Gisele Bundchen Lessons

In Her New Book, The Model Talks About Her Life-changing Diet.

- Gisele Bündchen

I feel I have to address something, but I’ll do it fast, because it makes me uncomfortable. I’ve been told that many women wish they had a body like mine. I also know that many people are curious about my diet. I must admit that I find all of this a bit strange. There are many things I really like about my body – I’m naturally athletic and proud of it – and many things I dislike, including my shoulders, which to date I’ve dislocated about nine times each.

Many women have said to me that they wish they were as tall as I am. My height in the end turned out to be a big advantage (modelling! volleyball!), but it wasn’t my choice to top out at five foot 11[180cm]. Especially when just trying to fit in as a teenager, it’s hard to be unnoticed when you’re a foot taller than most of your friends. The body I have is the one I was given – remember four of my sisters are about a head shorter than I am – and all the kale and coconut milk in the world won’t make them taller. A lot of people seem to be under the impression that I follow a special diet or a special exercise plan in order to look a certain way.

The truth is when I was younger I didn’t have to do very much to keep my body fit.

I’m a model after all, and my natural body type is leaner, with smaller bones. But at 38 years old, my metabolism has slowed, and today, I’m very thoughtful about what I eat. I have a healthy diet and I exercise daily for a simple reason – so I can feel good.

Remember the anxiety attacks I wrote about earlier? They were an incredibly motivating force in my life. If you’ve ever had one, you’ll understand that you never want to experience another. My panic attacks were much more motivating than any pleasure I might have from standing in front of the mirror.