Allure, "All you can do is the best you can. I meditate in the morning. I stretch before bed. I've been really trying to work on my sleep hygiene."

But, she admits, while she loves doing full-body Pilates workouts and eating right, it's not always easy for her to stick to other elements of her wellness routine; mostly when it comes to sleep. "Sleep and I have a real hard relationship," she said. "I really want to love it and I am sure it wants to love me, but we have had a hard time, especially the last 10, 15 years. It’s just hard to shut the brain down."

One way she's trying to combat this is by avoiding the news and setting boundaries with tech and screen time in order to lower her cortisol levels and relax her brain. But she still has bad days. "Some days you're great and on point, and some days you're just not," she said. "I’m a big believer in trying not to be hard on yourself because the world is so mean right now and so aggressive and negative. So why would we do it to ourselves?"

This seems to have become her mantra, with her saying elsewhere in the interview, "We’ve got to love our bodies. It's doing the best it can. It's been with us since the day we started, so we can't be too hard on it."

Her 80/20 approach is certainly a perfect way to find that balance between pushing your body and also loving it - we're sold.

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