The Exact Moment Jennifer Aniston 'Committed to Being Mindful' of What She Consumes

"My mom was a real health fanatic. Growing up, it was no fun to come to my house because it was all cardboard-tasting food," recalls Jennifer Aniston. "When I moved out, my big rebellion was to stock my fridge with food that had taste — I bought every cereal I'd ever wanted and other crap. Eventually, I started to feel like crap. And I looked like crap. I went to a nutritionist and realized that my mom had been doing me a favor. I committed to being mindful of what I put into my body."

Since then, the 52-year-old actor has developed a wellness routine that optimizes her inner and outer beauty. "Every morning, I walk and feed the dogs. Then I meditate, make my coffee, and journal or write a gratitude list. Only after that do I pull out the phone and allow emails and texts and all the busy business stuff into my brain space," she says.

Of course, some days she has to be up and out. "If I have only five minutes, I'll use them to move my body," she says. "Jumping rope is a killer workout." If you're skeptical, Aniston has been there too.

"When my trainer, Leyon, whom I love more than life, handed me a jump rope for the first time, I said, 'You're out of your mind.' I would dread doing it and would skip instead of jump over the rope. He kept saying, 'No, try to do it correctly.' It was so irritating. But within six months, my jumping became fluid. Now I can just go and go and go."

Another key component of her routine is a nutritious diet. "But I treat myself occasionally," she says. "Mexican food and a good chopped salad make me happy."

She also adds Vital Proteins' Collagen Peptides (Buy It, $19, amazon.com) to her coffee or smoothie. (She recently joined the brand as their Chief Creative Officer.) "I love products that show results. Within two months of using Vital Proteins, I felt such a difference in my workouts and joints, and my nails became rock hard," says Aniston. (Read more: Are Collagen Supplements Worth It?)

The actor has also been more conscious of what not to consume. "Social media and the news can be really toxic. I was watching way too much during the pandemic, begging for it to be something different, but nothing changed," she says. What does give her a boost, however, is her favorite podcast, SmartLess.

"Three of my friends host — Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett — and their chemistry is fantastic. I'd listen to them after filming The Morning Show, which has a lot of heavy material, because it always puts a big smile on my face," she says.