Christie Brinkley is an AMAZING example of someone who├óΓé¼Γäós been able to maintain superb beauty for her entire life — she├óΓé¼Γäós 56 and still looks totally fabulous!!
She recently sat down and revealed how she does it. This is a must-read!!
At 56, you look amazing!
Christie Brinkley: My age has so little to do with my image of myself because at a certain point, the number just didn’t fit how I felt. It has become irrelevant to me. I just don’t feel like that number is representative of my spirit, of my energy or my anything!
What do you do to get an amazing body like yours?
Christie Brinkley: I like to mix it up. I get bored if I do the same thing. The only constant that I have in my life is that I start whatever I do with my Total Gym, because I believe it helps keep me from getting injured.
I’ve had injuries in my life from things beyond my control: runaway horses, helicopters that decide to crash on mountaintops, boating accidents├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥things that were out of my hands.
Starting on the Total Gym is kind of like doing a yoga routine (I also do yoga). In the way yoga prepares the body for any possible event, I feel like the Total Gym does the same.
How long do you work out each day?
Christie Brinkley: I usually just jump on my Total Gym and do 15 minutes of my own little routine that I’ve developed. It gives me a little [workout for my] stomach, my arms, my upper body, and my lower body. It stretches and strengthens and then I’m out and about. Some of the things I like to do include kayaking, stand up paddleboarding, sometimes surfing, sometimes rafting, running on the beach, and walking down the beach waving my arms├óΓé¼ΓÇ¥I call it swimming down the beach. Kind of silly looking, but I don’t care.
Do you have rest days?
Christie Brinkley: Oh sure. My biggest deterrent to getting the workout I need is just that my days are so full and so busy. It’s those days when I just get going and then I just say, ‘Well, you know what, so that’s my rest day.’ Don’t think you have the time to work out or eat right?
What do you do to exercise as a family?
Christie Brinkley: Parents were teasing me at the games last week. I was on the sidelines using a bench to do arm presses, and then using it like a step board to step up and down. Everyone was shivering on the sidelines and I just used the bleachers to do step exercises. It helped me stay warm while I watched the game and cheered them on.
What advice do you have for people starting a new workout so they stay energized, motivated and don’t get hurt?
Christie Brinkley: I think variety is the spice of sticking with an exercise routine, whether it’s getting a dance tape one day, or getting a tape with those stretchy things to work with resistance on a different day. Arm yourself with a few different things. Ask your friends to go jogging or on a long walk. Sign up for a dance class. I really think that mixing it up it keeps it fun. And that’s really the only way that you can stick with it.
What are three body moves that are must-dos for every woman?
Christie Brinkley: When I dry my hair, I literally think about the times during your day when you are a captive audience. I think of drying my hair as really boring. I thought, ‘OK, I’m going to multitask.’ I’ll dry my hair as though I’m sitting on a chair, even though there’s no chair there. Then I’ll do some squats. I’m always careful that my knee doesn’t extend beyond my foot so I don’t put stress on my knees, but you can do so much for your upper legs while you’re drying your hair.
When I am brushing my teeth, I’m bending my leg behind me, or I’m lifting my leg up and holding it in that position so I’m squeezing my butt in. I can do that while I’m washing or slicing vegetables, too. Or I go up and down on my toes, working my calves a little bit.
I also try to get in 100 push-ups every day. It’s really easy. I keep a rolled up yoga mat under my bed. I throw it down and I’ll do 30 push-ups before I get in the shower. Then I do another 20 before I dry my hair, and now I’ve done 50. After I dry my hair, I’ll come back and I’ll do more.
[Image via WENN.]
