Jennifer Love Hewitt Celebrity Diet, Workout, and Weight Loss Secrets

Jennifer Love Hewitt’s Fitness Routine

The former star of Party of Five and I Know What You Did Last Summer is working on the fourth season of Ghost Whisperer. Jennifer Love Hewitt talked to Health Magazine about her body, her workout, and her attitude. We think Jennifer is a great role model for young women, because she loves herself, and is more interested in health than being thin. Jennifer is also rare in Hollywood. She is an actress who “can’t wait until they turn 30.” Here are some tidbits from the interview.

Q: Your character, Melinda, rarely seems to get a good night’s sleep. In real life, are you as sleep-obsessed as most of us?

A: I’m not a great sleeper. My mind is always going, so one way I’ve found to calm my head down is to cook dinner when I come home from work, which gives me between a half-hour and 40 minutes to completely decompress. If I can do that, most nights I sleep well. I think decompressing is one thing people don’t do enough of. Also, baths are big, big deals. I have to take a bath every night before I go to sleep.

Q: How do you keep your energy up?

A: I eat tiny snacks every hour and a half, whether it’s a bite of salad, a piece of cheese, or an apple. I also keep avocados in my trailer; I cut one in half and put lime juice on it. It’s the greatest snack—it has good fat and will really fill you up.

Q: What are your food weaknesses?

A: Pizza. And I was a big ice-cream person before I found out I was allergic to it. I’ve gone seven months without having any dairy, aside from a bit of cheese. It was a really hard transition for me. My number-one health recommendation is to go to a naturopath. It’s changed my life—my immune system is better, my energy is better. They do these tests to find out what foods your body doesn’t respond well to. And all of a sudden you think back and say, “You know what? Every time I ate Chinese food, my stomach did hurt a little the next day.”

Q: How do you feel about turning 30 next year?

A: I’m so excited! It’s my dream age. I don’t know why but, literally, since my 12th birthday I’ve wanted to turn 30. I feel like there’s nothing more graceful or elegant than the beauty of a female when she has figured out who she is. And that’s what happens for women in their 30s. I’m so ready to not be insecure and not ask so many questions, to not put so much pressure on myself but to just actually be. All my girlfriends were like, “I cried all day when I turned 30. I couldn’t have a party.” I want to be with 500 people that I don’t know on my 30th birthday!

Q: One of your goals is to run a marathon by the time you’re 30. How did that idea come about?

A: I really wanted to wake up on my 30th birthday and give something to myself and say, “This is my personal goal.” My concern is not if I run the whole marathon—if I’m running it or walking, it doesn’t really matter to me. I just want to know that I’m in shape enough that I could do it. I’m so excited, although training has been a lot harder than I thought.

Q: How so? What’s your regiment?

A: A friend of mine does marathons all the time, and she’s been taking me out. You initially do hour-and-a-half runs, where you run for six minutes and then break for a minute and a half. It doesn’t sound that difficult, but if you’ve never done physical activity like that, you think, OK, maybe I’ll run just two blocks instead of a marathon. Once you get into it, though, it’s really addictive. It truly is this weird high. When you start pushing yourself, you realize how powerful the human body is.

Q: What else do you like to do to stay fit?

A: I enjoy yoga for the mental part of it, but it took me a while. My first time, I hated it. I was like, This is ridiculous, I could have been at the grocery store or could have visited four of my friends during the time I was in a very stinky, sweaty room with a lot of people I don’t know—and I’m miserable. But now I love it.

Q: How has your relationship with your body changed over the years?

A: I so wish I had listened to my mom and grandma when I was 18 and would complain about some little tiny bump or feeling bloated. They’d say, “Sweetheart, appreciate it for all it’s worth because it all changes when you get into your 30s.” I used to scoff and say, “No, I feel fat today!” Now the joke’s on me. I wish I had been nude from the time I was 12 until I was 28. I looked great! I want to tell all young girls to walk around in bikinis all summer—and enjoy it. I want to tell them to never, ever feel bad about anything, because there will be that one day in your 20s when you’ll eat a hamburger and actually see the hamburger on the side of your leg. Initially it’s shocking, and you think, Whoa, I have to actually think about what I eat and work out double the amount I did before. Then you go, Well, now my body gets to make children, which is so cool. And I suddenly don’t look like a little girl anymore. I look like a woman. How exciting is that? You start to find value in other things.

Q: How do you keep your skin looking so good?

A: I’m obsessed with Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. It’s genius. Put a little around your eyes and on your cheeks and lips, and you’re done. It gives you a totally natural glow. And when you fly, it’s awesome because it keeps your skin from drying out.

Q: You rarely drink, which sets you apart from many of your Hollywood contemporaries.

A: I do enjoy a glass of wine or a beer on a hot day. But it’s my job to look fresh when I show up at work, particularly now that there’s high-definition TV. Plus, I like to be in control of what’s coming out of my mouth. Alcohol doesn’t allow you to have that ability. I find it’s much more interesting, especially in Hollywood, to be the sober person in the room as everybody else slowly deteriorates—it’s hilarious.