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Elle Macpherson's Secrets To Looking Good & Feeling Great At Any Age

Colleen Wachob
Author:
January 28, 2016
Colleen Wachob
mbg Co-Founder & Co-CEO
By Colleen Wachob
mbg Co-Founder & Co-CEO
Colleen Wachob is Co-Founder and Co-CEO at mindbodygreen.
Photo by Elle Macpherson
January 28, 2016

At mindbodygreen, we get to meet the female entrepreneurs who are passionate about making the world a healthier place. In this new series, we're profiling #WellnessWonderWomen who inspire us with vision and dedication — and hopefully inspire you, too.

It’s hard not to have a wellness woman crush on Elle Macpherson. The 51-year-old beauty glows without a hint of makeup. She’s been strong before it became the new skinny. And she's passionate about making wellness easier and more accessible.

Elle’s a longtime entrepreneur who started the trend of models moving from the catwalk to the boardroom. For 20 years, she collaborated with Bendon Lingerie on an eponymous intimate apparel line, which was the best-selling brand in the UK. She's recently taken the helm of the collection, brought on a new partner, and is planning for an August launch in the U.S.

Elle at WelleCo HQ
Photo by Elle Macpherson

Her latest entrepreneurial venture is WelleCo, a line of alkalizing powders and supplements with big ambitions to become a lifestyle wellness brand creating beauty, home products, and more. Her signature product, The Super Elixir, is part of the booming nutricosmetics trend, which is the idea of nutritious products promoting health and beauty from within.

When I first met the native Aussie in her adopted hometown of Miami, the conversation spanned everything from pH strips (Elle's a fan), to where to get the best green juice in Miami (we concur that it's Jugo Fresh), to the stress of college admissions (she's a mom).

Here, she shares the tips and tricks that have guided her personally and professionally since her catwalk days and that are guiding her at WelleCo. Elle also shares her morning breakfast shake, which has just three ingredients.

A Q&A With The Well Model

Do you have a morning ritual?

I wake up 45 minutes to an hour before I need to get up. Before anything, I drink 500 mls of water and then I sit quietly with my back straight in a chair in the semi-darkness. I have a 33-day program of daily meditation that includes breathing and focus on a particular quality or value I would like to improve.

Sometimes, I do a guided meditation. I also read from a selection of books. I love to have a program pre-mapped out because I find it easier to stick to it over a longer period of time. Sometimes my practice will take as little as 10 minutes to complete. Sometimes I like to spend 40 minutes.

Any rules that you live by for a healthy body, mind, and soul?

Love, peace, happiness, and fulfillment — I make sure my choices support these intentions. If it doesn't fit, I don't persist.

What advice would you give your twentysomething self?

Wear sunscreen! A regret from when I was younger was that I didn’t protect my skin from the sun — even though I think I look better with a tan. I have plenty of freckles all over my body, and I haven’t done anything about it.

There’s no point in doing lasers because I’m in the sun all the time anyway, but I think sunblock is really important now. Always 50+ SPF. When I’m not in a bikini, I’ll wear surf leggings to protect my skin.

Elle at WelleCo HQ
Photo by Elle Macpherson

Best advice you've ever received?

Find co-dreamers who support your vision.

And the worst advice?

Models can't move from the billboard to the boardroom.

What do you love about being an entrepreneur?

I love the unexpected twists and turns on the journey as I realize my vision. It can feel daunting at times, challenging myself or taking steps forward into new territory, and I fear of the unknown.

But I don’t need to know the outcome. I just need to keep taking steps toward my goals that support my core values and intentions.

I love the saying "leap and watch the net appear."

Any go-to-supplements?

Without fail I take my daily Alkalising Greens. It is packed with goodness to boost nutrition, keep my body in an alkaline range and my energy levels up.

If I want to lighten up or I am looking for a nutritious snack, my Super Elixir Nourishing Protein is a winner. I use it as a meal replacement and a clean source of vegan protein if I am on-the-go. My favorite Breakfast Thick Shake recipe is below.

That’s it! I like to keep it simple — quality over quantity.

The Super Elixer Alkalising Greens
Photo by WelleCo

How do you break a sweat?

I make exercise part of my everyday life. I have a much simpler and gentler routine now. I prefer not to go to the gym; instead, I make sure I find at least 45 minutes in my day, usually for a sport outdoors, which is easy in Miami. I love to paddleboard, surf, swim, or water ski. I also love to hike or bike. I am more likely to stick to something I love and that fits into my life.

How has your health and wellness routine changed over time?

I’ve learned that an acidic body is out of balance. Today’s diet of processed food, sugar, alcohol, too much red meat, dairy, and coffee (especially for me!), combined with stress and lack of sleep can affect the way the body functions.

Why did you start WelleCo?

I was run down, stressed, gaining weight, and just feeling not good. Dr. Simone Laubscher introduced me to the concept of an alkaline diet, and it wasn’t until then that I hadn't really understood that my body was deprived from good nutrition and that my seemingly healthy lifestyle was actually acidic. And through nutrition, I was able to put my body back into an alkaline state and I felt better. I thought to myself, If I do most things right and I feel this bad, then what must it be like for everyone else who doesn't look after themselves? We created THE SUPER ELIXIR based on Dr. Laubscher’s years of practice as an easy, efficient, all-in-one, high-grade solution to getting back on the right track to wellness and feeling good on the inside.

Super Elixir Products
Photo by WelleCo

What's next?

Our vision includes beautiful and purposeful products to use every day including a great non-aluminum deodorant and organic home collection. We are also opening our first WelleCo hub and super smoothie bar in Australia this year.

There are so many protein powders on the market. What makes WelleCo different?

Our Nourishing Protein is 100 percent vegan and whey-free, which means it has no hidden hormones or pesticides and doesn’t cause bloating. It is all-plant derived and contains all nine essential amino acids, which is hard to find in other all-natural protein options. On top of a rich source of protein it also has dandelion for liver support, B-vitamins for anti-stress, nutrients to balance blood sugar levels, digestive enzymes to boost metabolism (great if you want to become more lean), fiber to keep you feeling full for longer along with açai and pomegranates so it is high in antioxidants.

And you can’t go past the raw Peruvian cacao chocolate flavor. (I’m a chocoholic!)

Elle at mbg
Photo by mindbodygreen

Any personal and professional goals in 2016?

Instead of setting hard goals, something that we've been discussing on the WelleCo team is having New Year's Solutions. Identify an intention, a vision and think about what it is you want to build and why. For me, I think it's about creating a life that feels good on the inside, not one that just looks good on the outside.

What does mindbodygreen mean to you?

A place where you are empowered to take charge of your own health and inform yourself about how to live a fuller life with the support from a community of like-minded and equally curious people.

Elle also shared her go-to breakfast shake recipe.

Elle's Thicky Breakshake
Photo by Elle Macpherson

My Clean And Simple Breaky Thickshake

Ingredients:

  • 1½ Bananas
  • 10 ounces Organic Almond Milk
  • 1 scoop of THE SUPER ELIXIR Nourishing Protein

Blitz and enjoy!

This interview was edited and condensed.

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