Starting your day at 6 a.m. with an icy-cold shower and a mouth full of coconut oil may sound like your own personal hell, but it's just one of the beauty rituals that Miranda Kerr says keep her in tip-top shape. And, given the longevity of her career, it may actually be advice worth taking. After all, Kerr is one of today's most sought-after supermodels.
We had the opportunity to sit down with Kerr to talk all things beauty and fitness — including more than one of her interesting beauty rituals — at a lunch she hosted for Reebok in Los Angeles. You may remember that Kerr is a regular in the brand's campaigns, starring in this much talked-about video for its lightweight sneakers (although she favors the classic leather sneakers, and was wearing them that day). Our conversation, here.
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What’s your relationship with exercise?
"I quite enjoy it. I used to be a gymnast growing up...it was quite intense doing gymnastics every day after school, so I quite like the endorphin rush of exercising [still]. It just feels good. I just got back from New York; I went for one day for a shoot, and not working out for just two days, I can really feel the difference in my body... I really feel like I need to do Pilates or yoga."
"I quite enjoy it. I used to be a gymnast growing up...it was quite intense doing gymnastics every day after school, so I quite like the endorphin rush of exercising [still]. It just feels good. I just got back from New York; I went for one day for a shoot, and not working out for just two days, I can really feel the difference in my body... I really feel like I need to do Pilates or yoga."
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Personally, I love having clean hair...but if I’m having a dirty-hair day, I’m just like, 'Roll with it, just pretend you’re Kate Moss.'
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Are those your exercise go-tos?
"I love to start my day with yoga, and I try to do Pilates five days a week as well; I like the machine, the Reformer. I find you can really target specific muscles, your arms or your legs. I love going for a hike, dancing with my son in the house, jumping on the trampoline. I don’t like to exercise alone, although sometimes I do a DVD if I am traveling. It’s called Ballet Beautiful by Mary Helen [Bowers]. There is a kundalini yoga video with Gurmukh, too. It’s really good. She’s like, ‘If you wake up feeling sluggish, just keep twisting,’ and I’m like, ‘Okay!’" How do you motivate yourself on those mornings when you just want to stay in bed?
"I just started this new thing where I do oil-pulling with coconut oil, so I put a tablespoon of coconut oil in my mouth, right? Swish it around for a good 20 minutes — you're not allowed to swallow. So what I do is put that in my mouth — it will be like 6 in the morning — then I also rub coconut oil all over my body, then hop in a cold shower!"
Wait, that sounds horrible?!
"I don’t wet my hair, though! So I do coconut oil, cold shower, and rub my body, get out and rinse my mouth, and that just wakes me up. I didn’t do it this morning and I really feel different, because it really gets the circulation going. I couldn’t do it this morning; I was like, ‘I have to have a warm shower.' But that gets me going, and then I will do my yoga and get my son ready for school."
Speaking of hair, what do you do with it after exercising every day?
"I quite like a dry shampoo, but then I also think about Kate Moss; she has dirty hair all the time. [laughs] Although, personally, I love having clean hair myself, but if I’m having a dirty-hair day, I’m just like, ‘Roll with it, just pretend you’re Kate Moss.'”
Besides oil-pulling, do you do other Ayurvedic practices?
"Plenty of things, actually. Eating for my dosha, and different herbs and spices. I am very into it. I studied nutrition and I am a certified health coach, believe it or not."
"I love to start my day with yoga, and I try to do Pilates five days a week as well; I like the machine, the Reformer. I find you can really target specific muscles, your arms or your legs. I love going for a hike, dancing with my son in the house, jumping on the trampoline. I don’t like to exercise alone, although sometimes I do a DVD if I am traveling. It’s called Ballet Beautiful by Mary Helen [Bowers]. There is a kundalini yoga video with Gurmukh, too. It’s really good. She’s like, ‘If you wake up feeling sluggish, just keep twisting,’ and I’m like, ‘Okay!’" How do you motivate yourself on those mornings when you just want to stay in bed?
"I just started this new thing where I do oil-pulling with coconut oil, so I put a tablespoon of coconut oil in my mouth, right? Swish it around for a good 20 minutes — you're not allowed to swallow. So what I do is put that in my mouth — it will be like 6 in the morning — then I also rub coconut oil all over my body, then hop in a cold shower!"
Wait, that sounds horrible?!
"I don’t wet my hair, though! So I do coconut oil, cold shower, and rub my body, get out and rinse my mouth, and that just wakes me up. I didn’t do it this morning and I really feel different, because it really gets the circulation going. I couldn’t do it this morning; I was like, ‘I have to have a warm shower.' But that gets me going, and then I will do my yoga and get my son ready for school."
Speaking of hair, what do you do with it after exercising every day?
"I quite like a dry shampoo, but then I also think about Kate Moss; she has dirty hair all the time. [laughs] Although, personally, I love having clean hair myself, but if I’m having a dirty-hair day, I’m just like, ‘Roll with it, just pretend you’re Kate Moss.'”
Besides oil-pulling, do you do other Ayurvedic practices?
"Plenty of things, actually. Eating for my dosha, and different herbs and spices. I am very into it. I studied nutrition and I am a certified health coach, believe it or not."
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I also rub coconut oil all over my body, then hop in a cold shower...
”
With all your knowledge, what do you do to shape up quickly for a shoot?
"I feel like it’s something that I continually have to...do, so I have to stay on top of it. But even if I wasn’t [working all the time], I would work out and eat healthy for my own general well-being and how I feel inside my body. I notice a big difference inside of my body when I don’t do it."
What do you keep in your gym bag?
"A yoga mat, water, and you know those round discs? They look like a Frisbee? [Ed note: They're often labeled as gliding discs.] I do exercises with them on the carpet at home. You can do frogs and leg exercises; it’s really good for the legs! Then the Kora Energising Citrus Mist; it's good if you're feeling a little sluggish." What's the most exciting thing you're working on right now?
"We just launched some new age-defying products with Kora Organics [Kerr's line of beauty products], like the AHA facial exfoliator, which really helps to turn over cells, and a lot of tests show it improves your skin’s tone and texture. Also we have the Phytox Oil; it’s really good, you put it on every day, morning and night. I’m a little addicted to that. And then, there is the Heart Chakra essence oil. It feels like you’re getting a hug because it’s aromatherapy, with essential oils like sandalwood and rose. It’s nurturing and all about rebalancing the heart chakra; it smells delicious as well, and you just roll [it] on."
"I feel like it’s something that I continually have to...do, so I have to stay on top of it. But even if I wasn’t [working all the time], I would work out and eat healthy for my own general well-being and how I feel inside my body. I notice a big difference inside of my body when I don’t do it."
What do you keep in your gym bag?
"A yoga mat, water, and you know those round discs? They look like a Frisbee? [Ed note: They're often labeled as gliding discs.] I do exercises with them on the carpet at home. You can do frogs and leg exercises; it’s really good for the legs! Then the Kora Energising Citrus Mist; it's good if you're feeling a little sluggish." What's the most exciting thing you're working on right now?
"We just launched some new age-defying products with Kora Organics [Kerr's line of beauty products], like the AHA facial exfoliator, which really helps to turn over cells, and a lot of tests show it improves your skin’s tone and texture. Also we have the Phytox Oil; it’s really good, you put it on every day, morning and night. I’m a little addicted to that. And then, there is the Heart Chakra essence oil. It feels like you’re getting a hug because it’s aromatherapy, with essential oils like sandalwood and rose. It’s nurturing and all about rebalancing the heart chakra; it smells delicious as well, and you just roll [it] on."