Michelle Bridges shares 7 easy ways she stays healthy

The other week, I was sent to interview Michelle Bridges about her latest initiative, the new range of vitamins and supplements that she’s launched along with Blackmores.

We were supposed to talk about the incredible 10-product range, and of course we did. But along the way, Mish (I feel like we’re on nickname basis by now) provided me with plenty of insights into the little things she does to keep her life on track.

Here are a of Michelle Bridges’ health tips, and they’re easy to try yourself.

1. She carries snacks everywhere.

“I keep my protein bites and an apple in my handbag every day and they’re a go-to. Some days I don’t eat them, but other days I need that snack. I was crazy busy yesterday, and the snacks were a godsend. It just means that when I’m running around and grabbing a coffee or a tea, and there are muffins and cookies and cakes there, I’m not tempted to go “okay, I’ll have one of those.” Which is SO tempting when you’re running around.”

2. She eats chocolate but not fast food.

“I’m a big believer in food. I’m a foodie. I love going out to eat at restaurants. You’ll never catch me eating fast food because I don’t want to waste my appetite on junk – I’d much rather, for a treat, go out to a meal that’s going to be laced with salt and sugar and oil, but in my view, it’s much better quality and worth it. If I know I’m going to have an unhealthier meal and chocolates and lollies, I’ll eat smart the rest of the day, I’ll train that morning, and then the next day I’ll go back to eating normally. I’ll set myself up for success.”

3. She goes to bed at 9pm.

“I’m always asked for health tips. And one of our biggest problems in this country is sleep. I’m evangelical about my sleep. I’m in bed by 9:30pm at the latest and people are like, “are you really going to bed now?” I’m like, “yep!” What’s the point in sitting and trawling the Internet? Then I can sleep until 6 or 7am – 7 is a real sleep in for me.”

4. She always starts the day with a smoothie.

“I’ll use a scoop or two of protein powder in my smoothie depending on the day. Sometimes, it’s like, “oh this smoothie has just got to get me through to my next location, where I’ll have a proper breakfast.” And other days it’s like, “oh, this smoothie has to last me until LUNCHTIME, because my day is SHOCKING!”

5. She’s all about living consciously.

“A lot of people also come to me and they could tell me what they had for breakfast, what they had for lunch and what they’ll have for dinner. Everything else is null and void. The half a muffin here, the little bit of cake there. SNAP OUT OF IT! Stop. Thinking about what you’re putting in your body. If you’re travelling, remember the plane snacks! The other day, I looked at the snack box I got on a flight from Sydney to Melbourne. There was an orange “juice” in there that was about 350 calories. It had so little nutritional value that you could probably get more vitamins from eating my socks. There was a packet of biscuits which was just stodgy calories, and adding it up it was almost a full daily calorie allowance without any nutritional value! But it’s just there, so you eat it.”

6. She keeps it simple

“Whenever I go into a chemist or a pharmacy, there’s the wall of supplements and I’m like … are you kidding? Where does it begin and where does it end? I’d be rattling! I wanted to keep it very simple with my range. Each product has a specific purpose that follows a general lifestyle for most Australians. I also don’t like the whole “vitamins for women! vitamins for men!” thing. The pragmatic side of me is like… Can I just buy something for the whole family that everyone can have? So this range is for everyone and anyone.”

7. She’s getting into surfing.

“Surfing is so good for you! Even just the workout you get from paddling out – that’s great for your arms and upper body. I’ve been surfing down at Bondi and loving it.”