We speak with Gonsalves about her personal motivation for working out, mental health and what to do when you just feel like s**t.
Like many in her industry, model and actress Ellie Gonsalves admits that when she first got into working out, her reasons were more ‘face value’ than ‘inner wellbeing’.
Speaking on Body+Soul’s daily podcast Healthy-ish, she says she put in a lot of time and effort researching how the body works and how fitness could improve her health and body tone.
“When I started to really focus on my health and well-being, it was mainly the aesthetics that was motivating me to really get into health and fitness,” she tells host Felicity Harley on the Healthy-ish episode Ellie Gonsalves on becoming toned, fit and fierce.
Like what you see? Sign up to our bodyandsoul.com.au newsletter for more stories like this.
“I literally just went and researched as much as I possibly could to figure out how I could be as healthy as I could to have a really amazing career as a model.”
However, life intervened. Unfortunately, Gonsalves tragically lost her father to suicide, while she was overseas in America.
“It was a really, really hard time of my life – and fitness was something that I fell back on,” she says. “I realised, it was just so amazing for my emotions, for my mental health, and that’s something I hadn’t realised – how much it could [make a difference].”
So, what’s her routine?
The uber-fit Gonsalves says she tries to keep her routine simple, “everything in moderation”, she says. Her workout routine involves weights Monday through Friday and cardio on the weekends, such as a walk with friends, or a bike ride.
“I don’t really pressure myself to do something every single day,” she says. “I think that’s where it starts to get a bit obsessive.”
“It’s just about keeping active as much as I can, while still enjoying it – and I think a lot of people can relate to that.”
Just like the rest of us, Gonsalves has days where she’s just not in the mood. She says this tends to happen around her period where she can sometimes feel bloated and retain water. She says she can get a little self-conscious during that time.
“I just try to always bring it back to, ‘OK, I’ve got to realise and sit with how I’m feeling and understand this is just coming from a place that’s hormonal’,” she says.
“I think we all have those moments, and it’s important to understand that everybody has them…I think it’s about going back and appreciating our bodies and what they do for us and moving them as much as we can and keeping ourselves healthy…but also, it’s fine to have those moments too when you feel like absolute sh**t.”
Her number one tip?
Start early in the morning. You’ve heard it time and time again but ‘win the morning, win the day’ stands true for Gonsalves.
“Go and get it done, finish the workout and then you can just feel good about the rest of your day,” she says. She also recommends having a go-to work out that you can do anywhere, such as her own Body by Ellie.
“I lived on my program while we were in quarantine and lockdown for the first time. I’ve [also] done it all around the world and every single hotel room that you can think of while I was while I was travelling and working,” she says.
“It’s just something that is really easy to do. You don’t need any equipment, you don’t need much space. So I think that that aspect of my body program is just so good and it’s something that I can go to that’s always consistent.”
Find out more about Ellie via Instagram @ellie_gonsalves, or for her Body By Ellie program, click here
Any products featured in this article are selected by our editors, who don’t play favourites. If you buy something, we may get a cut of the sale. Learn more.
