When you were 20, skipping the meal between breakfast and lunch and going for an occasional jog was enough to keep your body slim and healthy. A few decades later, however, all you have to do is walk past a bakery to add another layer to your little spare tire. Still, some manage to make us dream. Like these 50 amazing bodies over 40.
Staying slim after 40 is no mean feat. In fact, researchers at theInstitute of Nutritional Science in Giessen, Germany, found that, over an eight-year period, adult subjects over the age of 40 experienced a drop in their total energy expenditure. As much as 196.7 calories per day per decade, making it easier to shed those pounds… And undeniably the difficulty of getting the best out of our bodies after a certain age.
But just because you’re over 40 doesn’t mean that an ever-expanding waistline is a foregone conclusion. Think diet and sport, and you’re on the right track. The proof? These ultra-aptitude celebrities over 40 prove that a great body has no age limit. So read on and be inspired by these 50 amazing bodies over 40!
1 – The Rock
Clearly, 47-year-old Dwayne Johnson doesn’t spend much time on the couch eating pizza. In addition to his ultra-clean 5,000+ calorie daily diet, which he revealed on Twitter, he also spends five days a week doing intense weight training at the gym.
The most surprising part? In addition to his two days off at the weekend, his trainer revealed that the athlete-turned-actor spends less than an hour in the gym every day.
2 – Gabrielle Union
What’s the key to 47-year-old Gabrielle Union’s anti-aging look? Intense bodyweight exercises, which she describes in detail on her Instagram account. And a gallon of water a day while reducing portion sizes when she eats. Indeed, she believes in moderation.
“The great thing about Pilates is that I can get rid of my boredom of getting up early on machines rather than human beings. It’s for the greater good. My body responds to it and I’m clearer too,” she said.
3 – Hugh Jackman
I wonder how Wolverine gets his abs at 51? According to his trainer David Kingsbury, Jackman combined a low-carb diet on rest days with carbs during his workouts. And sustained physical exertion with low reps to get in shape.
4 – Gwen Stefani
This pop queen always inspires with her body. 50-year-old Gwen Stefani’s recipe for keeping her figure in shape is simple. “There’s no secret: you just have to eat healthy, train and torture yourself! ” she confides. Although her former trainer insists that her success also relies on high-intensity weight training.
5 – Strauss Zelnick
Media mogul Strauss Zelnick is into the kind of figure most people would kill to have at 20. ” I decided I was going to treat fitness part of my schedule,” Zelnick revealed.
Zelnick works twice a day, four days a week, trains once or twice a week and enjoys one day off. He also stays accountable with The Program, an exercise group he founded, which combines cardio and strength training in its four six-hour workouts per week. If you want to look like Zelnick, you can! Maybe you’ll be one of the next 50 amazing bodies!
6 – Jennifer Lopez
At 50, Jennifer Lopez has one of the best bodies in Hollywood. So, how did she get there? In addition to avoiding alcohol and caffeine, Lopez combines the Tracy Anderson method and stays true to her roots with regular dancing.
” Dancing has always been a big part of my life. And taking the time to move my body and do something so good for me is the key to my happiness,” she declared.
7 – Matt Damon
47-year-old Matt Damon’s weight has fluctuated for different roles. He explains that the key to the fit physique he’s known for in the Bourne films is simple. ” Three hours a day in the gym, or two hours, then a long run later, or a long hike with a weight vest,” he said.
8 – Halle Berry
How does 53-year-old Halle Berry stay so fit? ” I swear by the ketogenic diet. It’s just no sugar and no carbs,” says Berry. She admits to also doing weight training, yoga and Pilates four or five days a week to keep fit.
9 – Vin Diesel
What keeps Vin Diesel so fit at 52? ” In addition to the type of regular maintenance, I apply myself to the specific role I play,” he said. “ I’m relatively healthy with my food. I’m not a vegan,” he revealed in another interview. ” I’m a regular meat-and-potatoes kind of guy “.
10 – Cindy Crawford
Cindy Crawford, 54-year-old supermodel. Her secret to a fit body over 50? ” I try to do 20 minutes of cardio at least three times a week. Then I do between 30 minutes and an hour of lunges, weights, squats and old-fashioned bicep curls,” she explains.
11 – Terry Crews
At 51, Terry Crews’ muscular physique puts Superman to shame. So, how does he achieve those amazing bodies? In addition to weight training, Crews credits running and intermittent fasting for his incredible fitness. “ I run four miles a day minimum ,” he declared.
12 – Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz, 45, doesn’t spend hours at the gym to get her physique back into tip-top shape. ” I get on my elliptical and do intervals,” she says. ” You just keep going and sprint “.
13 – Ryan Reynolds
What’s behind Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds’ 42-year-old superhero physique? A bodybuilding program designed by a personal trainer. But no personal trainer on hand to keep him in check. “ For me, training is largely functional rather than fashionable… The important thing is simply to say healthy,” he admits.
” I work out on my own… I prefer it “. Unfortunately, his wife Blake Lively is no help in the dieting department. “ It’s hell for me because I watch her stuff a cupcake in her mouth and I eat a yam “.
14 – Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell, 49, still wears a great body. ” I do yoga or Pilates and then a big glass of green juice,” she declared. Campbell also admits to juicing ” two or three times a week ” and avoiding pork and chicken.
15 – Jared Leto
The 48-year-old 30 Seconds to Mars frontman’s secret behind his lean, muscular look? “I’ve been on a vegan diet for 22 years I’ve been on a vegan diet for 22 years,” he explains. ” I think it works pretty well “.
16 – Kelly Ripa
How does 49-year-old mother-of-three Kelly Ripa stay one of Hollywood’s fittest women over 40? A highly alkaline diet. “ I actually eat a lot more of this cleanse than I do in my real life. But it’s what you eat and how you eat it,” she revealed during an episode of Live! With Kelly and Michael. And she enters the pantheon of 50 Amazing Bodies Over 40.
17 – Taye Diggs
The sculpted body of 49-year-old Taye Diggs isn’t the result of hours in the gym every day. ” I’m lucky. I’ve gone from six days a week to three days a week. And from three to 45-minute workouts! ” he admitted. He must also have a naturally enviable metabolism. For he also admits that he refuses to cut wine out of his diet.
18 – Sofia Vergara
At 47, Sofia Vergara’s ageless body is no longer a secret. In an interview, the Modern Family star attributes fish, salads, vegetables and the occasional dessert to her keeping. And what about exercise? ” Sometimes I work out with my trainer, or do spinning or Pilates ,” she says.
19 – Joe Manganiello
Vergara’s 43-year-old husband, Joe Manganiello , is clearly no slouch in the gym. ” A lot of my training has been at the Olympic lift, CrossFit training, what we call EMOM for cardio. You have to work at it for a while and then rest until the end of the minute,” he revealed.
20 – Christie Brinkley
What does Christie Brinkley do to stay in shape at 66? As well as exercising on a Total Gym machine, Brinkley maintains a vegetarian diet rich in vegetables. ” I’ve always said I choose as many colors as I can every day,” she explains.
21 – Tom Hardy
For 42-year-old Tom Hardy, his favorite way to achieve amazing bodies? A healthy diet and bodyweight-based workouts. Although he admits that transforming his roles takes its toll on his body as he ages.
” I think that when you reach your forties, you have to be more attentive to the speed of your training. Lose weight and exercise. Then not have time to keep training because you’re busy filming… Extreme to another has a cost,” he said.
22 – Jada Pinkett Smith
How does 48-year-old Jada Pinkett Smith look 22? In addition to a diet rich in superfoods, Pinkett Smith makes the gym a family affair. ” Sitting at home on a Saturday or Sunday was never an option,” she says. “ They love going to the gym with Will and me. But surfing and snowboarding are what we do together as a family for fun.”
23 – JK Simmons
A light elliptical warm-up and a heavyweight weight-training routine have been key to keeping JK Simmons in such good shape at 65. After gaining a lot of weight, ” six or seven years ago, I decided to stay in shape for the rest of my life,” he says.
24 – Gwyneth Paltrow
47-year-old Gwyneth Paltrow’s eating habits aren’t as strict as you might think. After a smoothie for breakfast and a salad with protein for lunch, she confessed: “ For dinner, I have everything I want. But I always try to avoid highly processed foods and high-fructose corn syrup.”
25 – Mark Wahlberg
While 48-year-old Mark Wahlberg admits he’ll be stepping up his weight training to prepare for roles. Fitness and healthy, protein-rich meals are a constant in his life. Including a regular post-workout protein shake. ” When I don’t exercise and eat right and eat right, I feel slow,” he said.
In our next article, discover the 25 other amazing bodies that make us dream. In the meantime, it’s up to you to achieve your goals!
