We are delighted to announce that every month, Elle ‘The Body’ Macpherson will be sharing her health tips and personal wellness secrets exclusively for Get The Gloss
Elle will be writing on different aspects of health, fitness and all-round wellbeing; here she will be sharing with us the wealth of knowledge she has accumulated over the years as an international supermodel, the tips and tricks she has gleaned from the world’s top wellness experts and of course the personal secrets to her incredible body.
Aged 52 (and possibly looking a good ten years younger,) there is no denying that Elle Macpherson must be doing something right. As a mother (she has two sons, Flynn, 17 and Cy ,12 plus three step-children), a shrewd businesswoman, an ambassador for many charities as well as as one of the world’s most famous models, you may argue that her good looks are mostly down to genetics, but on talking to her, it is very clear that Elle also takes enormous care of herself and that very famous beautiful body. A huge fan of a wholesome, varied and organic diet, Elle is so passionate about health that three years ago she launched her own wellness empire - Welleco - with business partner Andrea Bux.
The aim of Welleco (which she created with Harley Street nutritional doctor, Dr Simone Laubscher) is to supercharge your health. The range currently consists of The Super Elixir, a very green alkalising powder made from 45 natural ingredients, created to enhance your entire system, and a Nourishing Protein powder created with premium plant-based ingredients, which aims to boost metabolism and energy. The idea for Welleco came off the back of Elle’s own experience. Having recently turned 50, and having had a breast cancer scare, she found she was lacking in energy and inspiration. Dr Simone put her on an alkaline diet which she said made a terrific difference almost immediately. “I discovered the profound benefit of good nutrition and eating alkaline and I wanted to share it,” she enthuses, “Our Alkalising Greens were formulated by world leading nutritional experts. All 45 premium whole food ingredients have been added in scientifically calculated ratios and are designed to work together to support all 11 systems of the body. Being 52 years old, I wouldn’t still be working if I wasn’t strong and well-nourished with energy and vitality – that is why these whole food supplements are so important to me.”
Elle doesn’t plan on stopping at two products either “We are aiming at creating the world’s premium wellness company,” she says “Somewhere you can find everything to make your everyday life better, from organic whole food supplements, to an amazing veggie wash that removes pesticides, good honest kids' nutrition, and everyday essentials like a healthy deodorant and toothpaste. We have all these lines coming to welleco.com over the next year.”
All will be revealed about Elle's personal wellness secrets here on Get The Gloss, but for now, what else do you need to know to be a bit more Elle? Well, she sees fitness as something that goes way beyond the treadmill and regularly enjoys many outdoor sports from kayaking to water skiing, salsa to pole dancing. With a huge amount to juggle, she has also found great benefit from nurturing her inner spirit and regularly practises yoga and meditation, all of which she will divulge here in the coming months. Other topics she is set to cover are sleep, alkalising recipes, stress, immunity and motivation to name a few.
In her first column below, Elle reveals her ‘5-a-day’ wellness tips plus her Four Week Body Plan, which she uses to shape up and feel great before a big event. Watch this space….
Elle’s Five-a-Day
1. HYDRATE
“For me, my wellness routine starts with two teaspoons of Super Elixir every morning in cold spring water, or coconut water for extra hydration, away from any caffeine (which inhibits the absorption of the special bio-live ingredients). To really feel the benefits, I make sure that I take Super Elixir right before I work out in the morning. Drinking enough water is equally as important. I have glass bottles for all of us at home and each morning I make sure they’re full and I put them in full sight around the house so there is always water on hand.”
2. GET ACTIVE
“I do some form of fitness that I love for 45 minutes every day - that way it won’t be a chore. I have a much simpler and gentler routine now, I prefer not to go to the gym, instead I love to paddle board, surf, swim laps or water ski. I also love to hike or bike.”
3. SLEEP, SLEEP, SLEEP
“When I think of when I have felt really nourished and strong in life, there is one thing I never underestimate and that is the power of sleep. When the kids were young, I would stay up working until 2am, and I thought I was being really productive. However, little did I know my general wellbeing and health was suffering from only three to four hours’ sleep a night. Sleep has become really important to me and I now make sure I get at least seven hours to wake up and take on the day. The difference in how I feel is profound.”
4. MEDITATE
“I love mornings. I take a little time when I first wake up and before the house is up to meditate and prepare for my day – no screens!”
5. SCHEDULE YOUR WELLNESS
“If you’re struggling to stay motivated or find you’re not fitting in the 45 minutes of daily exercise, schedule it in your diary. I treat my personal diary like my business diary. So anything I want to prioritise – like exercise – gets scheduled in just like an important meeting.”
ELLE’S FOUR WEEK BODY PLAN
“Living in Miami we’re lucky to have such great weather all year around, but I still like to reboot each season, and with summer around the corner, I always do my Four Week Body Plan. I love doing this ahead of a beach holiday or when I know I have to be at my best for a shoot. I am not about extremes or fad diets so this guide simply helps give my body the nutrients it needs to feel its best whilst also cutting down on processed foods and sugars. It was designed by my nutritionist as a way to get started and motivated. I think it’s a great plan for anyone to reset and get on track at any time of year. If it seems difficult (and the last week can be) just remember that that part lasts one week only. Then you can adopt part of the plan into your everyday life.”
WEEK 1
“Don’t eat refined carbohydrates after 5pm. By refined carbs I mean forms of sugars and starches that don’t exist in nature.
Take 2 teaspoons of The Super Elixir Alkalising Greens with 500ml of water every day
Make sure you get at least 2L of filtered water every day.”
WEEK 2
“Carry on with week 1’s tips.
Replace breakfast with a super delicious smoothie - use one scoop of the The Super Elixir Nourishing Protein , with 400ml of cold almond milk and 1-2 fruits or try my smoothie bowl recipe below.
Right now, I am loving our new Australian Vanilla Nourishing Protein. It is a delicious vegan protein powder that is the perfect base blended with berries, banana and almond milk. There is also a raw cacao chocolate protein, which as a total chocoholic I love. There are other plant-based ingredients in the protein as well, such as B-vitamins, dandelion, pomegranates and added fibre, so I feel like it gives me extra nutritional benefits as well.”
BANANA, PEAR AND VANILLA SMOOTHIE BOWL
“Makes one large smoothie bowl or two small smoothie bowls
You’ll need:
2 frozen bananas
1 cup almond milk
1/2 a fresh pear
1/2 cup of ice
1/2 tsp vanilla powder or extract
1 scoop SUPER ELIXIR Vanilla Nourishing Protein
To make:
Place the smoothie ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour the smoothie into a glass or a shallow bowl and top with your favourite toppings.”
WEEK 3
“Keep using the tips from the previous weeks.
Add cayenne pepper to at least one meal a day. It will boost metabolism and create a thermogenic effect, which helps burn calories.
Try cayenne pepper sprinkled on a poached egg in the morning. Yum!"
WEEK 4
“Build on the above.
Try to ditch all sugar, dairy and starchy carbs such as bread and pasta while increasing intake of green vegetables. Sometimes I find it easier in this week to take the protein smoothie as my dinner meal. This means I can cook the kids something they prefer and I can sit and have dinner with them.
If you want to ask me any questions or let me know how you’re going on the plan, feel free to find me over on Instagram @ellemacphersonofficial"
Welleco products are available at welleco.co.uk
Next month from Elle... the profound benefits of sleep.
Follow us on Twitter @getthegloss and Elle @ElleMacpherson
Win!
For your chance to win a Super Elixir care package from Elle Macpherson worth £135, enter our competition here. Good luck!