Regardless of what you think about the controversial Swimsuit edition of the Sports Illustrated magazine, if you’re a model, you want that feature. In 2009, Bar Rafaeli was the model who scored that coveted spot. She was the one shoppers see even before they take the magazine off the rack. She’s the one who will entice them to buy so they can read the rest of the magazine.
Moreover, this bombshell, born in Israel, looks like a natural fit for the issue in her cover shot. Her beach photo shoot looks flawless and effortless. Now, several years later, she’s got a bun in the oven and looks just as great. How does she do it? According to the model, her key is to embrace moderation with both diet and exercise. Regardless of how busy her schedule may be, she exercises on a regular basis, and she has allowed herself to become passionate about nutrition. She feels she’s pretty good at making nutritious choices, but makes sure to just enjoy herself for the heck of it, too. At least once per week, she’ll have a burger and fries, for example.
Of course, along with all these efforts to live a lifestyle that is natural and healthy overall, its’ clear that she does have great genes to help her out. Still, we can’t just chock it all up to genetics. It’s clear that she takes her good looks and health seriously and because of her hard work, it shows.
What makes Bar Rafaeli’s strategy different from a lot of the celebrity diets we’re often hearing about is her focus on happiness. The nutrition and fitness are only components of a greater focus, which is to make sure she is happy in her life. “Happiness is when you love who you are and you are able to accept yourself and others,” she once said in an interview. She feels that strong self confidence and positive self image are critical to a person’s overall wellbeing.
So even though the vast majority of us don’t have what it takes to get into a swimsuit and end up on the cover of Sports Illustrated, there’s still a lot we could learn from someone who did. Bar Rafaeli reminds us that as important as it is to eat healthy foods and focus on our fitness, we also need to do a better job when it comes to self acceptance.
