Elle Macpherson is as honed and toned as she was 40 years ago, and feels better than ever. I spoke to her and her nutritional doctor to discover the true secrets of The Body
ELLE ON OVERALL HEALTH
ST: What is your view on healthy living?
EM: I've been interested in wellness for such a long time and my experiences have meant I have experimented with a lot of things and got advice from different doctors from all round the world. One top thing I have learnt is that we focus way too much on calories and fat proportions, and the weight on the scales, and in my opinion we need to know how the cells are functioning rather than how many calories you consume - that's an empty indication of how well you are.
I have realised that being nourished from a cellular level changes everything - my body functions at its optimum level when I really concentrate on that.
ST: You are famous for your body - how do you maintain it on a daily basis?
EM: I block out 50 mins a day to do something for my body - it could be a wrap, going to the gym or a swim. One day I might meditate, another I might write, or I might have a wax. I try to make at least four of them in a week.
ELLE ON EXERCISE
ST: Do you have an exercise regime as such?
EM: I don't train really - I do sport. I really believe that when you combine the fun with the physical benefits it doubles the impact - I waterski, ski, windsurf, paddleboard, swim laps round the reservoir or I go for a run. If I'm in London I go to The Grace in Belgravia as I can combine beauty and fitness there.
When I pick my exercise I choose a sport I love or choose something I want to master - yoga was something I wanted to get better at recently. I also love swimming - when I can, I swim for 50 mins... a combination of breaststroke, sidestroke on the left, sidestroke on the right, then with the kick board, and then breaststroke.
A DAY IN A LIFE OF ELLE
ST: What is a typical day like for you?
EM: I wake up and I lie in bed for about 10 minutes, breathe and set my intention for the day. I don't read emails or hit the snooze button. I put my hands on my chest and feel my breathing and think about what I want to achieve. Sometimes that might be a tangible thing like running through my to-do list or it might be noting to myself that I must remember to listen more and talk less, or that I must remember to do meditation that day.
I then drink half a litre of water and moisturise my face.
For breakfast I make myself a compote of stewed apples, flax seeds, chia seeds and almonds and I eat it warm. Then I make my kids breakfast and drive them to school, drink my super greens and then I might work out.
I'll be at my desk at about 10.30 where I make lists and tick them off. I also schedule in the next week so I know what I'm doing this week and next week.
At 1pm I have lunch. I have one veggie meal a day and I love pulses and foods such as quinoa, lentils, beetroots, avocado and sprouts.
Then I go pick up my kids and help them with whatever they need such as taking them to sporting events or helping with their homework.
Eat dinner at 7pm with the kids and I go to bed early (I get up around 5am)
ELLE ON HER SUPER SUPPLEMENT
ST: You have created a Super Greens Powder - The Super Elixir - what inspired you to create it?
EM: I went to see Dr. Simone a few years ago and whilst my diet was good, my lifestyle was acidic. I wasn't drinking enough water, was having way too much coffee, and felt stressed. I was sometimes only getting 3-4 hours sleep a night and not eating 3 meals a day. I was running on empty and doing it anyway. I thought to myself 'If only I could create one product that could help.'
People talk about calories and nutrition, but I believe that the biggest cause of ageing and sickness today is a highly acidic body. When people have cancer, doctors tell them to eat in an alkaline way as research shows that cancer doesn't feed on acidity - so we know it's something that works.
I started to explore this idea with Doctor Simone who believes that this is the optimum state for the body to function at its best, and so I asked her to formulate the ultimate supergreens formula.
ST: Can you describe to me what this supplement does?
EM: The Super Elixir helps with digestion, skin and reducing acidity levels and helps with the 11 systems of the body. I have two teaspoons in coconut water daily (do not take it close to drinking caffeine as this reduces the effect). Containing a lot of super greens, it balances the acidity in the skin and the blood, making the skin hold more moisture and giving a radiant glow. Containing horsetail and dandelion it reduces toxins in the body and helps your digestion function optimally, as it does the kidneys which therefore reduces dark circles so you look less tired. Another benefit is that it contains kelp and seaweed which are very nutrient rich, and a big source of iodine - this helps with the thyroid operation and helps our metabolism.
The ingredients come from whole foods so your body recognises them so digests and absorbs them easily.
ST: How do you feel when you take it personally?
EM: I think that when your body is supported your beauty shines through. When I take The Super Elixir I have brighter eyes, a flatter stomach, more vitality for exercise and I'm not lethargic. When the body isn't detoxifying itself properly it can feel sort of squidgy, but when it is, the connective tissue between the body and the skin is smoother, firmer and my stomach is flatter. Plus I don't crave sugar, I just feel more balanced. I don't get into a spiral of eating bad things.
ELLE ON WHAT REALLY WORKS
ST: Over your time as a model you must have seen every fitness and health fad going. What do you think is really effective in changing our bodies?
EM: If you want to change your body in one month my suggestion is to drink 3 litres of water a day. If you can, make six half litres and number them one to six. Take them throughout the day - for example number one goes beside bed, number two with breakfast, and so on. Also get 7 hours sleep a night and take my super greens in the morning. If you want to an even greater change then swim for 40 minutes a day.
ST: What is your mantra?
EM: I love the phrase 'Leave people in a better state than when you found them'!
I also spoke to Dr Simone, Elle's nutritional doctor and creator of The Super Elixir...
"Elle was a patient of mine and when she came to me, she emptied a bag of supplements on the table and said that she was doing everything she thought she was meant to do and nothing was working. Although her diet was very clean, she is very veggie and she doesn't eat much gluten, she still felt irritable and tired, her hormones were out of balance, her body was toxic and too acidic. She was very stressed, her wedding was coming up, she had her business to manage and her boys, and her cortisol levels were sky high.
She said to me: "If I do most things right and only have one coffee and a bit of dark chocolate a day and I feel this bad, then what must it be like for everyone else who doesn't look after themselves?"
"So I got her digestive system functioning correctly and balanced out her protein intake. I put her on a super greens powder and digestive support, immune support and soon her whole body was in balance.
"Having been taking so many supplements Elle wondered why we couldn't take all this and whack it all into one product that she could take every day. She really wanted to create something that properly worked - the Rolls Royce of supplements if you like.
"The Super Elixir supports all 11 systems of the body. The core goal of the product is to reduce illness, to help support the function of the body, especially for people running at a level of toxicity. The core base of our product is to alkalise the system, so that illness and disease can't thrive in it.
"When you introduce alkalinity into the body it will increase oxygen to the system and supports natural equilibrium. When the body is too acidic, toxins build up and it will try to come out through the skin or it gets stored stored in fat. The more acidic your system is the less oxygen there is and your blood won't be as nutritious."
Susannah Taylor is the Editor-in-Chief of Getthegloss.com, an online destination for expert beauty and health.