Healthy Hollywood: Get Movin’ Monday – A Healthy Model Workout!

A healthy model workout sounds like an oxymoron.

Healthy Hollywood has covered the fashion world for years and I have seen my share of scarily thin models. You often hear of models that go on crazy crash diets or simply starve themselves before a big photo shoot or runway show.

So, Healthy Hollywood was happy to meet up with Sports Illustrated model, Jessica Perez. The Costa Rican beauty is big on getting in swimsuit shape the natural way –exercise and healthy food.

“I think it’s really great when models, instead of trying to limit their amount of food, instead go out and choose a good workout that can burn a bunch of calories. So, they don’t have to be fixated on not eating and things like that,” Jessica said.

Jessica invited Healthy Hollywood to her favorite workout session, Muay Thai (A Thai version of kickboxing) with her New York based trainer Joey Hernandez. The 28-year-old trains with Joey three to four times a week.

It’s nonstop cardio of punches, kicks, and other fast-paced movements.

“I feel like it has kind of shrunk me a little bit. I think it’s really tightened my muscles. It’s really relaxed my mind, because I am kind of a stressed out type of personality. So, to come in here and work out with Joe and to be focused on him and the punches that he’s calling out for one hour has sort of alleviated a lot of stress for me,” adds Jessica.

Yet, when Jessica is getting ready to slip into an itty bitty bikini for Sports Illustrated, she does admit to revving up her routine.

“I would either do yoga in the mornings or the evenings, and then I would throw Joe or Justin (her personal trainer) whenever I wasn’t doing the yoga or Pilates. I think, for me, it was important to work out at least twice a day and really watch my diet,” she explained. “I do a lot of lingerie and bathing suit jobs and clients like me to have a bit of curves. I find that best for me achieve those curves is to not go on a crazy, fad diet, but eat balanced meals and supplement it with a really good workout.”

While, good genes and youth does play a role in her amazing shape, Jessica says just like all women she has her “trouble spots.”

“I won’t name mine. I don’t want to bring attention to it. But, I definitely think that every woman has troubles zones and every woman wishes something was better on their body. There’s not much you can do about certain things. I think having a positive attitude about your body is actually even more attractive than having like the fittest, tightest, strongest, skinniest body. So, I try to think about that when I get dressed in the morning.” Well said!

— Terri MacLeod