Model Ella Halikas on Learning to Love Her Strength & Body Positivity I Body Scan | Women's Health - video Dailymotion

Women'sHealth

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model, social media influencer, and swimsuit designer Ella Halikas takes a deep dive on her body history! The body activist opens up on learning to love her body, lets us in on her fitness routine, and even spills her haircare secrets.

Transcript

00:00 Hi everyone, my name is Ella Haleekis

00:01 and this is my Women's Health Body Scan.

00:04 What I love about my body is that it's just so strong

00:06 and powerful and it's gotten me through so many hard times

00:09 and good times and I just wanna honor and respect it

00:12 at any shape and size that it is

00:14 and I just love everything that my body can do.

00:17 A body part that I definitely learned to grow to love,

00:20 I believe honestly was like my hips

00:21 and just like becoming more of a fuller figure.

00:24 I think I was so insecure as a younger kid

00:26 and I just felt like an outlier for having curvier hips

00:30 and developing at a younger age

00:32 and I think I started to learn to love that.

00:34 So growing up I was very active.

00:36 I did swim team for like 10 years,

00:39 I did dance for about five years,

00:40 but soccer was my main sport that I loved.

00:43 I played for 15 years growing up, up until I was like 18.

00:46 My main position that I did play was center mid.

00:49 I just miss it, I love it.

00:50 I love the competitiveness of the sport, just the nature.

00:53 Challenging myself every day,

00:55 building those friendships around my team and my teammates.

00:57 I would say my favorite part to work out the most

00:59 in my body is definitely like legs, glutes are my favorite.

01:03 My workout routine is I work out with a trainer

01:05 and do like HIIT workouts about two to three times a week.

01:08 Strength training, we do weights, we do battle ropes,

01:11 we do sled pushing, we do circuit training.

01:13 Those type of workouts are great for my body

01:15 and I think it's about learning like what works

01:17 for your body and what exercises you love to do

01:20 because every body is different

01:22 and kind of each workout affects everybody differently.

01:24 So for that, that works for me.

01:26 I like to challenge myself and do arms a lot,

01:28 but my least favorite part is my abs and my core,

01:31 so we're working on that.

01:32 I think the reason why I hate working out the core

01:34 is like it's definitely sometimes not always the strongest,

01:36 but it just, it seems so like tedious.

01:38 Like when you're working out legs, you're standing up,

01:40 you're doing squats, you're, you know, you're lifting,

01:42 but when you have to do abs,

01:43 sometimes you get on the ground

01:44 and it's like this whole thing

01:45 and then you have to like lift your head up.

01:47 And I'm like, I'm over it.

01:48 Like the routine of it, the process of doing abs is annoying

01:52 and I will fight my trainer every time about it.

01:54 I also love to do Pilates and shout out Solid Core.

01:57 I work out with them every week for sure too.

01:59 So mixing Pilates with that strength training

02:02 is like the best routine for me.

02:05 So my favorite go-to meal if we're being healthy,

02:07 'cause I believe in balance, right?

02:09 Like you gotta have healthy meals,

02:10 but also there's nothing wrong with a spicy margarita

02:13 and some chips and guac.

02:14 But I think if we are being healthy and consistent

02:16 during the weeks, I do do meal prep.

02:18 So I do rice, I do salmon, or you can choose your protein.

02:21 So it's like salmon, chicken, ground beef, or ground turkey.

02:25 And then I do a white or brown rice, depending on the week.

02:28 I love to cut up like sweet potatoes, bell peppers, onions,

02:30 and do like almost like a stir fry with that.

02:32 It's kind of like my go-to.

02:34 I stay away from just like chicken rice and broccoli.

02:36 It's not really for me.

02:37 So I like to throw in like salmon or fish

02:39 and other different types of vegetables as well.

02:41 So on the other side of just like the meal prep

02:43 and the healthy eating, I definitely have,

02:45 I would say like a good, well-balanced diet.

02:47 I think growing up it was hard

02:49 because I didn't have the best relationship with food.

02:51 And so you're always thinking of good food and bad food.

02:54 And I stopped correlating food to either being good or bad.

02:57 And so I just allow myself to have those nights

02:59 and I'm not so like restrictive.

03:01 I think consistency is everything.

03:02 So if I'm consistently eating decent

03:04 with that 20% or 30% of going out, getting Mexican food,

03:07 or Italian, or sushi I love to go out and get,

03:10 I think there's nothing wrong with that.

03:11 So there was one injury I had in my soccer career

03:14 that was definitely very pivotal

03:15 and kind of was the reason why I don't think I'm playing now.

03:19 I played my whole entire life, 15 years,

03:21 got to senior year, was getting recruited,

03:23 was looking at different colleges.

03:25 That was my biggest goal was to go play soccer in college.

03:27 I lifted improperly at the gym.

03:30 And I think I was trying to show off

03:31 in front of the boys over there.

03:32 And I definitely lifted wrong

03:34 and it completely unaligned my spine, my lower pelvis.

03:38 Everything was out of whack.

03:39 I could barely walk.

03:40 I went to a chiropractor three days a week

03:42 just to feel normal again.

03:43 Completely took me out of my second part of my senior year,

03:46 which was like the most key time.

03:48 I think mentally it was so challenging

03:50 not being able to do what you love.

03:51 Every day I would go to practice

03:52 and still show up and support my team members,

03:54 but I couldn't play.

03:55 But I do believe everything happens for a reason

03:57 because had I still played and didn't get injured,

04:00 I wouldn't have gone to the University of Hawaii

04:02 'cause that was probably a D1.

04:03 I probably wasn't great enough for that.

04:05 I was looking at more D2 schools.

04:06 So had I not gone there,

04:07 I wouldn't have been able to be a model

04:09 or do what I do now.

04:10 And so I'm honestly grateful that it happened to me

04:12 because it kind of pivoted the way of my life

04:14 and the trajectory of it.

04:16 So I don't have any tattoos, nothing against them.

04:18 I don't feel really any type of way for them.

04:20 I think if I really wanted something

04:22 and it really meant a lot to me, I would,

04:24 but I feel like I've never been

04:25 that cool, edgy, artistic gal that was like,

04:28 "Oh, I need to get this because it's artsy and cool.

04:30 I respect those people."

04:31 But I've never been that.

04:32 I'm like, I think I would have to get something

04:34 that meant a lot to me.

04:36 So I haven't really had that.

04:38 And also my yaya, which means grandma in Greek,

04:41 my yaya was cutthroat.

04:43 She was very traditional back in the day.

04:45 We were sitting at a breakfast spot

04:47 when I was like 10 years old.

04:48 And she looked at me and my two siblings

04:50 and she was like, "I just have to tell you guys something."

04:52 And I was like, "Oh God."

04:53 She's like, "If you ever get a tattoo,

04:55 I'll still always love you,

04:57 but I want nothing to do with you guys.

04:59 So we will not have a relationship

05:01 if you guys get any tattoos.

05:03 I don't believe in it.

05:04 You shouldn't put that on your body."

05:05 And I just was sitting there like 10 years old,

05:07 like I will never get a tattoo.

05:08 I will never get a tattoo.

05:09 Maybe that just stuck in my head,

05:11 but no, I just never really wanted something anyways,

05:13 but my siblings have one

05:14 and she still loves them and talks to them.

05:16 So my Yaya was lying.

05:18 So I love my skin now, but we went on quite the journey.

05:21 Growing up, I had the worst oily skin, so much acne.

05:25 It ran in my family.

05:26 It was definitely genetic.

05:27 My mom had it, my sister had it.

05:29 And it was so bad.

05:30 I would never be around my friends.

05:32 I would never take off my makeup around people.

05:34 If I was at a sleepover, I would sleep with my makeup on.

05:36 Like I was so insecure of my skin.

05:38 Acne was just like everywhere.

05:39 And they think it's a hygienic thing

05:42 or why don't you just like wash your face more?

05:43 I literally tried everything.

05:45 I tried every pill on the market, every topical.

05:47 And it's so internal at that point

05:49 when it gets to that extreme level of acne, it's internal.

05:52 I don't think people realize that.

05:53 So I went to a dermatologist for years.

05:55 I finally took Accutane, which was like the last result

05:58 because it is a little bit harder on your system.

06:00 There's a lot of side effects to it.

06:02 I took it and it changed my life.

06:03 I mean, I took it my freshman year of college

06:05 and I took it for five months

06:06 and my skin completely transformed.

06:09 At first you go through the drying period

06:11 and your skin's overly drying and it's cracking

06:12 and it's bleeding and everything.

06:14 Like your lips are chopped.

06:15 It was a brutal experience.

06:17 But once you get to that mark when it's done,

06:19 it changes your overall life and confidence.

06:21 My morning routine, my night routine,

06:22 I definitely love a nice, good, gentle cleanser.

06:25 And then I go in with a nice oil serum.

06:28 At night I use a retinol.

06:29 In the morning I'll do like an ice roller,

06:32 wake up the skin, de-puff it.

06:34 I always do an under eye.

06:36 Eye patches helps like de-puff.

06:38 Every morning on set or before a shoot,

06:40 I always wear the eye mask before.

06:43 The night before I'll do a full face mask.

06:46 I struggle with more dry skin,

06:47 so I always wanna give it more moisture.

06:49 And that's why the serums and the moisturizers,

06:52 something like Thick at Night,

06:53 will help replenish your skin in the morning.

06:55 I have naturally super curly hair

06:57 and we've gone on quite the journey.

06:59 Growing up, hated the hair, always wanted straight hair.

07:01 I feel like you always want what you don't have.

07:03 I really wanna give my hair a break,

07:05 especially being in this industry and modeling.

07:07 You're on set and people are pulling on your hair

07:09 and they're straightening it and they're curling it.

07:11 Maybe they're not using the best products

07:13 or they're not using a heat protectant.

07:15 And so you kinda have to look after your own hair,

07:17 bring your own tools to set.

07:18 Maybe you do a hair mask before you know

07:20 someone's gonna be like pulling on it.

07:22 I think just knowing what works best for your hair

07:24 and also you don't need to wash your hair every day.

07:26 It strips the good oils.

07:27 I try to wash it maybe once to twice a week now.

07:30 And I think my hair has grown

07:32 and been a lot healthier since.

07:33 So mental health to me is super important.

07:35 I think I struggle with stress, anxiety.

07:39 Managing stress was super hard,

07:40 especially doing what I do.

07:42 I feel like I'm always moving and going and traveling.

07:44 And there's just a lot to handle

07:46 and I don't really know how to handle it all all the times.

07:48 And so that can really stress me out

07:51 and affect my mental health.

07:52 I think leaning on my friends and family is super important.

07:55 Super close with my dad.

07:56 I'll call him every day.

07:57 I'll vent to him.

07:58 I'll tell him about the struggles I'm facing.

08:00 He always gives me good advice.

08:01 I'll call a good friend,

08:02 like a hometown friend I haven't spoken to in a while.

08:04 And just hearing their voice just really calms me down.

08:08 Can be able to talk about anything with them.

08:09 You trust them.

08:10 I think that's really important to lean on,

08:12 to help just ease your mind.

08:14 Love a good spa day.

08:15 I'm a big massage girly.

08:17 I'm a big facial girly.

08:18 Like treat yourself always.

08:21 So I definitely incorporate that,

08:23 especially if I'm traveling a lot.

08:24 My body will ache and hurt.

08:25 And I'm like, I just need a day.

08:27 I'm gonna turn off my phone.

08:28 I'm not gonna go on Instagram.

08:29 I'm not gonna look at that

08:30 and just find that inner peace within the chaos.

08:33 You can tap into my socials

08:35 to hear more about what I'm speaking of

08:36 and just being confident and being your best self.

08:39 I preach about it daily on my Instagram

08:40 and TikTok @ellahelikas.

08:42 So make sure to follow for more and hear more updates.

08:45 Bye.

08:46 (upbeat music)

Model Ella Halikas on Learning to Love Her Strength & Body Positivity I Body Scan | Women's Health

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