Christie Brinkley’s Gardening Routine Is *Actually* Intense Exercise

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Summer, and thus, bathing suit season, is almost synonymous with Christie Brinkley. The 69-year-old model was the face of Sports Illustrated throughout the 1980s, and has mastered the art of soaking up the sun.

Back in the day, that meant posing on the beach, gracing magazine covers, and getting a super quick tan. Now, the entrepreneur is more focused on simply enjoying the great outdoors, and life in general. If you scroll through her Instagram, you'll quickly find her favorite hobby: gardening—which combines them both!

The supermodel sat down with Women's Health to discuss everything that makes her feel great these days—from her favorite beauty products to yoga, and her "eat the rainbow" philosophy.

Christie loves for her plates—whether its breakfast, lunch, or dinner—to be super colorful, or loaded with fruits and veggies.

"I developed this theory when I became a mom," she tells WH. "It seemed like every other day there'd be an article [like] 'We Thought This Item Was Healthy For You And Now We've Discovered It Causes Cancer,' so I decided I just wanted to give my kids an array of colors, and I raised them all vegetarians."

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The mother of three is also known for being a vegetarian (her go-to veggie is broccoli) but she has lots of beans and grains, too. "Quinoa is a great protein source," she says. BTW, if you follow her Instagram, the veggie-lover will often share her meals on her stories.

While she typically preps her own meals, the Sports Illustrated model will sometimes partake in The Metabolism Reset plan by Sakara, which offers specially designed breakfasts, lunches, and dinners that help kickstart your metabolic process. "I love doing that, too," she says. "You don't have to think about it. It's so easy."

At least, not like she used to! As a former supermodel, Christie's beauty advice is typically top notch, but she did once have to retract tanning advice she offered in her first beauty book. "I gave lessons on how to get the darkest tan," she tells WH, laughing. "I dedicated two pages and actually suggested using baby oil, rubbing it all over your body and lying at the edge of a swimming pool and splashing yourself so the droplets would amplify the sunlight."

In her early days of modeling, this was her preferred method for getting a quick tan—but not anymore, and she certainly doesn't recommend it! "Back when I started, [before a shoot], they'd give me a tiny bikini and they'd say, 'Okay, tomorrow morning, get a tan,'" she says. "So how to get the fastest tan became an important part of my job."

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Now, Christie lathers on the sunblock (and, at times, the fake tan). It's important that her sunscreen is reef safe, and her current fave is the Supergoop! Unseen Sunscreen. "When I'm down in the Caribbean, where I spend a lot of time, I'll do the Unseen Sunscreen and a foundation makeup with sunscreen in it," she says.

When she spoke to WH, Christie was promoting Pet Life Unlimited's Forever Young campaign, which focuses on helping old dogs feel their best. ICYDK, the supermodel is the proud owner of a senior dog herself—her puppy Chester—and loves using brand's wipes and shampoo to make him feel brand new and beautiful. "I am a firm believer that you can be beautiful at any age," she says.

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Her philosophy transfers for herself, too. As a model, Christie is always camera ready, and has a few products of her own to make herself feel rejuvenated and beautiful. The 69-year-old mom of three even keeps her purse stocked with one beauty essential: Lumify eye drops. She also loves the Olapex No. 4 shampoo and conditioner, which was recommended by her hair stylist. "I got turned onto it by the salon because they use it. It helps repair the hair and dryness," she says.

When it comes to staying fit, Christie gets creative. In fact, she incorporates small exercises into her daily tasks—from brushing her teeth to blow drying her hair. "It's just such a waste of time not to," she says. "When I'm brushing my teeth I [go] up and down on my toes, otherwise I could never wear heels."

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The Parks and Recreation star also does lunges while blow drying her hair, and considers gardening a very rigorous exercise. "[Denise Austin] popped onto my last post because I said 'gardening is great exercise," Christie tells WH. "And she said 'yes it is!' She should know!"

On top of the activity of sprucing up her plants, Christie also gave WH and example of ways she'll incorporate intentional movements into her landscaping. "Sometimes I'll [tell myself], Okay I'm going to hold that leg [in place] while I'm bending down, and then your leg starts to tremble," she says. The plant connoisseur also says she'll add in a few extra squats in whenever she bends down to do something in her garden.

One of Christie's favorite forms of exercise is yoga. She enjoys the physical benefits of the exercise, it also gives her time to bond with her pets. "I love yoga," she says. "Every time I'm doing it, I've got both dogs aiming for my face, trying to give me kisses."

The dog mom will wear Alo yoga leggings, and her favorite poses are the downward dog (obviously) and Shavasana because they optimize the puppy cuddles. Awww.

Christie has certainly got this healthy lifestyle thing down to a science!

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