How living like a Victoria's Secret model changed my life (style).
By Ariana Barrett
Adriana Lima in the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show throughout the years.
The Victoria Secret fashion show blared on the T.V. as my roommates and I sat on the floor watching with jealous eyes at the dozens of beautiful women parading the stage. We were shoveling chicken Lo Mein into our mouths as we questioned “why don’t we look like that?”
Although it was rhetorical, I took a step back and looked at myself: I’m relatively thin but that’s definitely constructed of flab, not muscle. I came to the conclusion that I have a bad lifestyle, I’m stuck in a comfortable routine that made me want a nap when I thought of changing it.
Ever since I turned 18 I’ve been a waitress and a college student, which means long nights and sleeping late. I sleep through breakfast and my lunch usually consist of a bag of whatever from a vending machine, leaving me starving for dinner where I would eat huge portions of Hamburger Helper or Kraft Mac and Cheese. Along with my bad eating habits I’m also stuck in the perpetual cycle of napping that I constantly choose in place of going to the gym, making my daily runs, weekly.
Victoria Secret models are known for having some of the most attractive bodies in the world, but with that comes rigorous diet and exercise. I’m not aspiring to become a model but holding myself to such a high standard is just the motivation I need. In order to shock myself into a strict routine, I decided to live like Adriana Lima, Victoria Secret’s most notable model. Adriana Lima has been one of the longest running models for Victoria’s Secret and was back on the stage in less than a month after giving birth to her children. She’s pretty bad ass. For one week, I’ll live like this 36-year-old mom of two. But it’s not just any week, a week in preparation for a show – when she’s hardest on herself.
Adriana Lima in the 2016 Victoria Secret Fashion Show.
The first step in my experiment was researching her diet and trying my best to mimic it. I set out to the grocery store to gather my meals for the next week and for the first time I actually realized how hard this was going to be. I was walking past everything I wanted to buy but couldn’t because it wasn’t a part of my diet. Temptation was definitely going to be my biggest enemy when I had to reject cartons of chocolate ice cream and a family size box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. I got less food than I usually do when I grocery shop but I ended up spending more money; I never realized how expensive fresh fruit and vegetables cost because I usually get all of mine from the frozen section.
The Diet:
· For breakfast, Adriana has egg whites, black coffee with milk, and oatmeal with raisins (I think raisons are disgusting so I will be substituting those with real fruit)
· For lunch, Adriana has a small piece of chicken or fish and a side of steamed vegetables.
· For dinner, Adriana has a salad.
· In between meals she eats raw vegetables and nuts as a snack.
· She also consumes at least a gallon of water a day.
The Exercise:
Adriana works out twice a day; once in the morning and once in the evening. They consist of high intensity interval training (HIIT) and body weight resistance strength training. She uses little to no machines or weights in her workouts, but instead focuses on body sculpting workouts, such as lunges, planks, running, and push-ups.
Adriana Lima in preparation for the fashion show.
Day 1: Not off to a good start.
The night before I even started the experiment I freaked out when setting my alarm and couldn’t bring myself to set it for 6 a.m. so I set it for 7 a.m., which was a bad idea because when my alarm went off I stared at the wall for 15 minutes contemplating why I was even doing this, but nevertheless I eventually got up and made myself breakfast. I don’t get hungry when I first wake up so it was difficult having breakfast be the largest meal of the day, but I made myself eat all of it in preparation for the busy day ahead of me.
Because I decided to sleep in for an hour I had no time to let my food digest before I was off to the gym for an hour long work out before class. But unfortunately, I wasn’t even able to complete my very first work out before throwing up my whole breakfast.
After throwing up everything in me, I was starving and thankful for snack time. I had celery and carrots as a snack before lunch and BLEH! Who knew celery only tasted good after eating hot wings? My grilled chicken, steamed vegetable lunch was decent, but not very flavorful.
The second workout of the day was a slow start because my head was pounding from not having taken a nap already. Usually when I got those headaches I can drink a soda or coffee to subside it but that wasn’t an option today. But the worst part of the day was having to eat a salad for dinner; a salad isn’t much when you’re used to eating it as an appetizer. I had to quickly put myself to sleep before I got hungry again.
Day 2: I cheated.
I woke up and could barely move because I was so sore from my ab sculpting workout; everyday activities became a struggle. Sneezing was the biggest hurdle to jump over; every time I felt like I had to sneeze I would do something to combat it just so I didn’t have to clench my abdomen. My morning gym session was better today because I learned to let my food digest but just getting my body down to the mats took a lot out of me.
When it was time to eat, I never craved food so much in my life. I was willing to eat anything salty and greasy so none of my meals were satisfying. I got my afternoon headache again and I gave into my temptations and got Starbucks and it was SO GOOD. But I felt guilty for cheating and willingly ate my salad for dinner with no complaints.
Day 3: Skipped the gym.
I wasn’t able to go to the gym in the morning because I stayed up until 4 a.m. writing a paper and it felt so good to sleep in. It was hard to get out of bed because my muscles somehow managed to get even more sore, which I didn’t even think was possible.
When it came time to eat I realized how bored I’ve grown of my meals. I want cheese on my eggs, ranch with my carrots, and anything but salad for dinner. I only like Caesar dressing on my salads so my dinner lacked variety, like many other parts of this experiment it was just something I had to get used to. But I was considering my dinner options, is taco salad considered a salad?
Day 4: I see the results.
I have never taken so many bathroom breaks before because I’ve never drank so much water. I wish I have been this whole time because my stomach has gotten flatter and my skin has cleared up a lot; I feel rejuvenated.
But I feel like the biggest accomplishment of all is that my headaches that long for caffeine or napping have subsided. It’s like I’ve broken free from the shackles that were hindering my productivity. I don’t feel so sluggish throughout the day anymore and I am able to get more work done.
While the afternoon workouts are becoming a breeze, the morning workouts never seem to get easier. This is most likely owed to my lack of sleep. Having a schedule that requires you to wake up early is difficult when you’re up late getting school work done. I was always able to compromise my late nights but scheduling afternoon classes, giving me time to sleep in.
Day 5: Thank God, it’s over.
I woke up excited that this was my last time I had to eat breakfast and work out in the morning. The gym in the morning is full of a people who take working out seriously so I looked ridiculous when I only worked out for five minutes before needing a break. The afternoon is much better because there are less people judging you.
I went home to see my parents for the weekend and I couldn’t resist my mom’s homemade pizza so I ditched the salad for dinner and I have no regrets, I think I’ve earned it.
Adriana Lima in the 2016 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.
I have a newfound respect for these models. Even though their job is to just be beautiful, their self-discipline is impressive. I think that if this was my job, then I could definitely commit to the lifestyle.
I like being healthy and feeling good, but I have too much on my plate. It was really hard being a student and having a strict schedule. But I do think there are some things that will change now that I’ve tried this experiment. By going to the gym twice a day, the once a day won’t seem like such a struggle anymore and I definitely am more conscious about what I eat.
I learned that going to the gym immediately after class and getting it over with was the best way to consistently stick with it instead of going home and being tempted by my couch. Although I probably won’t continue to eat in the mornings, I did like getting in the habit of eating lunch because it energized me throughout the day and I didn’t have to eat such a big dinner.
It’s never too late to start living a healthier life, but it does help to start young.