Jennifer Love Hewitt On Training & Wishing She'd Spent More Time Nude

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Jennifer Lopez isn't the only star in training for a major race. While the new mom to twins recently revealed she was going to take on a triathlon in September, another Jennifer - Jennifer Love Hewitt will be on her heels, taking on a marathon to celebrate turning 30.

"That's just something I want to give to myself," Jennifer told Health magazine about her 30th birthday present.

The "Ghost Whisperer" star, who recently revealed she lost 18 pounds, said that though she is training hard, she won't mind if she has to slow down to complete the course.

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"My concern is not if I run the whole marathon -- if I'm running it or walking it doesn't really matter to me," Jennifer told the magazine. "I just want to know that I'm in shape enough that I could do it. I'm so excited, although training has been a lot harder than I thought."

One way she stays energized is through snacking.

"I eat tiny snacks every hour and a half, whether it's a bite of salad, a piece of cheese, or an apple," she explained. "I also keep avocados in my trailer; I cut one in half and put lime juice on it. It's the greatest snack -- it has good fat and will really fill you up."

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While all her training sessions and yoga workouts are keeping her in shape, Jennifer revealed she wishes she had spent her younger years in less clothing.

"I so wish I had listened to my mom and grandma when I was 18 and would complain about some little tiny bump or feeling bloated. They'd say, 'Sweetheart, appreciate it for all it's worth because it all changes when you get into your 30s,'" Jennifer recounted. "I used to scoff and say, 'No, I feel fat today!' Now the joke's on me. I wish I had been nude from the time I was 12 until I was 28. I looked great!"

Last year, Jennifer was criticized in various blogs and magazines, when photos of her playing in the Hawaiian waves in a bikini surfaced. Jennifer hit her own blog, defending her figure not long after the incident, and she suggested other women be proud of their shapes too.

In the new interview with Health, she carried on that same sentiment.

"I want to tell all young girls to walk around in bikinis all summer -- and enjoy it. I want to tell them to never, ever feel bad about anything, because there will be that one day in your 20s when you'll eat a hamburger and actually see the hamburger on the side of your leg," she said. "Initially it's shocking, and you think, 'Whoa, I have to actually think about what I eat and work out double the amount I did before.' Then you go, 'Well, now my body gets to make children, which is so cool.'"

Jennifer revealed she is hoping to one day use her more womanly figure to have children with her fianc, Ross McCall.

"We definitely want to have kids at some point," she said. "I have had a great relationship growing up with my mom, and I'd love to give a child what she gave me. I think that being a mother is something I'll be good at."

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