Get ready to be inspired by these Hollywood queens who are not only household names but also the epitome of health and fitness! We’ve handpicked these leading ladies to ignite a fire within you and push you towards becoming the healthiest and fittest version of yourself. Let’s give credit where it’s due because these fierce actresses train just as hard as their male counterparts. They’ve earned their spot as strong, healthy, and active role models for young women through sheer determination and hard work. While we celebrate and embrace every body type, we hope these Hollywood stars will fuel your motivation to discover your own optimal fitness level.
Here at HFR, we’ve been curating lists of the Top 10 Fittest Hollywood Actresses for years, and we’re thrilled to continue our legacy with this exciting updated selection. Our journey began with a comprehensive study of the most popular 100 actresses, narrowing our focus to 50, then 25, and finally arriving at the reigning 10. To ensure accuracy, we left no stone unturned, scouring interviews and social media accounts for information. But that’s not all! We even consulted with Samir Becic, the illustrious founder of HFR and author of the fitness book “ReSYNC Your Life” published by HarperCollins.
For the first time since we started our rankings a decade ago, we have incorporated a vital component: mental health. Recognizing its significant influence on overall well-being, we have taken into account the mental health aspect while crafting this prestigious list. Particularly noteworthy is the fact that 1 in 5 Americans suffers from mental health illness, making it imperative to address this crucial aspect of health.
Samir Becic, a true authority in the health and fitness industry, with over 20 years of experience, had this to say about these powerhouse women: “These talented actresses not only radiate health and embody fitness, but they also wield their influence as extraordinary ambassadors, igniting a global movement that inspires millions to embark on the transformative journey towards a healthier and fitter existence.”
In making our selections, we considered various factors, including their fitness levels, nutritional habits, how they’ve handled any medical challenges, and their dedication to promoting a healthy lifestyle. So, without further ado, let’s dive into our top picks, presented in alphabetical order:
Jennifer Aniston
Fitness:
- Jennifer’s training philosophy combines both her mind and body. Keeping her physical and mental vitality at optimal levels.
- Jennifer uses a combination of yoga, spinning, and Pilates to focus on developing a better connection to her mind, emotions, and body.
- Pvolve is her thing for reasons sentimental and also emotional. It’s more about mind-body since it’s not just tossing your arms out to the side or doing different workouts. You have to be mindful of your body and its movement.
- Not that she loves to focus on one muscle or area particular. It’s usually some form of an overall body workout.
Nutrition:
- When training for her role as a stripper in We’re the Millers, she stuck to a strict diet of vegetables, lean proteins, and occasional kale chips!
- Since her role, she still sticks to a healthy, balanced diet, and avoids carbohydrates to keep her body looking toned.
- To start her day, she makes her breakfast drinkable. She gets a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar and mixes it in water, room temperature water, which is fantastic for your gut. She also has a cup of coffee.
- Aniston’s typical eating pattern involves consuming lunch at about one or two p.m., where she usually consumes a balance of vegetables and protein.
- For a mid-afternoon pick-me-up, Aniston goes for something small like a gala apple and almond butter or a bag of popcorn.
- Dinner is pretty similar to her lunch. Merely vegetables and protein, encased in something that sounds good and delicious.
- On the weekends, she treats herself to something special such as pizza, pasta, or a burger.
Mental Health Practices:
- Aniston developed strategies to help her cope with not being able to sleep well, like meditating and having a set routine, so she can fall asleep at night.
- Additionally, she reached out to a healthcare provider, who identified sleep deprivation as an issue. For people who struggle with sleep she recommends seeking professional assistance.
Jessica Biel
Fitness:
- Her routine includes walking lunges, sprinting, cardio workouts, and yoga. These moves seem to be working in her favor, especially since she’s already bounced back after having her baby in 2015.
- Jessica’s trainer also incorporates plyometrics, also known as “jumping training,” into her exercise routine. Plyometric workouts last for under an hour, but the intensity of these moves definitely get the job done.
- Jessica also enjoys working out in the great outdoors. Jessica spends plenty of time going on hikes and jogs with her dogs. But instead of treating these outdoor activities as physical exercise, she focuses on the mental health aspects of these experiences.
Nutrition:
- She eats a lot of vegetables and grain proteins. She is a fan of fermented veggies and probiotics also, which she considers great for her skin and digestion.
- While she doesn’t strictly adhere to any diet, Jessica likes to borrow elements of the Paleo and dairy-free diets.
- Her best typically emerges when she curbs wheat and dairy, in particular. Avoiding these ingredients aligns her digestive system and her energy level.
- Jessica tries to be balanced too. She enjoys the occasional slice of bread (or cake!), cookies, pasta, wine, or pizza.
- Jessica uses vegetables from her own garden to cook at home. She grows vegetables every season in California. The yard is where she gets some of her favorite vegetables such as her spinach and radishes. She puts them together in a salad.
- In more recent times, sausage, salmon, and chicken have been mentioned as foods Jessica eats. Typically, her meals do not contain a great deal of meat (particularly red meat such as steak) but she is no longer vegetarian or vegan.
Mental Health Practices:
- For Jessica, the term self-care doesn’t mean a day at the spa or a sheet mask, it means a high wire balancing of self-care that ends with her grounded, recharged, and ready to take on the world.
- She is actively working on “dropping the guilt” of focusing on herself, too. She believes she will be more present with her family after she has been nice to her body or gotten some endorphins going.
Gal Gadot
Fitness:
- Gal Gadot undergoes intensive training sessions to prepare for physically demanding roles. These sessions likely include a mix of cardiovascular exercises, strength training, and functional movements.
- Strength training is a vital part of building a character like Wonder Woman. Gadot was involved in weightlifting and resistance training to enhance muscle strength and stamina.
- Workouts focused on the heart and lungs, like running, biking or high-intensity interval training (HIIT), is part of Gadot’s schedule in improving overall fitness and stamina.
- Due to the action-oriented nature of her roles, Gadot includes martial arts training in her fitness regimen. Martial arts have the ability to improve flexibility, agility, and coordination.
- Gadot’s fitness regime includes routine and consistent training. It is consistent training that allows for the accomplishment and sustainment of physical fitness goals.
Nutrition:
- Gadot incorporates all food groups, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats, into her diet which is how to achieve a balanced nutritious diet.
- Since Gadot undergoes intensive training, muscle repairment is essential. Muscle repair and overall health requires sufficient protein consumption. Lean meats, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, legumes, and plant-based proteins are all typical protein sources.
- Essential to Gadot’s diet, is to include sources of healthy fats, which may be avocados, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and fatty fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids.
Mental Health Practices:
- Finding equilibrium between work, personal life, and self-care is key. Striking a healthy work-life balance is frequently used by Gagot as a way to handle stress.
- Developing and preserving positive relationships with loved ones offers assistance with emotional matters. It is crucial to have a dependable support network to deal with the difficulties that life throws your way which is why Gadot ensures that she stays in close contact with her support system.
Scarlett Johansson
Fitness:
- Johansson practices functional training, a series of exercises that imitate common activities. It is a great way to enhance general strength, flexibility, and coordination.
- To play a character as formidable as Black Widow, weight training is essential. This involves lifting weights and using resistance to build and sculpt muscles.
- Johansson includes martial arts training in her fitness routine, given the combat scenes in action movies. Martial arts provide both physical conditioning and skill development.
- To achieve stunts and action sequences, it is crucial to be flexible. To have a better outcome on flexibility and decrease the possible consequence from an injury stretching and mobility exercises might be added which is why Johansson does a lot of flexibility and mobility work.
Nutrition:
- Johansson takes essential vitamins and minerals provided by a diet rich in fruit and vegetables. In overall health support and in immune function, these nutrients have a critical part to play.
- Scarlett Johansson believes that the timing of meals can be used to enhance energy levels and improve recovery. Supplying the body with a combination of carbohydrates and protein after a workout can help the muscles recover.
- Johansson practices a well-balanced diet that includes all three macronutrients: protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Each of these macronutrients has a specific role in both supporting overall health and meeting your body’s energy needs.
Mental Health Practices:
- Johansson uses strategies like mindfulness meditation to reduce stress and enhance mental clarity. Such techniques involve focusing on the present moment and fostering an awareness.
- Maintaining a positive mindset can be supported by focusing on positive aspects of life as well as expressing gratitude. Many people keep gratitude journals or incorporate gratitude into their daily reflections.
- Johansson makes room for activities that help her take care of herself which is crucial to her mental health. Whether it’s reading, pursuing hobbies, or simply relaxing, she gives herself permission to shut out the noise and make space for guilt-free downtime.
Jennifer Lawrence
Fitness:
- While training for her role in X-Men: Apocalypse, Jennifer met with her trainer any chance she could.
- Jennifer incorporated several 15-minute workouts between filming. These exercises included simple moves that could be done on set, such as squats and lunges.
- Jennifer sometimes took her workouts outside for some light jogging or walking. These light outdoor workouts allowed Jennifer to unwind and relax her muscles, especially after hours of sitting still during hair and makeup.
- Lawrence worked with Kurt Froman six days a week for three months and also did three weeks of cross training in one hour increments a day doing either Pilates or toning and weight training or gyrotonics.
- Jennifer is a big fan of Pilates. She does them every day.
Nutrition:
- Jennifer’s secret to managing her diet is never depriving herself. Instead of keeping up with a strict diet, Jennifer focuses on eating appropriate levels of fat, carbohydrates, and protein.
- Her go-to snacks include lean turkey, dark chocolate, veggies, and hummus.
- She also hydrates with water throughout the day, which we all know is paramount to good health!
Mental Health Practices:
- By taking time away from acting, Lawrence was able to take back not only time for herself, but also her own identity as she worked to define who she was.
- After becoming a mom, the celebrity admitted that she has already changed so much and is now looking to the future with a new perspective. She shared, “My heart has expanded to a purpose that I didn’t know existed.”
- Lawrence explains that she stays motivated because she wants to look a certain way in photographs or wants to fit in her clothes a certain way. She explained that she puts in extra effort in the gym instead of extra effort into her diet.
Jennifer Lopez
Fitness:
- Lopez employs a workout expert on either shore: In Los Angeles she trains with Tracy Anderson; in New York, meanwhile, it’s David Kirsch, known for his planks, push-ups, and boxing.
- Lopez works out at least five days a week
- I incorporate freestyle dancing into my exercise routine five times a week. She includes light weights (3 lbs) and moves that target the butt and thighs and engage the core – always the core.
- J Lo seems to have taken an interest in boxing for years now, with her even having filmed several boxing scenes for her TV show, Shades of Blue, a few years ago.
Nutrition:
- Alcohol, smoking and drinking are off limits. Although, she sips decaf in the morning.
- Lopez eats a lot of green vegetables, asparagus, Brussel sprouts, broccoli and kale.
- Lopez loves to do a lot of cooking. She really loves Puerto Rican food, that’s what she grew up on, which includes a lot of pork and chicken and if she’s eating out, Lopez will also choose fish and vegetables.
- Everything is organic and everything is deliberate, with a mix of highly nutritious protein and a lot of nutrient-dense food…everything is from scratch and fresh.
- Lopez varies her lunch choices, but often has a salad packed with protein and veggies. She’s said to be a fan of broccoli, peppers, and zucchini with some vinaigrette on top. For dinner, she usually pairs a protein with quinoa.
Mental Health Practices:
- According to Lopez, it all starts with the fundamentals. That means getting enough sleep and drinking plenty of water. It also requires paying attention to less tangible things, like meditating and taking care of your mind, your body, your soul.
- Lopez says that she visited her doctor who told her at the time that the reason she had her panic attack was because she didn’t get enough sleep (seven to nine hours to be exact).
Margot Robbie
Fitness:
- Some celebrities, including Margot Robbie, incorporate Pilates and yoga into their routines. These exercises can improve flexibility, core strength, and overall body awareness.
- According to Margot’s old trainer, Andie Hecker, Margot did two-to three-hour barre and ballet-inspired workouts five days a week.
- Margot famously confessed to ET that she would do 100 sit-ups a day to get strong for I, Tonya, also telling the outlet she did hip dips, planks and pikes to prep for Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad.
- Robbie incorporates exercises that focus on strength training. This can include exercises such as weightlifting and bodyweight exercises.
Nutrition:
- To stay full, Margot allegedly avoids saturated fats, added sugar, ultra-processed foods, and chocolate and stacks her diet with high-protein foods that are rich in nutrients.
- Robbie’s breakfast usually consists of oatmeal with blueberries. This meal is a superb combination of complex carbs, protein, and antioxidants. A kale and apple juice smoothie are usually served alongside it.
- Lunch is normally a dish such as lemon chicken or fish with wholegrain brown rice and vegetables.
- Robbie seems to be embracing a diet plan that is much akin to the Mediterranean. It is here where meals consist of bulk fruits and vegetables, whole grains, fish, beans, and legumes while limiting the intake of red meats such as pork and beef.
Mental Health Practices:
- Robbie shared a task she’s been doing that is incredibly simple. “I have lists of the things I need to do that day, long term, short term, fun things, non-fun things.”
- Margot explains perhaps you could watch a movie or even read a book. It may be doing something really simple like just doing a puzzle. Try to keep your day mixed, like, you could do something like you could do something different around the same time every day, like you could clean or read, or watch a TV program or a movie, or cook.
Gabrielle Union
Fitness:
- Her exercise routine is simple but effective. It usually consists of jumping jacks, running in place, push-ups, sit-ups, and squats. This may not sound like a lot, but Union repeats these moves until she feels she’s gotten a full workout in. This type of interval training is very effective in keeping your body tight and in shape.
- Union says she gets 15 to 20 minutes of activity each morning, including a mixture of cardio, strength training, and Pilates. Union says this kind of physical activity helps her feel more awake in the morning since she is not big on mornings.
- Union explains that interval training is the most effective strategy for the heart. It’s also the most efficient way to either jump-start or maintain weight loss. She jogs at level five for one minute, then goes down to three in order to bring her heart rate back down. And then she goes up to 5.2 then goes down again and then pushes herself back up to 5.5.
Nutrition:
- Union definitely doesn’t deny herself of her favorite foods, but moderation is key.
- Her general eating habits include plenty of veggies and fruit.
- Her diet includes quinoa, kale, steak, and fish.
- As far as snacking goes, Gabrielle enjoys occasionally munching on unsalted almonds.
- Gabrielle is also big on staying hydrated. She drinks plenty of water- 1 gallon a day to be exact.
- She takes in healthy fats and follows a diet that’s free of gluten, dairy, and very low in sodium while maintaining her gluten-free, dairy-free, low-sodium diet.
Mental Health Practices:
- Union learned to deal with the panic attacks that became part of her daily life following the assault, through decades of therapy.
- She said that throughout her sessions, she has received emotional tools that have really helped her grow and to basically aid in getting through the really bad flare-ups of this past year.
Michelle Yeoh
Fitness:
- Yeoh incorporates plenty of cardio and swimming into her work-out routine, but her real passion lies in Tai Chi. It is an ancient Chinese martial art, with strong philosophical aspects, and sometimes described as ‘meditation in motion’.
- Yeoh follows an intense workout regime, incorporating Yoga alongside around two hours of cardio per day. She has also admitted that as soon as she wakes up in the morning, she stretches and shadow boxes before going to work.
- Yeoh swims laps in the pool at her gym. She doesn’t swim for time or distance, instead, she ensures her heart is pumping and her limbs are warm.
Nutrition:
- Yeoh has a deliberate eating style, she makes sure to appreciate her meals. Yeoh chooses to consume many smaller meals during the day and she tries to base her diet mainly on fruits and vegetables.
- Yeoh’s family has a history of diabetes, so she is dedicated to avoiding sugar whenever she can.
- Yeoh explains that Malaysia offers the best food. Some of her favorites include laksa curry, chicken noodles and nasi padang.
- Yeoh’s qualifications involve a love of frozen yogurt, cheesecake as well as a glass of red wine on occasion.
Mental Health Practices:
- Constantly multitasking, Michelle Yeoh tightens her glutes while firming her face. After tapping on Helena Rubinstein’s radiance- boosting essence, she sweeps Medicube’s Age R Derma Shot along her jowl for a contouring massage . . . and now her day can really begin.
- After applying Helena Rubinstein day cream to smooth my face and neck she says: “This whole area starts to curtain my throat,” showing her hand sliding into her neck. “That’s why I do a massage to waken, to awaken all the glands—the thyroid glands, the orgasmic glands, and, of course, the liver so I’m not as toxic—and do the c-section on the face from temple to chin.”
- She advises, “Just always be who you are; be true to yourself. You can’t hide. Eventually, who you are will always come shining through. And the most important thing for me… to be able to find a nicer me and a kinder me.”
Zendaya
Fitness Routine:
- Zendaya grew up playing sports like soccer, basketball, and running track.
- While she doesn’t have a regular exercise routine, she stays active through her work, which often involves dancing and performing choreographed moves.
- During quarantine, she made exercise fun by putting on wigs, exercising as different characters, and making up skits.
- Zendaya enjoys spending time outside on hikes, which helps her relax and release stress.
- She also likes to join dance classes or dance by herself to make exercise enjoyable.
- Zendaya has shared a workout routine on her website, which includes exercises like arm raises with TRX straps, bicycle crunches, pushups, leg raises, and squats.
Nutrition:
- Zendaya has been a vegetarian since the age of 9 for ethical reasons.
- While she jokes that she tolerates vegetables and would rather have pizza, she still includes dairy and some other animal products in her diet.
- Breakfast is difficult for Zendaya. She loves breakfast food, she just doesn’t like to eat it first thing in the morning. Normally, an assistant or family member has to remind her to eat because she recognizes the importance of starting her day off with nutrition.
Mental Health Practices:
- Zendaya emphasizes the importance of making fitness fun to stick with it.
- She prioritizes her mental health by finding enjoyment in her workouts.
- Zendaya also values spending time outside, going on hikes, and being in nature as a way to relax and release stress.
