Polish model and influencer Veronica Bielik works hard for her health and fitness–and it shows. Bielik shared a photo of herself looking relaxed and happy in a black two-piece swimsuit, which begs the question: How does she stay so fit? Read on to see 7 ways Bielik stays in shape and the photos that prove they work—and to get beach-ready yourself, don’t miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bathing Suit Photos!
Bielik loves going on long hikes (sometimes eight hours!), especially when she’s back in her home country, Poland. “Hiking is my favorite workout, keeping my body toned during travels. And that extra dose of oxygen in the morning increases my endorphins level as well,” Bielik says on Instagram. “When you’re dressed for success, hiking is a great total-body workout,” says podiatric surgeon Michael Bednarz, DPM, FACFAS. “It strengthens the large muscles in your body, while stimulating the feel-good chemical hormones of adrenaline and endorphins that boost your mood and energy levels.”
Bielik prefers being outside over a gym. “It’s so much easier to workout outside when the sun is out too,” Bielik says on Instagram. “I take many of my individual clients and classes outdoors,” says certified fitness instructor ShaNay Norvell. “They often tell me it doesn’t feel like as much of a workout as running on the treadmill, even though they are still getting a great calorie burn.”
Bielik loves vegetables, and even has her own little indoor garden. “The coolest thing I ever got to my apartment 🙂 my smart garden that grows even when I am [traveling],” Bielik says on Instagram. “The benefits from fruits and vegetables can be attained both through raw and cooking methods,” says Maxine Smith, RD. “Some nutrients are released more when they’re cooked, some are more readily available in the raw form. So I always encourage people to try to get a variety of different foods cooked with different cooking methods. For example, when you take dark green leafy vegetables, the folic acid, which is very important for many of the cells in the body for our heart health, is more readily available, less damaged in raw form. So dark green leafy vegetables in salads, for example, would be encouraged.”
Bielik is a big fan of healthy breakfasts that can be put together quickly. “Making myself a quick breakfast with lactose free cottage cheese and my home grown chives,” she captioned a post on Instagram. “Much of the research just makes good common sense,” says clinical dietitian Christy C. Tangney, PhD. “If you start with a healthy, satisfying meal in the morning you’re less apt to nibble on less nutritious things during the day, which we often do out of hunger — you grab the first or easiest thing in front of you.”
Bielik enjoys taking cooking classes to learn new skills and recipes. “Some salsa and guacamole for you? That cooking class in @florafarms was 👌🤍,” she captioned an Instagram post. “Cooking is easier than people think,” says Dr. David Eisenberg of the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “It is more fun and cheaper than eating out. And no matter your ability, anyone can learn to do it.”
Even Bielik’s vacations are action-packed—the model shared an Instagram post of a very active trip to Costa Rica. “Hanging bridges, jungles walks, beautiful waterfalls, umbrellas from 🍁 and magical wildlife… everything I adore in Costa Rica,” Bielik says. “Foreign experiences increase both cognitive flexibility and depth and integrativeness of thought, the ability to make deep connections between disparate forms,” says Adam Galinsky, professor at Columbia Business School. “The key, critical process is multicultural engagement, immersion and adaptation. Someone who lives abroad and doesn’t engage with the local culture will likely get less of a creative boost than someone who travels abroad and really engages in the local environment.”
Bielik is a proponent of time-restricted eating, where you take in all your meals within a set amount of time and fast for the rest. “I simply love that going to bed at 8 pm and waking up with the sunrise mode we got to have for a whole month. Intermittent fasting + healthy food + reading and listening to podcasts daily + being with good people + daily sunlight = a great way to grow 🌱 and we can apply most of it daily. Have a beautiful week!” she captioned an instagram post. “Many things happen during intermittent fasting that can protect organs against chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, age-related neurodegenerative disorders, even inflammatory bowel disease and many cancers,” says neuroscientist Mark Mattson, PhD.