How Vegetarian Supermodel Christie Brinkley Stays Fit and Fabulous at 59

That glowing skin, energetic personality and sleek physique are qualities that a woman in her 20s would envy. But they belong to supermodel Christie Brinkley, who's 59 years old! How does she stay in such great shape? Christie revealed her secrets to Shape magazine.

Color Her Healthy

A vegetarian, Christie focuses on eating a rainbow of foods, from green leafy vegetables to brilliant oranges. Because she seeks to incorporate different colors in her diet, she benefits from a wide range of nutrients. Moreover, her focus on vegetables and fruits help her stay full without packing on the pounds. For Christie Brinkley, the key to eating a healthy diet is all about colors. It's a simple eating plan that can be used by anyone, and it helps you pack in nutrients (dark, leafy greens pack more nutrients than light ones, and orange foods deliver different nutrients than green, for instance).

In addition to incorporating "as many colors as possible in a day" into her meals, Christie says that she uses both yoga and a fitness method called the Total Gym, which she compares to yoga. "I feel like in the way that yoga prepares a body for any eventuality that could befall you in life the Total Gym is the same concept. It is constantly stretching and strengthening."

Advice for Overweight Women

"I really believe that the more informed you are about the benefits of a healthy bite versus the chain reaction that you're going to put into effect in your body when you take that bite—you just suddenly don't want to make that choice for yourself anymore. It's beyond willpower at that point, it's become a desire to do something good for yourself," says Christie.

Her Typical Diet Day

So what does she eat in a typical day?

• Breakfast: Oatmeal is a frequent choice, and she sometimes adds flaxseed and wheat germ as well as fruit.
• Lunch: "Lunch is a big huge salad with every color in it. From leafy greens to purple to herbs, fresh cut herbs mixed into it for flavors. I vary what I toss into it. Sometimes it might be lentils and chopped tomatoes, other days it could be garbanzo beans, some days I might have just a salad and have some lentil soup on the side. Generally it's the big salad. Maybe it's avocados chopped on top. Maybe it's a handful of nuts and seeds and whatever," she explains.
• Snack: Apples are perfect for the mid-morning, says the supermodel, and she sometimes adds peanut butter on top.
• Dinner: Pasta and vegetables play a key role in her evening meal.
• Cheats: "Believe me, I love a good chocolate chip ice cream. I'm not going to go for some lousy version of it. If I'm going to have it I'm going to have a really good one. I believe in treating yourself occasionally to something. But then keep other things in your fridge like those great Gnosis chocolates. They're like the healthiest chocolate that I know of that literally it is like taking a bite of antioxidants. It's got like Acai berries mixed in with this very pure cocoa and you're really getting antioxidants and healthful benefits in each bite. They say it is anti-aging to eat that chocolate."

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