Jennifer Lopez Works Hard, Plays Hard, Has Two Little Kids, And She’s 46-Years-Old: Tips On How To Have It All

Jennifer Lopez spends more time on TV than most people do watching TV. She is a judge on American Idol. She does all the talk shows, attends and performs at awards shows, and now she has her own series, Shades of Blue on NBC.

Jennifer Lopez is Harlee Santos in the new series, Shades of Blue. Her character is a NYPD detective and single mother. Reviews, like the one by Daily Campus, say that although the show is otherwise weak, Jennifer makes it great. According to Gossip & Gab, the show is set for the next two seasons after only airing for a month. Only one month since the premiere she gets confirmation of a second season. How lucky is that? Luck probably had nothing to do with it. Lets face it, this girl is good at everything she does.

In Addition, Jennifer Lopez is beginning a 20-date residency in Las Vegas at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, where she will take the stage of the Axis Theater. Footwear News reports that each show is two hours long, and has almost countless costume changes. Jennifer helps design all the costumes. What a workout for Jennifer!

As a successful business woman, Jennifer has a complete fashion line of clothing, accessories, and fragrances. She also owns a production company, and a charitable foundation. Her net worth is approximately $300 million.

Jennifer Lopez is also the mother of twin 8-year-olds, and has an active social life. She makes time for romance with one of her former backup dancers, Casper Smart.

So, how does she do all of that? What gives Jennifer Lopez the energy to go on?

First of all, Jennifer Lopez takes care of her body. She not only dances, she works out nearly every day. As Pop Sugar explains, she is not afraid to sweat. Jennifer also eats right, doesn’t smoke, drink, or eat sugar. She also avoids salt in her diet. Sometimes Lopez eats vegan for weeks at a time, but not all the time. She also has times when she eats meats and other animal proteins.

The key to Jennifer’s success is really self discipline. As she explained in a Redbook interview, she doesn’t always feel like sweating, dancing, dieting, working out, or any of the things she does, but she knows that procrastination, cheating on diets, and skipping workouts is a trap. It may feel great at the time, but you will pay for it in lost energy and momentum later.

“Sometimes when I get home and I’m not feeling so great, I make myself go to the gym. 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. I think that for some reason, when you maintain yourself, people are really surprised. It’s inspiring for women who have kids and take care of themselves to be sexy.”

So, is Jennifer Lopez all work and no play? Don’t people like her ever get to be lazy or have fun? Well, yes and no. Fun yes, but be lazy almost never, though this year Jennifer did skip the Grammy Awards to spend some time with her family. Sometimes it is just a matter of priorities and what she really wants to do, she makes time for.

“You’ve gotta do things that make you happy. As women, we tend to give away a lot. We take care of a lot of people, and we can’t forget to take care of ourselves. If that means once a week you’re going to go off without the kids or without anybody and just go shoe shopping — well, that’s me, because I love shoes — or get a facial even if your sister thinks that’s selfish, or join a Zumba class, or take a painting class, or whatever, you’ve just got to do it. It’s just two hours a week, for heaven’s sake.”

Jennifer Lopez has worked very hard to get where she is today, and she continues to work very hard in everything she does. The most amazing thing about her, even more than her tough schedule, is her energy and her sparkle. She not only lights up the room, she can keep it lit for hours. She’s not one to let herself fade in a couple of hours. That is the real payoff of the workouts, the diets and all that self discipline.

So the Jennifer Lopez secret is to work hard, play a little and take time off to spend with people you love once in a while.

[Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]