Jessica Alba has been a Hollywood icon for decades, admired not only for her acting prowess but also for her consistently stunning physique. From her early roles in "Honey" to her more recent appearances, Alba has always been in fantastic shape. This article delves into the details of Jessica Alba's diet and workout routines, exploring the various strategies she employs to maintain her health and fitness.
A Lifelong Commitment to Fitness
Jessica Alba is a lifelong devotee of movement and fitness. She recently shared a video of her full-body 'daily virtual' morning workout, programmed by Nike global trainer Betina Gozo Shimonek. Shimonek praised Alba, noting, "On top of being a powerhouse business woman, she still makes her health a priority. People always ask how to find motivation to work out, but Jess is proof that it’s…about consistency and discipline. Even on the days she doesn’t feel like it, she shows up and puts in the work."
The Alba-Shimonek Workout Routine
Alba’s routine with Nike global trainer Betina Gozo Shimonek consists of two full-body trisets (three exercises stacked together), sandwiched between a warm-up to wake up her core and lower body, and a high-energy finisher (hello, med ball slam!) to crank up her heart rate and build explosive power. Then it’s all rounded out by a cool-down to bring it back to baseline.
Warming Up
The workout begins with a comprehensive warm-up to prepare the body for the exercises ahead:
- F.A.S.T. (Forward, Angle, Side, Transverse) hip rocks: 10 reps each side
- Bear plank hold: 20 seconds
- Bear plank taps: 10 reps each side
- Single-leg hip bridge: 10 reps each side
- Side plank leg lift: 10 reps each side
First Set (Two Rounds)
The first set focuses on unilateral control, core stability, and lower-body power:
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- Rear-foot elevated (RFE) split squat: 15lb (6.8kg) x 10 reps each side
- RFE Romanian deadlift: 15lb (6.8kg) x 10 reps each side
- Single-leg hip bridge hold with chest press: 15lb (6.8kg) x 15 reps each side
Second Set (Two Rounds)
The second set continues to challenge core stability and incorporates upper body work:
- Copenhagen side plank: 20 seconds each side
- Bird dog row: 12lb (5.4kg) x 12 reps each side
- Tall kneeling curl to overhead press: 12lb (5.4kg) x 12 reps
Finisher (Three Rounds)
The workout concludes with a high-energy finisher to maximize heart rate and build explosive power:
- Overhead slam: 20lb (9.1kg) x 20 reps
- Plank hold: 20 seconds
Cooling Down
To prevent injuries, Jessica always makes sure to cool down and stretch after her workouts with the help of her personal trainer Ramona. The cool-down typically involves foam rolling and stretching to help the muscles recover.
The Power of the Bird-Dog Row
One move that stood out in Alba's workout video was the bird-dog row. This exercise is a combination of a bird-dog and a row, offering a lot of benefits.
In a bird-dog, you get into tabletop position and then extend one arm and the opposite leg. Because that removes the base of support, all of your core has to really fire to keep you from tipping over. It’s considered an antirotational core exercise, since the muscles are working to keep you from leaning side to side.
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When you add a row, you’ll simply grab a dumbbell in the hand opposite the leg you extend, and perform the move by pulling the weight toward your ribs, almost like you’re putting something into your pocket. The addition of the weight not only ups the core challenge, but it also brings in more upper-body work too: Like with any row, you’ll really target your lats (your broadest back muscle), rhomboids (upper back muscles between shoulder blades), and biceps (the front of your upper arms). If you’re looking to improve your posture, a strong back of the body is huge for preventing that forward shoulder hunch.
How to do a bird-dog row:
- Get into tabletop position on a bench. Make sure your shoulders, elbows, and wrists are stacked in a straight line and that your knees are in line with your hips.
- Hold a dumbbell in your right hand at arm’s length so it hangs slightly below the bench. Extend your left leg back while maintaining a flat back. Think about driving your foot toward the wall behind you to incorporate more tension in the glutes. This is the starting position.
- Keeping your body as stable as possible, retract your shoulder blade as you pull the dumbbell toward your ribs to do a row. Hold briefly at the top of the movement (your elbow should be past your ribs; if you’re not able to pull it that far, then the weight may be too heavy).
- Slowly lower the weight by extending your arm toward the floor.
Variety in Training
To keep her body functioning at its best, Jessica incorporates a variety of workouts into her routine.
- HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training): To get Jessica in an optimal fat burning heart rate range, her personal trainer Ramona incorporates High Intensity Interval Training (otherwise known as HIIT) into her weekly workout routine. The pair will usually cycle through a variety of circuit training exercises while doing this too.
- Yoga: On the days that Jessica feels like moving her body, but doesn’t want to over do it she turns to yoga. A few simple asanas first thing in the morning allows her to awaken her muscles, encourage blood flow, and recharge her body and mind. She enjoys hot yoga and sculpt yoga.
- Reformer Pilates: Reformer Pilates is a prevalent part of Jessica’s exercise regimen.
- Soul Cycle: Jessica has a Soul Cycle bike in her home gym, giving her access to the fitness brand’s most popular, heart rate hiking rides from the comfort of her own home.
- Weight Training: As any tenured athlete will tell you - weight training is integral if you’re trying to burn fat. Regularly incorporating weights into your workout helps to build muscle, and the higher your muscle content, the easier it is for your body to burn fat while you exercise. This is because muscles are ‘metabolically active’, which means that even when you’re not working out, your body will burn calories.
- Boxing: Boxing is another workout that Jessica relies on to improve multiple aspects of her physicality at once.
Jessica Alba's Diet: A Balanced Approach
Jessica likes to focus on eating a balanced, nutritious diet. She enjoys flavourful foods, and she’ll put hot sauce on pretty much anything! She avoids eating a lot of sugar and carbs. She has low blood sugar and low blood pressure, and her body feels best when she’s eating plenty of salt instead of sweets. For example, after an exercise, she makes sure to replenish her body with coconut water or water with salt.
Jessica follows the dietary advice of Kelly Leveque, a nutritionist and wellness consultant who focuses on holistic nutrition. Kelly created the Fab Four, which is a diet that emphasises eating protein, fat, fiber, and greens at every meal. Although Jessica doesn’t always follow this formula, she does most of the time! One reason Jessica likes this diet is because it is meant to help regulate blood sugar. There’s no calorie counting with this diet, and Jessica appreciates the ability she has to be flexible with it.
- Breakfast: Most mornings, Jessica drinks a smoothie for breakfast. She likes to make sure her smoothie includes greens, protein, and healthy fats. Another smoothie that Jessica likes is a typical Fab Four smoothie. Jessica also enjoys making chia seed pudding for her breakfast. As a treat, Jessica makes pancakes for her family sometimes. She prefers to go the gluten-free route with her pancake mix, and she likes to thin out the batter with olive oil, eggs, and almond milk. This makes the pancakes crepe-like.
- Lunch: For lunch, Jessica focuses on eating a plate that includes a protein source, healthy fat, fiber, and green vegetables. For example, Jessica might eat a chicken stir-fry with zucchini noodles or meatballs, Parmesan cheese, and broccoli. Jessica also likes to make what she calls “grazing boards.” They’re a great way for her to have nutritious options to snack on throughout her day, especially if she might not always have the time to sit down for a full meal.
- Dinner: Jessica likes to eat a salad every night for dinner when she can. She prefers to make her own salad dressing because she says it tastes better that way. She eats a lot of kale, and she always makes sure to massage her kale with dressing before she eats it. That helps remove some of the bitterness of the leaf. She also enjoys chicken quesadillas with corn tortillas and hot sauce! And when Jessica is out for a date with her husband, she loves getting steaks or sushi with him.
- Snacks: Jessica eats a lot of what her kids eat. She likes popcorn, as well as hummus with various vegetables, like carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, tomatoes, and cauliflower. If she really wants a treat, Jessica will make herself nachos. She likes putting homemade black beans on them and jalapeno-almond cheese. Jessica tries to avoid dairy products, so she likes that she can put dairy-free cheese on her nachos. Although Jessica doesn’t eat too many sweets, she does have a favourite dessert. She loves strawberry shortcakes! Jessica also enjoys baking. One of her favourite things to bake is pumpkin-spiced cookies with her mom.
Alba's Philosophy on Fitness
Jessica has shared several insights into her approach to fitness over the years:
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She knows working out ‘sucks’ but still gets herself to the gym
Working out gives you great endorphins but it can be miserable at times, and Alba is the first to admit it. She described the process of working out as “agonizing” while chatting with Extra and said she could think of “anything else” she’d rather do than exercise. "I've figured out now certain things that I like to do and it's actually become kind of a stress reliever," she said.
She loves ‘high intensity’ workouts
Alba’s workouts aren’t for the faint of heart. The star previously told Cosmopolitan she prefers to challenge herself and opt for “high energy” and “high intensity” sweat sessions. She does it for her mental state, to clear her head.
She adjusts her workouts for her problem areas
Alba adjusts some exercises to be kinder to her knees. Alba's trainer told Shape, osteoporosis is a concern for the star and said they adjust their workouts together to account for that. They focus on overhead exercises using resistance, which helps increase bone density.
She eats healthy during the week and indulges on the weekend
Alba has a pretty balanced approach to eating that leaves room for healthy foods and splurges. She tries to eat plant-based four days a week, and she doesn’t drink alcohol.
She felt more comfortable in her skin after becoming a mother
Alba also practices gratitude to remind herself how lucky she is that her body takes such good care of her. She loves her shape because it does what she wants it to. If she wants to go on a hike or a bike ride or go for a swim, she knows her body will do everything she tells it to.
She doesn’t beat herself up when she misses a workout
As a mom and entrepreneur, Alba’s schedule is jam-packed at all times, so she doesn’t always find time to squeeze in a workout. And that’s OK with her.
Practical Tips from Jessica Alba
Alba has some practical advice for anyone who's hoping to jumpstart a healthier lifestyle. “If you can just do it two or three times a week, a little bit of exercise whether it’s yoga or going for a walk or cycling class or something…go for it,” she previously told E! News. It’s important not to put unnecessary boundaries between you and your workouts. To stop that, she alternates morning (7am) and evening (6pm) sessions, pre-and post-work at her natural baby and beauty brand The Honest Company, five times a week.