Kick-Start Your Morning With Five Food and Fitness Tips From Model Valentina Zelyaeva

While models may have a reputation for existing on a steady diet of Coke Zero and cigarettes, the newest crop of catwalkers are making a clean break—focusing on nutritious fare and regular exercise. Russian beauty Valentina Zelyaeva, for one, has jumped on the wellness wagon. She champions the healthy lifestyle on her eponymous blog with posts detailing her favorite green juice, picturing her choice yoga poses, and dispensing detox advice. Here, the face of Ralph Lauren shares five tips for staying in top form.

1. Start Juicing

“Detox your body (and liver) with a great green juice. After the holidays and all that eating, you just want to start your New Year fresh. You can find all of these ingredients at a Whole Foods or any other health food store.” Not game to whip up something yourself? Zelyaeva’s go-to spot in the city is Juice Press.

Valentina’s Green Juice Recipe:

Burdock: It has many uses, including reducing bacteria and inflammation.

Handful of dandelion: It acts as a natural laxative and also helps with inflammation.

Half lemon with peel: A great source of vitamin C.

Three green apples: Gives the juice a sweet taste.

Run the ingredients through a juicer—not a blender. The kind she keeps in her kitchen: the Green Star Twin Gear Juicer.

2. Jump to It

“Move your lymph system. Lymph is like a sewage system that carries all of the toxins out of your body. So it’s very important to make sure you move it, and the best way to do it is by jumping on a Rebounder [Valentina has the Needak Rebounder Folding Soft Bounce Platinum Blue Edition Trampoline] for 10 minutes. Invest in a good trampoline and get moving.”

Valentina’s A.M. Trampoline Routine: “I do light bouncing, with my feet barely lifting off the trampoline, for two minutes, and then I do some fun jumps, when my feet fully leave the trampoline, with music for five to 10 minutes.”

3. Lemon Yellow

“Drink warm water with lemon first thing in the morning. It’s a good way to detox and alkalize your body. Diseases happen in acidic environments, so it’s very important to keep your body alkaline. Keeping a diet high in leafy greens, spring water, fresh air, raw almonds, lemons, grapefruits, and warm water with juice from half a lemon helps lower acidity levels. Lemons taste sour, but they actually help alkalize your body.”

4. Be Fruit Full

“Make one day a mono-meal. This means, choose just one fruit and have it as much as you want. Apples, pears, or anything in season are great for mono-meals. I love green grapes at the moment. Mono-meal day gives your digestion a break. It also helps you look refreshed the next day. I usually do it after the holiday season or after a long trips or vacations.” When asked if she ever gets tired of eating the same fruit all day, Zelyaeva responded: “Never. I grew up in Soviet Russia where fresh fruits and vegetables were a luxury, so it’s a delight to have this at my disposal!”

5. Fatten Up

“Add good fats like ghee, coconut oil, flaxseed oil, chia seeds, and olive oil to your diet. I add coconut oil to Liquid Heaven from The Piper Center, but you can blend it with your coffee or tea to create a yummy and creamy beverage; mixing it by hand will leave an oily residue, not very pleasant to drink. Skip commercial dairy or processed white sugar. If you need to add something for taste, opt for almond milk and coconut sugar. I also like to cook eggs and sauté vegetables with ghee, instead of olive oil. And I drizzle flaxseed oil over salads instead of dressing.”

Valentina’s Chia Seed Pudding:

Soak 2 tablespoons of chia seeds in 1 cup of almond milk for 15 minutes, mixing occasionally. Then, transfer it into a serving bowl, adding chopped apples and raisins.

—Katie Dickens, Style.com