Helena Christensen Shares Exact Diet That Got Her This Lingerie Look
It has been over 30 years since Helena Christensen writhed around nearly naked in the sand with Chris Isaak in his iconic "Wicked Game" music video, and her body doesn't appear to have changed one bit. This week the 52-year-old Danish supermodel shared some stunning photos taken for a new campaign with Coco de Mer UK, a lingerie line meant to inspire women's sexuality, showing off her gorgeous figure. "I am really excited to join forces with @cocodemeruk, a brand powered by women for women," she wrote on Instagram. "Photographing myself at home in these sensual little numbers led to a lot of laughing and joke cracking which is very much how I roll. By shooting a lingerie campaign through the female gaze we hope to inspire women to embrace and celebrate their own desires and have a lot of fun along the way."
How does the beautiful brunette manage to make 50 the new 20? Read on for some of her best diet, fitness and wellness tips and tricks that she's told others, and to see the photos that prove they work.
Start By Getting Enough Sleep
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"I feel absolutely the best when I have had good sleep," Christensen told Harper's Bazaar UK. "That's my number one priority. I actually think it is the number one priority for most people. It just changes your entire day – when you haven't had enough sleep and also when you have."
Try Fun Workouts
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Christensen likes to try new and fun workouts, like pole dancing. "It is the hardest physical activity I have ever done in my life and I have so much awe and respect for pole dancers. It's like virtual ballet to me, so the perception of it as seedy doesn't even annoy me; it goes right over the top of my head. To people who think like that, I want to say, 'well, you just go try it," she told Bazaar. Another go-to workout? Boxing. "For me, working out is about instant gratification; I want to see changes if I'm going to put the effort in! My thing is boxing – I like to feel strong. Boxing might seem like a male-orientated sport but there are as many women where I go and that is a very authentic, sweaty club. It's a little gym in New York, where they train a lot of the champions, and my trainer's name is Jason Lee. I don't want to reveal its name, though, as then all the models will come and I'll be like, 'get out of my club!' I want to be there with the real gritty people."
"Sprint, Don't Run"
Christensen claims short and fast sprints help rev her metabolism. "Sprint, don't run, because that immediately sparks your metabolism and stuns your body by engaging your muscle groups in a very explosive way," she told Bazaar. "I can't run for 40 minutes at the same pace, listening to music. I will do 20 minutes and then I'm dying. I don't do the long, methodical routines of swimming 40 laps either. I want to be in the ocean fighting waves, not being in the pool staring at the clock and only seven minutes has passed when I'm already exhausted."
Work Out Outdoors
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Christensen loves working out al fresco. "I think it's important to shake it up and do as many different forms of workout as possible, but also to incorporate nature into them," she told the Daily Mail. "Swim in the ocean, swim in rivers, swim in lakes. Hiking, trekking, chopping wood – it's the best way of working out, because it doesn't really feel like a workout. It feels like you're alive."
Search for Your Perfect Namaste
If you don't like your first yoga class, try another. "It took me years to get into yoga because I wasn't into the whole spiritual thing. I didn't want to go to a class and have to chant, though I know it helps so many people. I finally found a place where we get right into it, and I end up leaving completely re-energised and totally sweaty," she told Bazaar.
Her Diet? Eat What You Want, but Workout
Christensen doesn't believe in diets. "I'm not the kind of person who will limit myself to any kind of food," she told Allure. "I could not live without bread and pasta. I eat real butter and drink whole milk. And I'm obsessed with Japanese food and Moroccan stews. So when I think about working out, yes, it's good for the mind — but it's also because I eat a hell of a lot of food."
Find a Way to Meditate That Works for You
There isn't a one-size-fits-all approach to meditation, Christensen reminds everyone. "I can't just sit still and think of a mantra or repeat a thought or a word. But there are other ways of finding your stillness," she suggested to Allure. "Sometimes I do it by organizing or cleaning. I recently took up piano again, and that is a very good way of being in a calm zone by myself and using my mind differently. That's my form of meditation. The key is to find what works for you."
