Jennifer Lopez's Diet and Fitness Secrets Are Worth Taking a Few Cues From

Is it just us, or is Jennifer Lopez going full-on Benjamin Button? The always-on-the-go actress, singer, and dancer wowed at the American Music Awards as its high-energy host, showing off both dance moves and a her strong curves in a series of seriously sheer outfits — check out her best AMA moments here!). With good genes and a tireless work ethic on her side, here's how J Lo stayed healthy, happy, and fit.

Source: Instagram User jlo

Her positive outlook: Turns out even one of the most glam celebs in Hollywood has her off days, but she still keeps her focus on the positive. "Just like anybody else, there are days I feel great when I wake up, and then there are days when I feel more tired or not ready to face the day," Jennifer tells Elle Canada. "To be quite honest, on those days, I really try to think positively. I try to do a lot of affirmations for good health and positive thinking to just get my mind and my spirit in the right place so I can face whatever it is that I need to face."

Her healthy body image: She may be celebrated for her body, but Jennifer also knows what it's like to not look like everyone else. No matter what her shape or size, however, she doesn't let the pressure to be thin bother her. "I remember when I had baby fat and my thighs were so out of proportion to my ankles," she tells The Telegraph. "Then I remember dropping weight and being quite thin. Then, when I got pregnant, I remember watching my back, belly and butt grow and thinking, 'I will never be the same again.' Then I remember right after the twins were born having that weird jiggly belly — and kind of loving that, too. Because I earned that jiggly belly. Then came trying to get my body back into shape and how long that took. A whole year."

Her willingness to sweat: Give Jennifer a workout goal, and she'll be sure to meet it. She signed up for a sprint triathlon in 2008 to help her drop the baby weight and has become a devoted student of Tracy Anderson to stay in shape. "[I'm like] a fighter, going into the ring. I do my cardio and I do my workouts with the Tracy Anderson Method," Jennifer says (work out like Jennifer with this leg workout from Tracy Anderson). Jennifer is so committed, she hits the gym even when she doesn't want to work out. "Sometimes when I get home and I'm not feeling so great, I make myself go to the gym," she's said in Redbook. "Then I come home and take a shower, put on a great outfit, some makeup, tie my hair up, and I feel pepped up and great about myself."

Her healthy habits: No hard partying here, and it shows. Jennifer maintains her enviable glow (even with 16-hour workdays) with a few healthy habits: following a sugar- and salt-free diet (she's also a "big portion-control person," she says), eschewing cigarettes and alcohol, and getting eight hours of sleep a night.

Her practical outlook: Jennifer knows that if she wants to look and feel her best, it's about putting in the hard work. "You got to work out, you got to watch what you eat," she told Us Magazine. "It's a job — you've got to buckle down." Earlier this year, Jennifer even went on a 22-day vegan challenge in order to reset her eating habits and lose weight. Take your own challenge with 22 of our favorite healthy vegan dinners to make every night.