Jennifer Aniston’s Yoga Instructor Shares Three Get-Healthy Secrets

Remember that you are choosing.

You don’t have to eat healthy or exercise. It’s entirely up to you. But that said, eating healthy and exercising can feel like a bigtime burden—even at times to the most committed. To turn that begrudging attitude around, remind yourself of all the reasons you are choosing a healthy lifestyle. More to the point, remind yourself that you are, in fact, choosing. “I try to send a positive message into why I’m eating healthfully,” says Ingber. “It’s not, I can’t have this,” she says. “I can have this if I want to, but I have a choice: Would I rather have this second helping or eat this junk food? Or would I rather feel better about my body?” Put like that, it’s easier to see which is the more attractive option. “Remember,” she says, “you’re trading for something better.”

See healthy food as a gift to your body.

“When I am eating good food and veggies, I try to look at it like a treat and a gift,” says Ingber. She recommends paying close attention to how your food makes you feel. Once you do, you’ll notice that the foods you choose that are closer to what they looked like in nature—a potato versus a potato chip, for example—fill your body with positive energy (aka, good fuel). If you truly pay attention, it’s unlikely you’ll feel the same about your high-fat, processed favorites. The bonus: When you become sensitive to your body, reaching for foods that make you feel good—green veggies, lean proteins, whole grains, for example—will become more likely. “When you take out the junk food, there’s a world of delicious foods you discover.”

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