The actress has learned to “really honor where your body is,” she tells PEOPLE, and she’s “become stronger than I’d ever thought”

Jennifer Aniston for Pvolve.Credit : 

The 56-year-old actress has always prioritized fitness, but now she’s “smarter about how I’m working out,” she tells PEOPLE — and the lessons she’s learned have transformed her life.

“You have to really honor where your body is, which I’ve gotten so much better at as I’ve gotten older,” she admits.

And with a “schedule that’s always a moving target,” learning to listen to her body has changed the game. “There’s nothing wrong with giving it what it needs as opposed to making it perform when it doesn’t want to,” she says. “There’s no problem, no guilt there.”

The Morning Show star, who has been a Pvolve partner since 2023, says she’s “much gentler” on her body nowadays. “We love each other now, as corny as that may sound.”

Jennifer Aniston for Pvolve.Zoey Grossman and Pvolve

For Aniston, “strength training has made the biggest difference,” she said in a press release, which is why she’s the face of Pvolve’s new campaign to promote the launch of the Longevity Bundle, inspired by her training routine. It includes the new travel-friendly Body Band.

“As I’ve become more educated about the body over the years, I’ve been able to become stronger than I’d ever thought,” she tells PEOPLE.

It helps, of course, that her trainer, Dani Coleman, who is also Pvolve’s vice president of training, helps her stay on track. “She keeps me honest and getting stronger,” she says. “I can do a 30-minute Pvolve workout and be drenched and have such incredible results without literally breaking my body.”

“I used to think a workout meant you just got to sweat for an hour to 45 minutes, whether it’s running around a room, doing aerobics or running on a treadmill — 45 minutes of cardio. Otherwise, it’s useless,” she continues. “I’m just so grateful that’s not true.”

Jennifer Aniston for Pvolve.Zoey Grossman and Pvolve

Along with the launch of the Longevity Bundle, Aniston is helping Pvolve kick off the nationwide Strong for Fall Challenge, a three-week commitment to complete 10 strength-building workouts, and, for every challenge completed, Pvolve will donate $1 to Women in Medicine.

The community aspect of the challenge is something that also rings true for Aniston, who admits, “I prefer a group workout so much more than a solo workout.”

“I mean, I love my workouts with Dani so much, but when I have some girlfriends join in, we have so much fun, and we just inspire each other and keep each other motivated,” she says.

When it comes to staying motivated on her own, Aniston’s secret is simple: “I will say to myself, ‘You can do anything for 20 minutes.’ “

“If I’m not feeling motivated — if it’s not about fatigue and it’s not about feeling like, ‘Ooh, that feels a little sore today’ — and it’s just about motivation, I just have to say, ‘You can do anything for 20 minutes. You will feel so much better.’ “

Jennifer Aniston attends “The Morning Show” season 4 New York premiere.John Nacion/WireImage

Sometimes she starts even smaller than that: “Just put your clothes on.”

“Put your workout pants on. Sometimes those workout pants stay on, and I’ve not gone even close to the gym, but it’s okay,” she admits. “It’s one step closer to doing it. Then it’s just like, oh, this is my cute look for the day.”