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Sarah Jessica Parker’s Fitness and Diet Secrets Revealed: Here’s How the Actress Stays in Shape
At 53, actress Sarah Jessica Parker is still ripped and stunning. Rather surprisingly, she doesn’t agree. “I don’t think I’m in that great shape these days,” Sarah said. “The body just doesn’t snap back in the way it used to when I was in my 20s.” OK, we’ll grant her that. What’s her secret? Pumping iron? No.
“I work out for a sum total of 22 minutes,” she admitted. “That’s all I can bear.”
Perhaps she has a nifty nighttime beauty routine? Also no. “I wash my face with whatever soap is lying around,” the star admitted. “Shower at night and sleep on wet hair. That’s my tip.”
A “no junk food” rule? Again, no. “We always have Tootsie Rolls and York Peppermint Patties,” Sarah said. “I love to eat. I think about food all the time.” Surely, the award-winning fragrance designer has a formula for remaining so “lovely!”
Like her Sex and the City character, Sarah Jessica lives in New York City and takes advantage of her urban surroundings. “I walk a lot. I think walking is great,” the star said, admitting, “I have a Fitbit.”
She achieves her daily 10,000 steps goal by walking her kids to school, running errands and hoofing it to meetings.
“I also live in a house with four flights of stairs,” she said, referring to the side-by-side West Village townhouses she shares with husband Matthew Broderick and their three kids — James, 16, and twins Marion and Tabitha, 9.
Walking and using stairs have benefits, like promoting healthy breathing and circulation, burning moderate calories and aiding digestion, but SJP doesn’t stop there. “I try to do yoga three times a week,” she said.
Sarah Jessica is fairly lax about her diet, but she usually adheres to the Hamptons Diet. Created by former Atkins Center director Dr. Fred Pescatore, the Hamptons Diet takes elements from the Mediterranean Diet, the South Beach Diet and, of course, the Atkins Diet. Sarah Jessica eats a lot of fish and low-carb vegetables, lean meats, plus healthy fats and carbohydrates in moderation. The Hamptons Diet emphasizes using macadamia oil. As the name indicates, it’s made from macadamia nuts and has a buttery taste, but no cholesterol. Macadamia oil can be used for cooking or as a salad dressing. It’s even a natural moisturizer! The oil is an excellent source of omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, which can improve skin tone and boost metabolism. Unfortunately, it’s very expensive and not many stores carry it.
“I do like feeling fit and healthy,” the actress admits. “Now that I’m older, I need to do more for myself.”
Unlike the Sex and the City girls’ trademark cosmopolitans, Sarah’s favorite drink is nonalcoholic. “I’m crazy for almond milk,” the star revealed. “It’s like the gift that keeps on giving. I can’t figure out if it’s an entire meal or dessert. Or if it’s thin and refreshing or thick like a milkshake.”
Although her natural beauty seems effortless, Sarah Jessica cautions others against drawing comparisons. She admits that stars have an edge. “No real woman should look to any woman in this industry as an example,” the star confessed. “I’m fortunate enough to have things like private trainers and yoga classes. I realize that.”
