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Criminal Minds Star AJ Cook on Staying Fit and Lean without Dieting

By January 6, 2014March 28th, 2022One Comment

 

If you’ve been to Fitzness.com before, you know that we believe diets are 100% stupid. Eating healthy and working out is a way of life that always yields great results. A.J. Cook is a busy lady who seems to adhere to the same philosophy. The actress who plays Supervisor Special Agent Jennifer “JJ” Jareau on the hit-drama, Criminal Minds, spills on juggling her busy schedule while playing her favorite role, mother to her 5-year-old son Mekhai. She graces the cover of the January/February edition of Women’s Running Magazine, which generously shared some of the highlights of her interview with us. Check those highlights out below, and to see A.J’s complete feature … pick up at a copy of Women’s Running on newsstands near you.

On how she struggled to be Hollywood thin: “The best thing I ever did was stop dieting. My whole life it’s been this struggle where you feel like you don’t look good enough, you’re not skinny enough. I don’t consider it a chore to eat properly and work out. I want to do it to be as healthy as I can for my son.”

·     Moving on after cheat meals: “It’s not the end of the world if you have some ice cream. Just eat more vegetables the next day. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself.”

·     How she sneaks in exercising in between her busy schedule for “Criminal Minds”: “I think what changed is that my life got exponentially busier, and now I look forward to the time in the day where I get to escape. And the older I get, the more I value that I only have one body, and I’ve got to take good care of it.”

·     She’s listens to her body: “At the end of the day, I want to do what’s best for my body and best for my health. Do I eat chocolate? Yeah. Do I eat it every day? No. I just try to eat healthy as much as possible, and everything in moderation. And I’ve learned to listen to my body. If my body wants a steak, I probably need some iron. It’s amazing when you listen.”

·     On how having a baby was a game changer for her: “You give birth to this beautiful creature, and life has so much more meaning than whether or not you’re skinny enough or pretty enough.”

·     Her favorite snacks to indulge on: “Salt and Vinegar Kettle Chips. Yeah, I’m kind of addicted to those.”

A.J.’s “busy mom” Eating Menu:

·         Breakfast – Egg white omelet or an egg-white scramble with chicken, avocado, and tomato. Or smoothie.

·         Lunch – A wrap with turkey or chicken, or a salad.

·         Dinner – Salad with protein, either fish or steak.

·         Snack – Piece of chocolate.

Fitz Koehler

Fitz Koehler

Your fitness expert. Master's in Exercise & Sport Sciences. She's taught around the globe for decades and has a stellar knack for yanking the best out of folks who'd like to become more fit. Author, Speaker, TV Personality, Race Announcer, Corporate Spokesperson

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