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Jesinta Campbell and Buddy Franklin reveal their healthy eating secrets to staying match fit

JESINTA Campbell and Buddy Franklin care so much about the food they put in their bodies, they’ve ditched restaurants and cook at home instead.

Jesinta and Jess walk the DJs runway

SHE’S a former Miss Universe Australia and one of the country’s top models. He’s one of the greatest full forwards to pull on an AFL jumper.

So when it comes to health and fitness, Jesinta Campbell and Swans star Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin both know they need to put healthy eating and exercise at the top of their priorities.

In fact, the celebrity couple care so much about the food they put in their bodies, they’ve ditched restaurants through the working week and cook at home instead.

Swans star Buddy Franklin and his wife Jesinta have stopped going out to restaurants. Picture: Sam Ruttyn
Swans star Buddy Franklin and his wife Jesinta have stopped going out to restaurants. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

“Throughout the week, we cook our dinners together every night, because we know exactly what we’re putting into our bodies and we know what’s in it,” Jesinta says.

“We’re not running the risk of going to a restaurant and eating things that aren’t going to fuel our bodies and make us feel really good and make us perform at our highest level.

“I’m the head chef, and he’s the sous-chef. But when it comes to carb-loading before a match, our meals are a little bit different.”

Jesinta says she knows how important it is to have someone in your life who shares the same health and fitness goals as you do.

“In some ways, models and athletes do have a lot in common, in that our bodies are our work and what we use to do what we do, so there’s a lot of similarities there. Buddy has taught me a lot about fitness, and I feel like I’ve taught him a lot about health,” she says.

The former Miss Universe Australia says it is important to have someone in your life who shares the same health and fitness goals. Picture: Tim Hunter
The former Miss Universe Australia says it is important to have someone in your life who shares the same health and fitness goals. Picture: Tim Hunter

Boxing clever

While she’s a knockout in the modelling world, Jesinta also packs a punch away from the catwalk.

She’s ditched the treadmill and turned to kickboxing to take her fitness to the next level.

“I love my combat sports,” she said. “I’ve been boxing for a while now, but I’ve just started Muay Thai kickboxing.

“I love it, because it’s a whole new skill set and something new to learn, and while you’re learning you’re also working on your fitness.

“Fitness has become a real part of my lifestyle. It’s not a chore that I feel like I have to do everyday, it really is integrated into my everyday life.

“And to make it fun and interesting and challenging, I try to change it up.”

Jesinta has just taken up Muay Thai kickboxing to take her fitness to the next level. Picture: Tim Hunter
Jesinta has just taken up Muay Thai kickboxing to take her fitness to the next level. Picture: Tim Hunter

Hence the kickboxing, then. And being able to strike fear into her AFL star husband is just a happy coincidence?

“It’s the key to a happy marriage,” she laughs.

I caught up with Jesinta backstage at the David Jones Spring Summer show, and it turns out that preparing for a show like this is no different to preparing for a big match or a marathon. It’s all about the kinds of food you’re fuelling your body with.

“I like to feel like I’m my fittest, most healthy version of me when I’m out there on the runway, so the past 12 weeks I’ve cut out alcohol and sugar and processed foods. Not that I have lot of that in my diet anyway, but I really make a conscious effort to eat as clean as I can,” she says.

“And because I’m upping my workouts and my training regime, food really becomes fuel for my body, so I see it as something that’s going to be able to fuel me and make me feel full of life so I can get through the workouts.”

Healthy, not skinny

The one thing Jesinta never talks about is trying to lose weight. No fad diets or unsustainable fitness routines, either. Instead, she talks about being fit and being healthy.

And that can mean very different things to different people.

In the last 12 weeks, she has cut alcohol, sugar and processed foods for the David Jones runway show. Picture: Tim Hunter
In the last 12 weeks, she has cut alcohol, sugar and processed foods for the David Jones runway show. Picture: Tim Hunter
Fitness is something she has integrated into her everyday life. Picture: Tim Hunter
Fitness is something she has integrated into her everyday life. Picture: Tim Hunter

“To me being healthy is feeling happy and confident. I always feel my healthiest when I’m at my fittest, knowing that you’re eating all the right foods and looking after yourself,” she says.

“Healthy looks different on everyone, and I think that’s a really important message. Being a size eight doesn’t mean you’re healthy, and being a size 20 doesn’t mean your unhealthy.

“We’re all different, and as long as I feel happy, healthy and fit, then I’m in a good place.”

Jesinta’s go-to meals when she’s preparing for a show are predictably nutritious and low in wasted calories. Better still, her homemade healthy meals are super easy to make yourself.

Try these three on for size:

— Egg-white omelet: “I make them with some chilli flakes and some onions and chopped mushrooms, and on a big bed of baby spinach with half an avocado.”

— Peanut butter protein balls: “They’re just almonds, dates and a tablespoon of peanut butter. But you can add some protein powder or some desiccated coconut. You can put anything in there you’d like, and they’re a great 4pm pick-me-up snack.”

Jesinta’s peanut butter protein balls is a great pick-me-up snack. Picture: Tim Hunter
Jesinta’s peanut butter protein balls is a great pick-me-up snack. Picture: Tim Hunter

— The green goddess smoothie: “I always love to throw a couple of nuts in my smoothies, it just adds another texture and it’s great for energy and just makes them just a little bit more filling. So I usually put in frozen banana, or frozen berries with a massive handful of baby spinach, some avocado, flaxseed, chia seeds and some nuts. And again, you can really change it up. That’s what I love about smoothies, you can really fit a whole meal into it and make it nutritious and delicious.”

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FAST FIVE

Q: What’s your favourite healthy food?

A: Eggs — I have them every morning!

Q: What’s one food you’d never eat?

A: Probably soft drinks. They’re one thing I’ve never really liked.

Q: What’s your favourite unhealthy food?

A: This list is so long! I love chocolate, red wine and champagne. And I love a gluten-free pizza. It’s good to indulge, too. You have to have balance in life, otherwise you go crazy. And you have to have something to look forward to, too.

Q: What’s you’re favourite exercise?

A: Boxing or Muay Thai kickboxing.

Q: What do you listen to when you work out?

A: I turn into a full-blown gangster when I work out. I love 21 Savage, Tyga, Kanye — anything with a really great beat, with a bit of grit to it.

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/jesinta-campbell-and-buddy-franklin-reveal-their-healthy-eating-secrets-to-staying-match-fit/news-story/bf8d9168d12d887f09148515a27f84d2