Updated September 23rd, 2024

Christie Brinkley at 70: How Do You Stay This Healthy? The Hard Data On Lifestyle & Prevention You Need To Know

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The Importance of Diet and Exercise

Legendary model Christie Brinkley is modeling on magazine covers again and it’s clear to see she’s been staying active, eating health, and taking care of herself as she ages. Her efforts reminds us that exercise and a healthy diet as been linked to a lower risk of cancer, and the importance of cancer screenings.
Brinkley recently underwent a skin cancer treatment procedure to remove basal cell carcinoma and previously had a breast cancer scare.
When it comes to trying to prevent a cancer diagnosis or recurrence, there are a few factors to consider. Making sure we are healthy is important for our everyday lives, and that means prioritizing a healthy diet and consistently being active.
Although there’s been no scientific evidence to prove a certain diet or amount of exercise causes or prevents cancer, there is a definite link. For example, among the women who exercised regularly, their risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer dropped by 12%.
As for diet, it’s recommended to practice moderation as much as possible. Cancer risk can be linked to consuming high amounts of sugar, carbs, and overcooked processed meats. That’s why it’s important to balance your cravings with nutritious foods such as dark green, red and orange vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. By making sure you eat a balanced diet, this can decrease inflammation which is often associated with cancer risk.

Legendary model Christie Brinkley never ceases to impress, especially as she ages, as she’s been featured on yet another magazine cover embracing her beauty—and her determination and ability to stay active, eat healthy, and remain positive certainly leaves us in awe. It also reminds us that exercise and a healthy diet as been linked to a lower risk of cancer.

Brinkley, who admits to thinking “70 is the new 40,” took to social media this week to share a photo from her recent photoshoot for The Accessories Council magazine’s September issue. The cover image of the magazine, shared by the council shows a seemingly flawless mom of three donning a silky black outfit with a fashionable purse and voluminous hairstyle.

Alongside the featured image, shared on Instagram by the magazine, the caption reads, “AC MAGAZINE’S FALL AND EYEWEAR ISSUES ARE LIVE! Superstar @christiebrinkley graces the cover of our September issue showing us that 70 is in fact the new 40 while our eyewear issue rounds up the hottest trends, styles, and brands you need to know.”

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Meanwhile, another photo from the magazine, shared by Brinkley, shows the Hampton’s style icon smiling gracefully in a timeless cream-colored dress and high silver heels.

In quotes on the page, it again reads “70 is the new 40,” and it’s clear this has been her mantra since she turned 70 back in February.

She even mentioned it in an earlier Instagram post from this summer, writing alongside another photo of herself, “All this talk about age! But I think 70 is the new 40 a great time to take on new challenges, volunteer, travel , or start a new company.

“The sky is the limit. Now is a great time to make your dreams and goals a reality! Here’s to loving the age you’re in! #sexy70 #startuplife #70strong.”

However, even before 70, Brinkley has been doing an incredible job showing other women how it’s possible to look and feel your best while aging, she even modeled on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit issue in 2017.

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Speaking to The Cut in 2018, Brinkley offered readers a look inside her healthy daily routine, which she revealed begins with jumping out of bed, making coffee and a hot cup of water with fresh-squeezed lemons in it, sometimes with cayenne pepper inside to “rev up the engine.”

She explained further, ” I’ll drink like, five cups of coffee. When I finish that, I try to get exercise in. As far as exercise goes, everyone always asks if I use the Total Gym and yes, I really do. But I also might go to a spin class or work with weights. I would say running is my favorite way to sweat, but I’m not really supposed to do that anymore because of injuries.

“When I was doing [the musical] Chicago I noticed that the second you do any activity and you add your arms as though you’re dancing, it revs you up. Whether it’s walking down the beach and moving your arms like you’re swimming, or picking up rocks and walking with them, you really start sweating and breathing heavily.”

Brinkley also admitted to doing leg lifts while brushing her teeth, as well as “all kinds of squats” while drying her hair.

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Brinkley, also pointed out that wellness is “a lifestyle,” adding, “it’s a foundation for your future, because your health is your greatest wealth”

She also doesn’t eat sweets in the morning, but instead protein, probiotics, raw oats, nuts and fruits. For lunch time, she said she often eats salads with protein and for dinners, she’ll eat vegetables on top of a carb like bean pasta, rice or quinoa.

Brinkley also said she became vegetarian around 13 years old, and hasn’t eaten red meat or fowl since.

“Fish has come and gone in my diet, there have just been times when if I didn’t eat a fish, I wouldn’t have anything to eat. If I’m in the Seychelles, everything has got fish tossed into it. It’s natural there. I’m sort-of-ish vegan now. Sometimes my body just tells me that I need an egg. But I don’t enjoy them, I kind of feel weird about them,” she continued.

“The big thing that always gets me is mozzarella cheese. Life is too short. If there’s juicy mozzarella cheese and there’s a piece of pizza under it … why not?”

WATCH: Maintain a Good Diet.

She concluded, “The most important thing to do is to keep moving. If you have an injury, diagnose it right away. Don’t think it’s going to heal by resting.

“Once you’re over 50, don’t stop moving because you’ll rust. You have to grease the joints and keep moving. As long as I do that I feel great. If you start to hold still, they’ll start acting up.”

Christie Brinkley’s Health Journey & Breast Cancer Scare

Brinkley, who recently had surgery after being diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma, a common type of skin cancer, previously experienced a frightening breast cancer scare.

The Monroe, Michigan native, who lives in Sag Harbor on New York’s Long Island never had breast cancer, but she did have a scary breast cancer scare along with her mother.

Back in 1999, Brinkley told The Associated Press, “Both my mom and myself had scares, and thank goodness, neither of us had cancer. But those two incidents gave me just a little teeny glimpse of what it’s like to have the fear and the rush of emotions.”

The cancer scare inspired Brinkley’s introduction she wrote in a free children’s book, written by Laura Numeroff, called “Kids Talk,” from the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

“The book addresses those fears and explains breast cancer through cute illustrations and in words children can understand,” Brinkley said, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

Brinkley’s breast cancer scare reminds us how screening for the disease is so important in cancer prevention.

Women who are at an average risk for breast cancer and between the ages 40 and 74 are being advised to get mammograms every two years, according to recently finalized recommendations from an important advisory board called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF).

In addition to suggesting women start bi-annual screenings at age 40, the USPSTF says there is not enough evidence to determine the positives and negatives of mammographies for women 75 years and older. The USPSTF also notes that there is insufficient evidence to understand “the balance of benefits and harms of supplemental screening for breast cancer using breast ultrasonography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in women identified to have dense breasts on an otherwise negative screening mammogram.”

Mammograms Are Still the Best Tool for Detecting Breast Cancer

The Importance of Diet and Exercise

HerResearch shows that exercise can lower your risk of breast cancer and also help you cope better with treatment if you’ve already been diagnosed. Numerous studies back this up. On average, your risk reduction is about 12 percent, and that should be significant enough to keep you motivated. But the truth of the matter is that exercise is so much more than that.

We know that exercising helps strengthen your heart and is good for your overall sense of wellbeing. It probably sounds counter-intuitive to be exercising during chemotherapy or undergoing radiation, but getting out and getting some sort of exercise, no matter how hard it seems at the time, will help. Keeping even a little bit active helps alleviate some of the symptoms of chemotherapy for those battling cancer.

You could even seek out programs geared for breast cancer patients, like yoga, which will help motivate you and ensure you’re staying engaged with the outside world. Plus, it benefits you spiritually, as it allows you to reflect inward on your spiritual state to relieve any internal tension that could reside from your diagnosis.

The great thing is that even if you’re resistant to exercise, it comes in so many different forms that finding one you enjoy can only heighten the positive effects. Hiking, biking, walking, dancing, and other enjoyable activities are all considered exercise.

Exercise Can Lower Your Breast Cancer Risk

As for diet, it’s recommended to practice moderation as much as possible. Cancer risk can be linked to consuming high amounts of sugar, carbs, and overcooked processed meats. That’s why it’s important to balance your cravings with nutritious foods such as dark green, red and orange vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. By making sure you eat a balanced diet, this can decrease inflammation which is often associated with cancer risk.

“Things that we know are not good for us: high carbs, high meat, low fiber, high sugar, smoking, [and] drinking excessively, they all are bad for our health and increase our risk of cancer. Exercise decreases the risk of cancer,” Dr. Yeo said.

In addition to affecting your cancer risk, lifestyle can play an important role in going through active cancer treatment as well. While it’s important to not lose weight while going through certain treatments such as chemotherapy, a healthy diet can strengthen your immune system which can help you push through treatment. Additionally, doing light exercises such as yoga can also lend itself as a stress reliever, which is helpful for one’s emotional health.

“Diet, exercise, and stress control are extremely important when going through both cancer therapy, as well as once you’re done treating your cancer and trying to get back to the rest of your life,” Dr. Sairah Ahmed, a medical oncologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, previously told SurvivorNet.

“You want to have a moderate diet where you’re including lots of fruits and vegetables, but you’re still eating fat and protein. You want to maintain physical exercise. The more physically fit you are going through your cancer treatment, the less side effects you’ll have and the faster you’ll get back to your normal quality of life.”