14 DAY TRIAL // Just recently, 22-year-old model Brooklyn Decker landed her first ever Sports Illustrated cover and, though she was incredibly surprised at being asked to pose for the famed magazine, she does not deny she worked hard to get this far. Unlike many other models, Decker says she can’t thank her genes alone for her incredible figure, admitting in a recent interview with Us Magazine that it’s also due to the many hours spent sweating at the gym.
The model, who is married to tennis pro Andy Roddick and has already caused quite a stir with her swimsuit photospreads, says she works hard to look this good, even if some might think it comes easily to her. Her favorite workouts represent a combination of yoga and weight training, with the special mention that women should not avoid the latter on the grounds that it makes them bigger, which is, according to Decker and many fitness trainers, one of the biggest misconceptions around. Of course, she also watches out for what she eats, but the focus is on burning the extra calories.
“I would be lying if I said genes didn’t have a large part to do with my size and shape. I have to really work at it. [My favorite is] one of my 25-minute workouts [of The Elle Make Better DVDs]. Yoga’s probably the thing I held onto most because I noticed it really enhanced my other workouts because I work out like an athlete. I go for long runs or spin classes and I do weights, which I think a lot of women are scared of. I think it’s so important to do weights, because they don’t make you bigger, they make you more lean and toned and all that good stuff,” Decker says of her workout routine.
When she doesn’t have the time for a full workout, the model “get[s] in [her] little five-minute squat series just to tighten everything up.” When it comes to dieting, Decker does not believe in the much-praised benefits of cleanses, as neither does she believe that cutting out certain foods is actually good for the body. Instead of limiting her intake, the model focuses on adding essential nutrients to her meals, which is why she snacks on stuff like carrots and assorted nuts.
“‘For breakfast, I usually have Greek yogurt and lots of berries or an egg-white omelet,’ she says. For lunch and dinner, she opts for meat – usually chicken – and vegetables or salad with tuna. The rest of the day, she snacks on carrots and hummus and assorted nuts. Still, the model – who doesn’t believe in diet cleanses – slips up now and then,” Us Magazine writes. The only conditions when “slipping up” are that it mustn’t happen every day and that it be only “a little.”