Gwyneth Paltrow Shared Her Wellness Secrets Ahead of Her 50th Birthday

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Gwyneth Paltrow is spilling her beauty and wellness secrets ahead of her 50th birthday on September 27. The actress, mother, and entrepreneur shared insights into how fitness, skin-care, and health have played a role in her life over the last five decades in a recent Goop article, and you're going to want to take notes.

Paltrow grew up playing sports, such as swimming and volleyball, but it wasn't until she took up Ashtanga yoga (the basis of modern power yoga) at 25 that she started to really think about her health, she explained. "I was committed to it, went six days a week, and it transformed my body and my mind," she said. "I started to understand that routines are important for me."

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Nearly 25 years later, Paltrow's body reacts differently to working out, she shared. "Now, I'm at the age where I'm like, 'Okay, the effort you put in now doesn't necessarily yield the results it did 10 years ago, in terms of working out,'" she said. Still, she's grateful for "the foundation" she's built over the years. "My body knows what it's doing and has some muscle memory, some strength, and some flexibility," said Paltrow, who also works out with celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson. "But it's important to have some grace around the aging of your body, to be forgiving. Okay, well, maybe my skin or my muscle won't bounce back here the way it used to, and that's okay. You have to recalibrate."

Paltrow didn't think about aging until she was in her late 30s, she admitted. "Slowly it was like, 'Are those wrinkles? Is that sun damage?'" she said. Now, she prioritizes preventing sun damage with hats and sunscreen and follows a skin-care hack she learned from her mother, Blythe Danner. "I got this trick from my mom — using night cream during the day; we both have dry skin," she explained.

With age, Paltrow has also become more interested in taking care of her physical health. "I notice that the older I get, the more drawn I am toward monitoring my health, doing blood work, and collecting data about inflammation levels, blood sugar levels, sleep, vitamins, etc.," she said, adding, "Your body rebounds a little less quickly from overindulging — staying healthy takes a little more intentionality."

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That's one of the reasons the Goop founder follows a "clean diet," she explained. "Last year, I cut down on alcohol and focused on lowering inflammation. What's turned out to be best for me is paleo, so I'm grain-free, sugar-free, eating lots of vegetables and clean protein. Lots of fish, lots of olive oil."

Overall, Paltrow seems to have a positive outlook on aging and is grateful for all of the ways she's prioritized health and wellness over the years. "I actually feel great turning 50," she said. "I feel really lucky that I have my health (touch wood) and strength in my body. I feel like many of the decisions I made in my late 20s, my 30s, and my 40s are paying dividends now."

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There's no doubt the actress has gained wisdom and perspective in that time as well. "Aging is a journey to knowing your actual self," she explained. "It's learning to fully embrace who you really are." While some dread getting older, Paltrow thinks there's a major shift happening when it comes to how society views aging, she explained. "On some level culturally, we've totally redefined what 50 is for people, both internally and externally," she said, pointing to fellow celebrities, such as Jennifer Lopez, who have hit the milestone and seem to be in their prime. "For so many women I know, this is the best time so far, the peak time of their lives. So I'm happy at this big birthday."