Gisele Bündchen's Best Tips For Beauty And Wellness
In 1998, fashion powerhouse Alexander McQueen took a chance on an aspiring Brazilian supermodel when he cast her to be featured on his runway. It wasn't long after that Gisele Bündchen became the most sought-after model worldwide. The very next year, she earned her wings as a Victoria's Secret runway model, and soon enough she was featured on over 30 Vogue covers worldwide. When not on the runway, Bündchen has dedicated her time to become a voice for a variety of charities, as well as promote the importance of an environmental-friendly lifestyle as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Program.
With an extensive history of retaining beauty and wellness, this mother and activist has had a successful career and plenty of practice to work out what suits her best when it comes to being healthy, both inside and out.
Luckily for our readers, we've gathered some of her tried-and-true methods on keeping herself looking and feeling good.
Wake up early
It's been said time and time again that waking up a little earlier than you normally do boasts plenty of health and wellness benefits. For proof of those benefits, look no further than Gisele Bündchen, who sets her alarm clock at a strikingly-early 5:30 a.m. At this early time of day while her children are still asleep, she can focus on herself with a nice stretch and workout, followed by some green juice and mindfulness practice.
"It is really important to nourish ourselves," Bündchen shared with Vogue Australia. "Sometimes we forget about that. Life is so fast and there are so many things going at us and we feel like: 'I have so much to do and I have so little time ...This is why I wake up at 5:30 in the morning, because nobody needs anything from me at 5:30 and I can take care of myself ... it's like charging my batteries. I think it's important to understand that it's not just one thing. It's not a quick fix. We gotta do the work."
Meditate
In regards to mindfulness, Gisele Bündchen understands the importance of centering your mind and quieting the chatter. She spoke with Vogue about how her journey to meditation began: "I was going through a challenging time in my life and I started practicing yoga. I was doing a lot of Pranayama breath work, which helps balance the left and right sides of your brain, I was doing three-day silence retreats, and eventually that led me to start practicing meditation."
She went on to share, "Every time I had a challenging time and needed clarity, I would do meditation, but I wasn't consistent about it. I would go on vacation for 10 days and meditate for an hour every day, then I would come back and maybe I wouldn't do it every day. Whenever I felt a lot of intensity coming from all over the place, I would decide to meditate."
Find a higher purpose
Gisele Bündchen has long since tied her passion to the environment and making environmental-conscious decision making. As a U.N. Goodwill Ambassador, she spends much of her days in service to the environment. She credits the start of her journey to 2004 when she spent time with Amazonian Indians. There, her eyes widened to the suffering the citizens faced as a result of deforestation and polluted rivers. Her activism would then gear up in full-speed, and in 2011, Harvard University awarded her the title of Global Environmental Citizen for her promotion of environmental advocacy and charity, with a focus to protect the waterways and forests in her home country of Brazil (via Vogue UK). Additionally, she's committed to her children following her ways in this regard. "I think monkey see, monkey does," she shared with Vogue Australia. "Whatever you do, your children learn. The best way of teaching your kids is living it and now they make decisions for themselves. They understand."
Limit your vices
There are of course many pleasures in life, many of which include beginning your day with a warm cup of coffee and winding down your day with a tall glass of wine. While these choices aren't particularly detrimental, it's important to keep in mind that moderation is key. While Gisele Bündchen understands this concept now, she admits she didn't quite grasp it in her younger years.
As she shared with Vogue Australia, she used to start her mornings with a sugary Frappuccino, and finish off the day with a bottle of wine and packet of cigarettes. "I felt like I reached rock bottom," she reflected. "It became so unbearable I couldn't breathe and I thought: 'I gotta change.' It wasn't easy — I had the worst headaches ever because I was withdrawing. My system was so used to that life it was in shock because I stopped everything, so it took time."
Move your body
It wouldn't be wise or fair to give full credit to Gisele Bündchen's genes for her slim, athletic body, as she's adamant about working for it. A firm believer in the mind-body connection, Bündchen is set in her mindset that moving your body improves more than just your physical health, but your mental health as well. One of the most popular questions she is asked revolves around her fitness routine.
Throughout the years, she's shared some insights into how she gets her body moving, one of those methods being Pilates with well-known instructor Nonna Gleyzer. "Gisele is a true athlete — she's physically strong and has an incredible, deep mind-body connection," Gleyzer shared with Vogue UK. "She works out on a regular basis. And she eats a lot!" While she's not at Pilates, Bündchen can be found enjoying other various physical activities, including horseback riding, yoga, Brazilian jiu jitsu, surfing, swimming, hiking, and walking ... phew!
Nourish your body with clean foods
While Gisele Bündchen admits to chowing down on juicy steaks and fries in her younger years, she's put those habits behind her. These days, she's focused on a more clean-eating lifestyle. Gisele is a firm believer that your mood is directly correlated with what you place in your body, and with that mindset she's committed to only eating foods that'll feed both her body and her mind. "You can go and buy all the products you want, but if you are not nourishing your body by eating nutritious food, if you are not exercising and oxygenating your blood and doing things that bring you joy, you are not going to feel good, and if you don't feel good you are not going to look good," she shared with Vogue Australia. She went on to add, "Because I have never seen someone who doesn't feel good looking good, have you?"
Have a simple skincare routine
It's quite easy to make the mistake of thinking Gisele Bündchen must have some complex skincare routine that she follows, complete with an abundance of products. In actuality, this couldn't be further from the truth, as her skincare routine is actually very simple. "Taking care of your skin is a lifelong practice. I have learned that in order to have healthy skin later in life, you have to make skin care a priority when you are young," she shared with Allure. "Everyone's skin is unique, so you need to find high-quality products and a daily skin-care routine that works for you."
So what works for Bündchen? Water! "I wash my face with water," she shared, adding that every now and then she'll add an exfoliant. In addition to applying water to her face, she's also a firm believer in drinking water to assist in your skin's natural glow. "I believe that outer beauty is a reflection of your inner balance and peace."
Wear less makeup
For many, the term "supermodel" and "makeup" tend to go hand-in-hand. While Gisele Bündchen's runway days may be behind her, she now rejoices in living a life without many makeup products. In fact, she graced the cover of Vogue Italia in 2018 with absolutely no makeup. Posed with natural light hitting her bare-faced skin, it was all too easy to admire her natural beauty. When asked about her beauty tips, Giselse joked in an interview with Chanel, "I'm not sure if I want to share my secrets!" (via YouTube). She went on to share, "I've always felt better with less makeup. I just feel more like myself. I was kind of like a tomboy when I was a kid. Messy hair ... I'm like a nature girl."
"Less is best for me," she continued, noting that minimal makeup looks best on her angular-shaped face. Later in the video, she shared how she applies her minimal makeup, starting with Chanel's Les Beiges, Healthy Glow Foundation n°40, which promotes a natural glow.
Find products that work for you
While Gisele Bündchen's skincare routine is simple, she is a firm believer in a specific product. As the ambassador to Dior's Super Potent Serum, Gisele has nothing but great things to say about this product. Infused with hydrators such as squalane, niacinamide, glycerin, and hyaluronic acid, this is the product she can trust to give her a hydrated and moisturized look. "I was blown away by the serum because, after only a week or so of using it daily, I started seeing results," she shared with Allure. "The first change was how glowy my complexion looked. The tone had evened out, and my skin looked so healthy and plump."
Bündchen has spoken to various outlets promoting the benefits of this particular product, including Nylon and a Dior Skincare Talk session on YouTube. "My beauty routine is brief because my mornings can get so crazy! I'll always start the day by washing my face and using a moisturiser, and now I've added the Super Potent Serum into my routine as well. It's quick but effective, and perfect for people like me who are always on the go," she shared with Nylon.
Embrace your aging
While many try various amounts of effort to stop or even reverse the process of aging, it's an inevitable evolution of natural life that Gisele Bündchen firmly believes should be embraced rather than feared. Before her 40th birthday, Gisele spoke with People about entering a new decade in her life. With much enthusiasm, she shared, "I think the 40s are going to be awesome!" She went on to share her thoughts, stating, "With age comes wisdom, don't you feel that? I feel better at 40 than I felt at 30, I can tell you that much. ... The 20s were a little challenging, I'm not going to lie. The 30s, I was getting a grip on stuff. Now the 40s, I'm like, 'Let's go!'"
While she's committed to embracing aging, she does share some observations regarding her skin. "I feel like the eyes are definitely the most sensitive part of the face. As I'm maturing, I will say it is where I definitely notice that is where I want to have the most care."