(Cover) - EN Star Style - Cameron Diaz has compared her body to a car that needs to be tuned up.

The 38-year-old American actress began her career as a model before branching into movies, so she knows a great deal about keeping in shape.

The gorgeous star is known for her athletic body, although she claims that nowadays it requires a far greater amount of upkeep than it did before.

Two years ago, I went, You know what? Im not gonna be able to do this much longer. Ive been asking a lot of my body for a long time, Ive been eating whatever I want, Ive been puttin it in there

Its like a car, you can run it, but if you dont tune it up, if you dont take care of the tubes and the nozzles and the gaskets, eventually youre gonna bust a hose. That hose is just gonna fly right off and youre gonna be stranded on the side of the road like, What the hell happened? she mused to Elle magazine.

Cameron maintains her toned physique via a combination of exercise and healthy eating. The actress lifts weights for half an hour every day as well as doing 20 minutes of cardio activity. She also avoids calorific fried food.

I have never, ever watched what I eat in my life, but I do now. Im off the fried foods. Im very thoughtful about what I eat. If youre gonna do heavy lifting, and you want to stay small, you have to watch what you eat. You have to give your body the right nutrients and really think about whats best for it, she added. (C) Cover Media