Sure, Karlie Kloss has genetics to thank. But if she sat around consuming her weight in potatoes, her life may not have involved angel wings. #letsbefrank.
One babe she has to thank is Vanessa Packer. She’s one of the founders of modelFIT: a shhhhhnazzy workout space in the US who trains babes like Taylor Swift and Chrissy Teigen.
She knows fitness ain’t for everyone. (I do, too. That’s why I also came up with 5 non-workout-workouts for sluggish babes). So here we are, trying to convince you in rain, hail or that time of the month to get off the couch. Over to you, Vanessa:
“Being active is not only great physically for you, it nurtures your body from the inside out. Fitness and exercise will truly help you achieve a mindful, holistic approach to life. You’ll feel ten times better mentally, emotionally, and spiritually if you establish and implement an active, yet realistic fitness routine into your life.
True wellness is rooted in balance, and at its core, modelFIT stands for “the model of fitness”. modelFIT instructors leverage a variety of engaging and playful workouts while supporting each individual student to achieve a sense of increased physical capacity and control that reinforces physical and emotional command. modelFIT believes that everybody matters and every body matters.
Always remember, don’t try to change your entire body overnight. Instead, take small steps towards a healthier life each day, and focus on making little changes that eventually lead to a sustained, meaningful lifestyle change. When you’re in touch with your body, you intuitively know what works for you.
#letsbefrank, there are some days you don’t want to work out. What sort of workouts do you recommend for those days? Like that time of the month?
I love a light arm series using two or three pound weights, using low weight and high reps to really tone and tighten the smaller arm muscles like the triceps.
For legs, a mat series using resistance bands or ankle weights will do the trick when you don’t necessarily feel like working out.
Ankle weights are ingenious because they’re portable and low impact, but offer big payoffs when used consistently. You can easily tone your bum, inner thighs, hamstrings, and all of the other leg areas women typically want to focus on using just a mat, your own body weight, and a light pair of ankle weights or light resistance bands.
You’re lacking energy to workout, what foods do you like to get more energy?
In addition to founding modelFIT, I’m also a certified holistic nutritionist, and I can attest that fitness and nutrition absolutely go hand in hand. I like to start my own day with warm water with lemon (you can even add tumeric and cayenne to wake up the digestive system and get a boost of morning energy), and I stay hydrated throughout the day with lots of water and even raw coconut water. For breakfast, I love green juices, smoothies, acai bowls, or fresh fruit. I like to start my day on the lighter side. Raw salads always, and usually simply prepared fish or a grain bowl with a bunch of veggies; sometimes raw vegetable noodles. For dinner, I always have a big, leafy green salad followed by a protein and veggies, or a grain bowl with veggies.
How important is stretching? What are some key stretches you need to do before & after working out?
Stretching is so important and more often times than not, an unfortunately overlooked component to fitness! It’s crucial to lightly stretch before your workout to avoid injury, and to stretch more deeply after to lengthen muscles and help speed up the muscle recovery process. I love this foam roller to really hone in on certain areas that might be sorer than others, and using a roller overall helps flush out the lymphatic system.
If my babes want to wear makeup while working out, what do you recommend they put on their face?
Natural beauty is always my default approach, both in and outside of the studio. While I recommend being bare face while working out, some natural beauty brands have some amazing products that wear effortlessly and contain ingredients that are good for your skin. I love Aveda’s Chakra Balancing Body Mists to feel more aligned internally – I spray one on each morning to start my day, frank body’s lip balm for a nice gloss (I even like putting a little on my eye lids for a dewy, but natural sheen) and RMS Beauty has the best highlighter. In terms of labels and ingredients, try to avoid synthetics, chemicals and try to use organic ingredients as much as possible. A good rule of thumb is, when in doubt, you should be able to pronounce and know what the beauty ingredients are that you’re putting on your face and body.”
Now don’t undo all that good with a post-workout-breakout. Read my tips on how to keep that gym mat smell (and breakout causing bacteria) at the gym – where it belongs. Right alongside that pile of smelly boxing gloves.
Is your diet a tad smelly, too? I’ll clean it up with my frank guide to clean eating.
See, I can think clean…
x frank.