Jessica Biel, 40 Today, Reveals Her Exact Weight Loss Plan

A woman of many talents, and she got to marry our childhood crush, Jessica Biel is still killing it as she just turned 40. (Happy birthday!) With diet and discipline, but also having fun with her workouts and bringing sports into the game, she has not only maintained her figure over the years, but improved it. How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 5 ways Jessica Biel stays in shape and the photos that prove they work—and to get beach-ready yourself, don't miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bathing Suit Photos!

1. She Cooks With Veggies From Her Garden

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Starting a garden is a good idea all around. It not only gives you a hobby and a reason to be outside in the sun, getting that oh so important vitamin D, but it also provides you with fresh seasonal ingredients to use at your leisure year round. “We have a beautiful garden and go out all of the time, every couple of days, pick spinach and pick radishes and things and throw them together in a salad and it’s wonderful,” Jessica explains. “That’s probably one of the coolest things I think about living in California is that we can really grow all year long.” She likes to throw veggies in some quinoa or serve them with a grilled veggie burger, too.

2. Kind of Paleo, Kind of Not

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She doesn’t seem to take anything too strict, giving herself a little room to be flexible, but also seeking out foods most of the time that taste good and are healthy.. “So recently my family has been making this pancake mix we like, it’s a Paleo pancake mix, it has a lot of coconut, no gluten, no wheat, no dairy... delicious,” Jessica explains. “So we’ll start off with Paleo pancakes with some cashew or almond butter on top with some local honey, and we like chicken-apple sausage, and then maybe a fresh juice from the Juicero machine, which we love, we have some green tea with honey -- that’s a pretty normal morning for me.” she told the Los Angeles Times.

3. She’s Not An All Or All-Or-Nothing Person

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Even though she makes some paleo, gluten-free, and dairy free choices for the most part, she doesn’t restrict herself too much. “Just creating a balance if possible… but honestly I just feel better when I don’t have gluten or wheat or dairy, Jessica said. “My digestion is better, I feel better, I have more energy… I just try to eat really healthy. I mean, of course I have cheat-days and will go out and have, like, cookies and pizza. If I’m training maybe I up the protein intake…. I don’t do so much eating for training unless I’m really training for something specific.” Jessica doesn’t believe in completely kicking out certain foods from her diet all together. "I'm not all-out anything," as she put it in a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times.

4. She Focuses on a Wide Variety of Workouts

The actress has always maintained an active lifestyle, working sports into her routine in addition to yoga and other cardio workouts. “I’m aware of how my muscles feel, what it feels like when anything changes. Playing sports and being physical helps me maintain that sort of relationship with my own body. So when I’m doing something or performing in a physical role, I understand that,” Jessica told ESPN.

5. She Lives an Active Lifestyle

Ingrained at a young age, Jessica spent a big part of her life playing sports like soccer and gymnastics and going on hikes with her friends. She’s always prioritized being outside, enjoying activities like snowboarding in the winter or golfing or volleyball in the summer, according to Fitness Reaper