We Want To Be As Hot As Jennifer Aniston: Her Personal Yoga Teacher Tells Us How

We’ve spoken exclusively to celebrity yoga expert Mandy Ingber, whose clients include Jennifer Aniston, Kate Beckinsale and Brooke Shields, to find out how you can get the A-lister body of your dreams.

Basically, we want a body like Jennifer Aniston's...help us! I would say, that body is taken... by Jennifer Aniston! Mainly the thing is, Jennifer has spent years consistently exercising and eating moderately. So your best bet is to begin a daily routine of self-care. An hour each day dedicated to you: 30 minutes of yoga, a 20-minute walk, 10 minutes to set your head straight. Try it: you may just end up with your best body. I know I did.

What's the first step to getting a better body? The first step to having the body you want is loving the body you have. This way, even if nothing else changes, you will feel better about yourself. When we come from a place of self-love, we make better choices, and those actions have a snowball effect. Positive thinking and reframing our mindset is the key. Setting an intention for yourself also goes a long way. Try saying ‘I am going to feel grateful for my amazing gift of a body’, or ‘I am going to move my body in celebration for 30 minutes a day’.

I also recommend making a gratitude list. Write down five things you love and are grateful for about yourself. I promise that if you do things in a more conscious grateful way, you will see the effects. 

How can busy, working women like us fit exercise into their schedule after a long day at the office? Scheduling exercise is like making an appointment with ourselves and our health. It's just as important as a business meeting, time with friends, or picking your child up from ballet practice. Setting aside the time and space daily is the key. Celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Kate Beckinsale schedule me at their homes to insure that they will take that time. It's not glamorous, but unless we plan and schedule it, it may not happen. This can be at lunch hour or before work, but simply setting it up will help. But we can't get motivated; how can we kickstart a new exercise regime? Sometimes you just have to act your way into correct thinking. Don't wait to be motivated to start being healthy and moving your body. When you begin to take the correct actions, you will want to do good for yourself. It's amazing how movement will lift your spirits. 

Of course I have days when I am not motivated, but I just show up anyway. At first you may drag yourself to the routine, then you will start to just show up. Soon you will look forward to it and then you may even end up revolving your life around it, and become a wellness buff like me. 

Is it possible to 'think yourself thin'? This is actually what I did for myself. Have you ever had one of those periods of time when you decide that regardless of what the scale says, you are going to dress in clothes that are cute and fit well, and show your body. Soon you actually are looking darned good.

I remember a time when I had gained a bit of weight. I finally decided to look in the mirror and see that the body that I wanted was already in the room, just under a couple of layers. I held that in my mind's eye, and quite effortlessly (but consistently) my body actually fell into shape. I no longer yo-yo the way that I once did. I simply commit to speaking and thinking positively about my body.

Mandy Ingber with Jennifer Aniston Sugary snacks are a downfall for a lot of people; what are your healthy snack tips? I love nuts as a filling snack during the day. Handfuls of nuts, like almonds, walnuts, and even cashews, are great. Water is also key. Often we think we are hungry when we are really thirsty, so drinking 2 to 3 litres of water is important to stay hydrated and keep it moving. 

I also suggest a green vegetable juice as one of your snacks daily. It's not enough to avoid certain foods: we must replace them with healthy alternatives. There are a few really great snack recipes in the book, and one of them includes sliced apples with salt and cinnamon. Another great go-to is boiled cauliflower drizzled in oil and salt. It's comfort food along the lines of a potato with a fraction of the carbs. 

The thought of going on a diet fills us with dread; can you make it less daunting for us? I have three diet options in my book. There isn't a one-size fits all diet. We all have such unique relationships to food and nurture, but beginning to eat consciously is my aim for the reader. One over-arching idea is to stick to whole, real foods, and avoid anything processed and packaged. Is it okay to break the rules once in a while? It's all about choices. I love a bit of dark chocolate; I eat chocolate daily. But it's personal. Someone may want to indulge in a glass of wine. It's really just the idea that you can't have everything in unlimited portions. Have a small amount of what you want to treat yourself each day, until you don't want it anymore. Deprivation has a backlash. The most important thing is how you feel about what you are putting into your body. Mandy’s new book, Yogalosophy: 28 Days to The Ultimate Mind-Body Makeover, is out 1 August.