To mark the launch of her new lifestyle book, ‘Live A Beautiful Life’, presenter and model Jesinta Franklin takes over our Wellness section.
“A lot of love and care has gone into creating these pages, which I hope will inspire you to be the best version of you that you can possibly be,” says Jesinta.
For me, being healthy is like a puzzle, with many pieces that need to come together in order to create the full picture. Being healthy means keeping fit, eating right, getting enough sleep and also looking after my mental wellbeing. When I was growing up, Mum and Dad didn’t place any importance on how my sister and I looked, our body weight or how and when we exercised. We were brought up on acreage and encouraged to play outside. Exercise was never a chore. Too often, especially for women, we make exercise all about losing weight. Yes, getting toned and looking fit is a great by-product of exercise, but I challenge you to change your mindset around why you work out. Exercise is a stress reliever, something that challenges me and something I enjoy – the moving of my limbs, the sweat on my forehead, the thirst, the feeling of blood pumping around my body, the challenge and the pain, then the exhilaration. The biggest thing about exercise is that it shouldn’t be about how it makes you look, but how it makes you feel. Life has its challenges and living in the public eye since I was 18 after winning Miss Universe Australia has proven difficult at times. What I wear, what I do, where I go, who I hang out with and who I date are scrawled all over the pages of magazines, gossip columns and social media. Over the years there have been just as many ups as there have been downs. In 2015, my fiancé’s [Lance “Buddy” Franklin] battle with mental illness was made public after he took time-out from playing football as his team approached the finals. At the time, I could go to the gym, put my music in and train, and for that hour nothing else occupied my mind other than what was happening in the present. I learnt that looking after my health means I’m in the best shape to take on the challenges in life. Here, I’ve included my top 5 fitness moves, health tips and recipes to keep me looking my best.
THE MANTRA I LIVE BY: “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage” – Anaïs Nin
My top 5 exercises:
These are my go-to moves. I can create a workout with these movements, no matter where I am in the world, and I don’t need a gym or any equipment – which means zero excuses!
1. Lunges
A dynamic movement that your legs and bum really benefit from! You can do them in a forward or reverse movement. You can add weights if you’re in the gym and you can even do jump lunges, which raise your heart rate and make you sweat.
2. Bum Lifts
I can see a difference in a week if I do these daily. Everything just lifts!
Trainer tip: “With knees bent and feet on the floor, squeeze your butt, drive through the heels and raise your hips to the sky. Hold, then lower,” says Franklin’s own personal trainer, Dan Adair.
3. Burpees
I have a love-hate relationship with burpees, but they’re such great cardio and are overall body workers. I do these in my hotel room when I’m travelling and don’t have time to go for a run.
4. Russian twists
Miss Ireland and I did these every morning and night together when we were in Las Vegas for the Miss Universe competition. You can do these with or without weights, or raise your feet off the ground for an extra abs burn.
5. Squats
I refer to these as “booty builders”. Squatting is a great foundation on which you can build an entire workout. If you do enough of these, you’ll see your butt change shape and lift. For an extra challenge, try jump squats, adding weights, and squat holds on or off a wall.
This is an edited extract from ‘Live A Beautiful Life’ by Jesinta Franklin (ne Campbell) (Hachette, $35).
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