Bethenny Frankel, the 54-year-old entrepreneur, TV personality, and Skinnygirl founder, recently made waves at the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show during Miami Swim Week. Her appearance has generated significant buzz, with fans eager to know how she prepared for the iconic catwalk. Frankel has shared insights into her approach to fitness, diet, and beauty, emphasizing balance, self-acceptance, and a “natural” approach. Let’s dive into the details of how Bethenny Frankel prepped for her SI Swimsuit runway debut.
Embracing a Natural Body and Balanced Lifestyle
A Shift from Obsession to Balance
Frankel has openly discussed her past struggles with food and exercise, recalling a time in her early 30s when she was “fixated and obsessed,” leading to a cycle of binging and restricting. However, she has since cultivated a “good relationship with food and exercise,” emphasizing that it “wasn’t always that way.” This balanced approach is central to her current wellness philosophy.
No Crash Diets or Intense Workouts
In response to inquiries about her runway physique, Frankel clarified that she doesn’t engage in crash diets or have a strict workout routine. Instead, she focuses on maintaining a healthy lifestyle through balanced habits. She told her followers, “I do not crash diet, I don’t go to a gym, I don’t have a workout. I walk on the beach. Everything I do has balance. I self-regulate.”
The Power of Natural Exercise
Frankel stresses the importance of “natural” exercise, explaining, “My body is natural because the exercise I do and have always done for my body is natural.” Her primary form of exercise is walking, particularly on the beach. Beach walks offer several benefits, engaging lower-body muscles like the quadriceps, glutes, hamstrings, and calves more intensely due to the resistance of the sand. Maintaining balance on the shifting ground also strengthens the core. She aims for 10,000 steps a day and finds that hitting this mark helps her sleep better. While she occasionally attends yoga classes, her routine remains simple and consistent.
A Healthy Relationship with Food
Frankel emphasizes the importance of a positive relationship with food, free from “food noise” or “exercise noise.” She explains that she doesn’t experience the internal dialogue of being “good” or “bad” based on her eating or exercise habits. Instead, she focuses on a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, fiber, and protein. She enjoys foods like beefsteak tomatoes with cottage cheese and creates “supermodel snacks” like seaweed wraps with avocado, lettuce, hot sauce, and turkey.
Skincare and Beauty Secrets
Minimal Makeup and Focus on Skincare
Frankel has stated that she doesn’t typically wear makeup in her daily life, preferring a more natural look. She told her fans that she looks like “a train wreck most of the time,” emphasizing that her runway appearance involved “a lot of glam, a lot of contouring, a lot of lighting.” Her focus is on skincare to maintain a healthy and radiant complexion.
Key Products and Treatments
To prep for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show, Frankel incorporated several products and treatments into her routine:
- Nello Hydration Packets: Frankel emphasizes the importance of hydration, especially during busy periods of travel and fittings. She uses Nello daily to stay hydrated, calling them “easy, effective,” and essential for travel.
- L’Oréal Paris True Match Lumi Glotion: A long-time favorite, Frankel swears by this drugstore product for a “day-of glow.” She appreciates its shimmer and minimal risk of staining.
- truFlex by Cutera: In the weeks leading up to the show, Frankel underwent truFlex by Cutera treatments at True L.I.O. to help tone and sculpt her body.
- Amazon Shorts for Beach Walks: Comfortable and practical, Frankel considers these shorts a “must-have” for her regular beach walks.
- Dose Daily Cleanse: Frankel takes Dose Daily Cleanse religiously to maintain digestive health and clear skin, considering it an essential part of her preparation.
Bethenny’s “Rich Bitch” Skincare Philosophy
Frankel is a proponent of “rich bitch skincare,” which involves finding affordable drugstore products that deliver high-quality results. She appreciates that you can “walk into Walgreens and get something that is serving you the way that something that is several hundred dollars is serving you.” She particularly likes No7’s Future Renew Damage Reversal collection, favoring the Eye Serum and the Night Cream for their rich, nourishing textures.
Nighttime Skincare Routine
Frankel has also shared her nighttime skincare routine, which includes:
- Eye mask to block out sunlight
- A night guard to prevent teeth grinding
- Mouth tape to ease jaw muscles
The Runway Experience and Body Positivity
Embracing the Experience
Frankel described her Sports Illustrated experience as amazing. She walked in the show for the first time at 54 and shared her decision to model on Instagram. She wore a variety of swimsuits during the runway event in Miami, including a one-piece swimsuit with cheetah print, a pink bikini with black polka dots, and a denim bikini with a cowboy hat.
Women Supporting Women
Frankel was particularly struck by the culture of female support at the event. She stated, “I have never seen the level of female support that I experienced here.” This sense of camaraderie and encouragement contributed to her positive runway experience.
Addressing Commentary on Her Appearance
Following her runway appearance, Frankel addressed comments about her age, weight, face, and hair. She emphasized that “every woman that was with me on that stage did not look that way two hours prior,” highlighting the role of “a lot of glam, a lot of contouring, a lot of lighting” in creating the final look.
Promoting a Healthy Mindset
Frankel encourages her followers to practice self-acceptance and develop a healthy relationship with food and exercise. She advises, “I want you to allow yourselves to have, but not beat yourselves up when you do indulge. And I want you to have a good relationship with food and exercise, and that doesn’t mean being screamed at in a gym or beating yourself up and telling yourself that you have to kill yourself. You don’t. It’s healthier to just be healthy.”
Strutting with Confidence
Bethenny Frankel’s preparation for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show was a testament to her balanced lifestyle, focus on natural wellness, and body-positive mindset. By prioritizing a healthy relationship with food and exercise, embracing affordable skincare, and promoting self-acceptance, she demonstrated that confidence and charisma are not limited by age or societal expectations. Her runway debut was not just a personal triumph but an inspiration to women everywhere.
