What makes Jennifer Lopez look younger by the years

 The abs. That face. How is it that Jennifer Lopez looks almost exactly the same as when she made her debut in 1991? Some would argue she looks even better than when she was a Fly Girl on In Living Color. The answer is straightforward: hard work. She sticks to a strict diet and workout regimen.

She opts for organic fruits and veggies.

Lopez doesn't eat processed foods and sticks to organic produce — kale with crumbled queso and toasted pumpkin seeds, or broccoli, peppers, and zucchini drizzled with vinaigrette. She might have a salad and salmon for lunch. Come dinnertime, she may go for a different protein. "I like pork and chicken, especially Puerto Rican style!" she told Us Weekly. 

And she drinks a ton of water.

Hydration is super key and a for Lopez, it's a link to great exercise. "Drinking plenty of water, especially before a workout, can help you push harder and get more out of your exercise routine," she told Hello!

She uses protein to stave off cravings.

J.Lo will drink a protein shake for breakfast, she told People. It's packed with whey protein, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, Greek yogurt, cinnamon, honey and lemon juice to kick off her morning. "Protein is my go-to," she told Hello!. "It fills me up and keeps me full longer." 

She's not snacking on potato chips.

"I always have healthy snacks, like fruits and vegetables, with me," she told People.

But there is room for chocolate chips.

The World of Dance judge might pose with a cake, but she rarely eats it. If Lopez does go for dessert, her guilty pleasures are chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate chip cookies, her fiancé, Alex Rodriguez, revealed on The View. However, when she went on a 10-day no sugar/no carbs challenge, she went through major sugar withdrawal.

She switches up her exercise.

Of course, her main way to sweat is dance. "Dance has always been a huge part of my life and taking the time to move my body and do something that's so good for me is key to my happiness," Lopez told Hello! "And I really believe that when you take care of yourself and work to stay healthy, you're better able to take care of those you love. So working out is definitely a priority for me."

And (little known fact!) she was a track star in high school, according to A-Rod.

She doesn't give in to vices.

"I don't drink or smoke or have caffeine," J.Lo told UsWeekly. If she does have coffee, it's decaf. 

She is not a sun worshipper.

"I'm rarely in the sun, but if I am, I wear a lot of sunscreen," Lopez told UsWeekly. She's also been known to sport a big hat and a cover-up to ensure she's well protected. Source: womansday

Healthy Lifestyles, Healthy Outlook

 

Healthy Lifestyles

A healthy lifestyle can help you thrive as you move through your life's journey. Making healthy choices isn't always easy – it can be hard to find the time and energy to exercise regularly or prepare healthy meals. However, your efforts will pay off in many ways, and for the rest of your life.

Steps you can take:

• Be physically active for 30 minutes most days of the week. Break this up into three 10-minute sessions when pressed for time. Healthy movement may include walking, sports, dancing, yoga or running.
• Eat a well-balanced, low-fat diet with lots of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Choose a diet that's low in saturated fat and cholesterol, and moderate in sugar, salt and total fat.
• Avoid injury by wearing seatbelts and bike helmets, using smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in the home, and using street smarts when walking alone. If you own a gun, recognize the dangers of having a gun in your home. Use safety precautions at all times.
• Don't smoke, and quit if you do. Ask your health care provider for help. UCSF offers a smoking cessation program.
• If you drink alcohol, drink in moderation. Never drink before or when driving, or when pregnant.
• Ask someone you trust for help if you think you might be addicted to drugs or alcohol.
• Help prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV/AIDS by using condoms every time you have sexual contact. Keep in mind, condoms are not 100 percent foolproof, so discuss STI screening with your provider. Birth control methods other than condoms, such as pills and implants, won't protect you from STIs or HIV.
• Brush your teeth after meals with a soft or medium bristled toothbrush. Also brush after drinking, before going to bed. Use dental floss daily.
• Stay out of the sun, especially between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. when the sun's harmful rays are strongest. Don't think you are safe if it is cloudy or if you are in the water, as harmful rays pass through both. Use a broad spectrum sunscreen that guards against both UVA and UVB rays, with a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher. Select sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of the sun's rays.

Healthy Outlook

You may feel pulled in different directions and experience stress from dealing with work, family and other matters, leaving little time for yourself. Learning to balance your life with some time for yourself will pay off with big benefits – a healthy outlook and better health.

Steps you can take:

• Stay in touch with family and friends.
• Be involved in your community.
• Maintain a positive attitude and do things that make you happy.
• Keep your curiosity alive. Lifelong learning is beneficial to your health.
• Healthy intimacy takes all forms but is always free of coercion.
• Learn to recognize and manage stress in your life. Signs of stress include trouble sleeping, frequent headaches and stomach problems; being angry a lot; and turning to food, drugs and alcohol to relieve stress.
  
  Good ways to deal with stress include regular exercise, healthy eating habits, and relaxation exercises such as deep breathing or meditation. Talking to trusted family members and friends can help a lot. Some women find that interacting with their faith community is helpful in times of stress.
• Get enough sleep and rest – adults need around eight hours of sleep a night.
• Talk to your health care provider if you feel depressed for more than a few days. Depression is a treatable illness. Signs of depression include feeling empty and sad, crying a lot, loss of interest in life, and thoughts of death or suicide. If you or someone you know has thoughts of suicide, get help right away. Call 911, a local crisis center or (800) SUICIDE. Source: ucsfhealth

Healthy habits for healthy families

 
Over the last 30 years, the rate of childhood obesity has tripled, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.¹ More than a third of children and teens are now overweight or obese. And unhealthy eating habits can continue into adulthood.
Luckily, parents and caregivers can help jumpstart and then sustain a healthy lifestyle for children and adolescents.

A model of good behavior

You play an important role as guide and coach for your children as they make choices about eating.
And the effect your actions have can be profound. For example, research has shown that just eating together as a family can improve children's nutritional health.² In families who shared at least three meals a week, children were 24 percent more likely to be eating healthy foods than those in families who ate few or no meals together. The children were also 12 percent less likely to be overweight, 20 percent less likely to eat unhealthy foods and 35 percent less likely to engage in dangerous weight-loss efforts like purging, taking diet pills and laxatives, or vomiting.
Although the researchers don't know for sure why family meals are so effective, they note that homemade meals are typically lower calorie. Plus, eating together lets adults model good behavior and intervene when behaviors threaten to become bad habits.
Those family meals shouldn't include the television, however. That's because children who regularly watch TV during meals have unhealthier diets. In one study, for example, children whose families rarely or never turned on the TV during family meals were less likely to eat chips, soda and other junk foods.³
Making dinner time a family event, even if the meal is something simple, encourages a healthy attitude toward eating.

What you can do

Try these tips for helping your child develop healthy eating habits:

• Start early. If you help your child establish good eating, exercising and sleeping habits early in life, you won't have to break bad habits later on. Expose your child to a variety of flavors and pair those new sensations with positive contexts and foods that your child already likes. Research suggests that familiarization can not only help children come to accept healthy food but actually prefer it.⁴
  
• Ensure that most foods in your home are healthy. You don't have to swear off desserts, however. Low-fat frozen yogurt and fruit are a good alternative to ice cream and sprinkles, for instance.
  
• Make healthy eating easy. Children generally choose foods that are familiar, easily available and ready to be eaten. Encourage your child or teen to eat more fruits and vegetables by making them just as convenient as sugary snacks. You could place baby carrots in small bags on an easily accessible shelf in the refrigerator, for example.
  
• Model healthy eating. Children who see their parents or caregivers buying, cooking and eating healthy foods are more apt to eat healthy foods themselves. Avoid using food as a reward for good behavior. Making unhealthy food a reward for good deeds promotes the idea that healthy food isn't as appealing as junk food or something to look forward to. Healthy eating doesn’t need to be a trick. Instead, teach your children to look at healthy foods as tasty and desirable.
  
• Have meals as a family. Family meals are not only a good opportunity to share in your children’s lives. They are also the perfect venue to talk about healthy eating habits and engage your children in conversations about what a healthy meal looks and tastes like. Limit eating out. Eating out is not only expensive, but can also be unhealthy. Not knowing what goes into the food you're eating can make it difficult to help your child choose something that is nutritious and appropriately sized. Source: apa