Jessica Biel, 42, Shares The Exercises That Help Her Live Pain-Free
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Jessica Biel knows a thing or two about health. In addition to her background as an action star in films like Blade: Trinity and Total Recall, the actress is also the founder of the plant-based kids' health company KinderFarms. But even she didn't understand what was happening when she first got her period at the age of 11.
"When it actually happened to me, I thought it was dying," she exclusively tells Women's Health. "I literally was like, 'This is it. It's been a good run. 11 years!'"
That's why she teamed up with the nonprofit PERIOD. to write A Kid's Book About Periods, which demystifies the menstrual cycle for families everywhere—including Jessica's. (The Minnesota native shares sons Silas, 9, and Phineas, 4, with husband Justin Timberlake.)
A Kids Book About Periods
amazon.com
$17.99
And while she hasn't sat down with her kids and had a full conversation about the birds and the bees just yet, they're already interested in her pads and tampons—and Jessica can sense that a larger conversation is coming in the future (likely with the help of the book).
"Just because they don't menstruate doesn't mean they're not curious about it, or curious about their own bodies," she says. "We're creating a very calm and normalized feeling around it. So when I do get to read the book with him, I think he'll be like, 'Wow, this is kind of cool and weird and wonderful.'"
But that isn't the only way Jessica is open about health and wellness around her family. The Candy star is passionate about Pilates, and even works out with her children and husband from time to time.
Since he's older, Silas will sometimes go through a modified version of the couple's workouts. But for their younger son Phineas, Jessica and Justin just try to teach the importance of stretching before a sweat sesh.
"We talk about, 'Alright, Phinny, get in a straddle. See if you can touch your toes! We gotta warm up our body before we work out,'" Jessica recalls.
To relax, the actress also loves to hike, snowboard, and meditate. Here's everything to know about Jessica Biel's fitness routine.
Jessica uses Pilates to increase her mobility—and decrease pain.
These days, Jessica turns to Pilates for her main workout, citing its benefits for strength, joint, and ligament health.
"When I was in my twenties, it was important to me how much I could bench press and how ripped my shoulders are, and all that stuff is less important to me now," she shared. "What's important to me now is mobility. I don't want to be living with pain."
As a boy mom, Jessica said she'll find herself in "body positions that aren't usual." So it's especially important to focus on "lengthening and strengthening."
"I want to feel good inside my body," she says.
In between Pilates sessions, Jessica also enjoys circuit training in her gym, hikes, and snowboarding in the winter.
She focuses on lighter weights before big events.
When she does hit the gym, Jessica relies on exercises involving 10 to 15-pound dumbbells, especially before big red carpets like the 2024 Met Gala. Those can include tricep pushdowns and lat pull-downs, plus hip thrusts, leg curls, planks, and more.
She'll also incorporate lots of bodyweight exercises like squats and lunges into her routine, and is sure to drink lots of water.
"We're just thinking about moving fluids through your body to get everything taut and lean and strong," she explained. "If I get sore and swell, it takes me a couple of days to come back down, and then your clothes are just fitting a different way because you're retaining lactic acid. [Those exercises] are meant to not make me too sore."
Working out is a family affair.
For Jessica, it's really important to teach her sons the importance of staying active. "We work out together a ton," she says.
The boys are in and around their parents as they work out in their home gym, and even get in on the sweat sessions every once and while. The couple's trainer Ben Bruno will lead Silas in a modified version of Jessica and Justin's routine, while their youngest son Phineas will join them for stretches or walking on the treadmill.
"He'll give Silas what he's doing, Justin's doing something, I'm doing something," she says. "We're all doing it together and it's really fun."
For Jessica and Justin, it's all in an effort to teach their sons the importance of moving their bodies, so they can have "vibrant, strong, healthy lives as they get older."
Plus, they even engage their sons in their passions, like Justin's love of golf. "They're interested somewhat sometimes, but it can also be a little slow for them," she admits.
She incorporates vegetables into her diet whenever possible.
Jessica also prioritizes a balanced diet. While she's the founder of the plant-based company KinderFarms, her family isn't strictly vegetarian or vegan themselves.
"We were talking about it yesterday and Justin said, 'Do our kids need to eat more vegetables?'" she recalls. "I was like, 'Yeah, but everybody kind of needs to eat more vegetables! Everyone in the whole world.'"
The actress says they try to stick to lean, sustainable meats, local produce, and healthy starches—along with "some treats every now and again."
"We keep it pretty simple," she adds.
She uses meditation to center herself.
Being an author, an entrepreneur, an actress/producer, and full-time mom can get a little challenging, so Jessica also uses meditation to round out her wellness routine.
"I love taking those moments for myself," she says. "I have a couple books that I look at with little mantras. I love even two minutes or five minutes of just mindfully thinking about something inspiring."
Plus, she calls going outside "her church," adding that she'll practice mindfulness while walking or hiking.
"That for me, is very much a time where I reflect," she says. "But it's not perfect and it's not fully always in balance either. So I'm still working on it, too."
Go, Jessica, go!
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