Jennifer Lawrence's 7 Ways to Stay Your Fittest

Jennifer Lawrence is known for her down-to-earth and decidedly non-Hollywood approach to health and fitness—and she’s open about the hard work it takes to transform for roles. Lawrence, 32, is focused on workouts and not dieting, feeling good over feeling restricted and has no interest in real-life Hunger Games. Pizza will always be part of her diet, but she makes it work. Here’s how the actress stays her fittest—and happiest.

1. Feelgood Endorphins

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Lawrence genuinely loves how exercise makes her feel. “I hate saying, ‘I like exercising’,” she says. ‘But it's nice being in shape for a movie, because they basically do it all for you. It's like, ‘Here's your trainer. This is what you can eat’. I don't diet. I do exercise! But I don't diet. You can't work when you're hungry, you know?”

2. No Restrictive Dieting

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Balance is key for Lawrence when it comes to her diet, both during shoots and in her down time. “I don’t like when people say, ‘I only do this or eat this,’” she says. “Because I eat. I’m not very strict with my diet: If I want a piece of pizza, I eat a piece of pizza. For me, it’s easier to put that extra effort into the gym instead of putting the extra effort into: Oh no, I can’t eat that.’”

3. Yoga Sessions To Cap the Day

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Trainer Dalton Wong worked with Lawrence on the X-Men movies, and says she would finish each day with yoga. “It's just to help relieve the body so you can sleep better but also be able to be more resilient and be able to train and work the next day,” he says in his book The Feelgood Plan. “Inhale through the nose, filling your lower belly, lower rib cage, then up to your chest and throat. Exhale through the nose for a count of three. Keep a steady rhythm as you repeat the movement.”

4. Pilates and Weight Training

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Professional dance coach Kurt Froman trained with Lawrence for her role as a dancer in Red Sparrow. “I worked with Jen six days a week, three hours a day for three months,” he says. “As well as doing cross training in the form of Pilates, or toning and weight-training, or gyrotonics… Weight training and doing a lot of cardio is very good. The human body is amazing when it comes to support – we have to fully shock it. It’s about constantly diversifying your workout.”

5. Gyrotonics Sessions

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Gyrotonics was a core part of Lawrence's dance training. “Gyrotonics is really amazing for strengthening the upper body,” Froman says. “It’s a form of Pilates based on functional strength through rhythmic movements. It’s similar to ballet because it’s very lengthening and you’re constantly using your breath, and it requires a lot of core work as well.”

6. Healthy Snacks

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Lawrence likes to keep healthy, delicious snacks on hand. "In Jennifer's trailer, we would always have some full-fat Greek yogurt, some dark chocolate, some hummus and vegetables," Wong says. "It's always food that is working for us rather than against us."

7. She Works Hard For Physique

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Lawrence says society has a skewed perspective of what ‘normal’ looks like. “Everybody says, ‘We love that there is somebody with a normal body!’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t feel like I have a normal body … I do Pilates every day,” she says. “I eat, but I work out a lot more than a normal person. I think we’ve gotten so used to underweight that when you are a normal weight, it’s like, ‘Oh, my God, she’s curvy.’ Which is crazy. The bare minimum, just for me, would be to up the ante.”