Gwyneth Paltrow has revealed her wellness secrets ahead of her 50th birthday

Gwyneth Paltrow has revealed her wellness secrets ahead of her 50th birthday

Gwyneth Paltrow is sharing her beauty and wellness secrets ahead of her 50th birthday on September 27th. The actress, mother, and entrepreneur shared insight into how fitness, skincare, and health have played a role in her life over the past five decades in a recent Goop article, and you'll want to take notes.

Paltrow grew up playing sports like swimming and volleyball, but it wasn't until she started Ashtanga yoga (the foundation of modern power yoga) at age 25 that she started to really think about her health, she explained. “I committed myself to it, went six days a week and it changed my body and my mind,” she said. “I began to understand that routines are important to me.”

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Nearly 25 years later, Paltrow's body responds differently to exercise, she shared. "Now I'm at the age where I think, 'Okay, the effort you're putting in now isn't necessarily going to produce the results it did 10 years ago in terms of training,'" she said. Still, she is grateful for “the foundation” she has 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 trains with celebrity trainer Tracy Anderson. "But it's important to have some grace with your body aging, to be able to forgive. Okay, maybe my skin or my muscles here won't bounce back like they used to, and that's OK. You need to recalibrate."

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

As Paltrow gets older, she also becomes more interested in her physical health. “I find that the older I get, the more drawn I am to monitoring my health, doing blood tests, and collecting data on inflammation levels, blood sugar levels, sleep, vitamins, etc.,” she said, adding, “Your body recovers a little less quickly from overindulgence — 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 back on alcohol and focused on reducing inflammation. What's turned out to be best for me is paleo, so I'm grain-free, sugar-free, eat 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 the ways she has prioritized health and wellness over the years. “I feel really great about turning 50,” she said. "I feel really lucky to have the health (touch wood) and strength in my body. I feel like a lot of the decisions I made in my late 20s, my 30s and my 40s are paying off now."

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There is no doubt that the actress has also gained wisdom and perspective during this time. “Aging is a journey to discovering your true self,” she explained. “It’s learning to fully embrace who you really are.” While some fear growing older, Paltrow believes a big change is happening when it comes to how society views aging, she explained. "In some ways, culturally, we've completely redefined what 50 is for people, both internally and externally," she said, pointing to other celebrities like Jennifer Lopez who have reached the milestone and appear to be in their prime. "For so many women I know, this is the best time yet, the highlight of their lives. That's why I'm happy about this milestone birthday."