She’s the stunning mother-of-three who boasts an enviable bikini body and glowing complexion.
And model Abigail O’Neill, who hails from Byron Bay in New South Wales, has revealed her beauty, fitness and health secrets to her age-defying looks.
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia, the 43-year-old author shared her invigorating wellness regime she swears by – and what her typical day on a plate looks like.
Here, she explains the glowing secrets to her ageless appearance.
Australian model Abigail O’Neill (pictured) shares her secrets to her age-defying appearance
The 43-year-old credits her figure and age-defying looks to raw chocolate and cold showers
The stylish mother-of-three said she leads an organic diet – eating mostly plant-based foods
‘In a nutshell – clean eating, hydration, daily consumption of raw chocolate, hydrotherapy, rest, trust (letting go of stress), exercise, no alcohol or processed foods and plenty of sunshine,’ she said.
‘I also fast periodically and eat simply to give the organs a chance to rest and detoxify. If your internal organs are happy, your skin should also be radiant.
‘I’ve lived like this for a long time now, three decades in fact, but I believe it’s never too late to start, your body will always thank you for treating it well.’
KEYS TO HER YOUTHFUL LOOKS
‘Hydrotherapy is one of my favourite wellness practices,’ she explained.
‘I finish any exercise or hot baths and showers with an invigorating cold blast daily – summer through to winter.
‘I love to swim in winter too in wild mountain streams and in the ocean as often as I can. Hot and cold is excellent to increase metabolism, improve your overall health, and youthful appearance.’
The author said she finishes any exercise or hot showers with an ‘invigorating cold blast daily’
She enjoys outdoor exercises, from nature walks to rock climbing and jumping off waterfalls
MORNING ROUTINE
She starts her mornings by preparing meals for her family – husband and their three sons, aged 18, 21 and 23 – a daily routine she has stuck by for more than two decades.
‘I’ve done this for 26 years now,’ she said.
‘I make them all a gourmet man-superfood breakfast, it’s one of my love gifts to them all to start their day with excellent nutrition.
‘After that I make something for myself and take a few moments to breathe and appreciate the new day.
‘I’ve been taking my nature walks or incorporating some gentle yoga into my mornings too, so good.’
She swears by raw chocolate and she insists the ‘superfood’ is the secret to her glowing skin
She starts her day with a glass of lemon water followed by fruit, barley green and spirulina
YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT
‘I eat really well and have always lived by the mantra that what you do on the inside shows on the outside,’ Abigail said.
The mother said she leads an organic diet – eating mostly plant-based foods
‘I eat only organic, mostly raw, mostly plant based, locally grown produce,’ she said.
‘I only take supplements that are real food based, such as bee pollen, spirulina and barley grass powder.
RAW CHOCOLATE
I find raw chocolate the best ever for eliminating cravings, and giving back rejuvenation, beauty, and energy to my skin and body
Abigail swears by raw chocolate – and she insists the ‘superfood’ is the secret to her ageless complexion.
‘Raw chocolate is basically like taking a multivitamin, only much more enjoyable,’ she said.
And so it’s no surprise she has even whipped up more than her own 100 raw cacao recipes for her Model Chocolate book.
‘Daily, I eat a generous serve of my raw chocolate,’ she said.
‘I find this the best ever for eliminating cravings, and giving back rejuvenation, beauty, and energy to my skin and body.’
The mother leads an adventurous lifestyle, where she would go surfing and rock climbing
She said she also ’embalm my face with real myrrh, and frankincense essential oils daily’
AVERAGE DAY ON A PLATE
Abigail starts her day with a glass of lemon water or herbal tea.
For breakfast, she would eat a piece of fresh seasonal fruit, barley green and spirulina.
‘Sometimes I have a savoury breakfast of softly poached eggs. I like to have eggs two times weekly with piles of fresh herbs from my garden and seaweed,’ she said.
My meals are always nutrient rich, alkalizing and satisfying
For lunch, she would have an antioxidant rich cacao and green smoothie or a few chunks of her homemade raw chocolate, with cup of tea or hot elixir.
‘Then I’ll usually have a Fresh cold pressed vegetable juice in the afternoon.’
For dinner, she would usually have baked root vegetables, legumes or rice with a green salad with plenty of chopped herbs, including dandelion leaves, basil, coriander and parsley.
‘Cold pressed olive oil, lemon juice and cayenne are my favourite natural condiments,’ she said.
‘My meals are always nutrient rich, alkalizing and satisfying.’
She also ‘fast periodically and eat simply to give the organs a chance to rest and detoxify’
For lunch, she would have a cacao and green smoothie or raw chocolate, with a cup of tea
BE ADVENTUROUS OUTDOORS
‘I always exercise outside, I find it so much more fun,’ she said.
A couple of times a week I’ll leap off high waterfalls, not your everyday outdoor activity, but it makes me happy to be active
‘I love to walk daily for four to six kilometres to unwind and move naturally. I climb trees occasionally, or surf my 9.4 longboard.
‘I enjoy a little bit of gardening, climb rocky cliffs and a couple of times a week I’ll leap off high waterfalls, not your everyday outdoor activities, but it makes me happy to be active this way rather than to have a regimented regime.
‘Nature makes me vibrant, centred and ecstatic. So I guess you could say that I don’t really have an exercise “regime”.
‘For me it’s just about being active daily in some way.’
She pampers herself by exfoliating her body with a mix she makes from Epsom and sea salt
Her favourite way to unwind is simply walking through her garden, picking fresh produce
FINDING BALANCE WITH CAREER, FAMILY AND HEALTH
‘My children are all pretty grown up now, so there’s less juggling for me there and I actually waited till they were a little bit older to focus on my things,’ she said.
‘Since I took up modelling, it has always been more of a fun getaway for me than high-pressure work as I’m usually only on set part time.
Since I took up modelling, it has always been more of a fun getaway for me than high-pressure work
‘I can be in Brisbane or Sydney and back to our tranquil countryside home within a day or two and if I have a busy few weeks of modelling work, I’ll always make sure I find the time to rest and re-group at home before tackling the next thing.
‘As for exercise I love to make that part of my nature loving lifestyle, as I explore the wild, I find I’m getting a workout too so I’ve made my exercise part of my recreation and if you can find a way to do that I strongly recommend it.’
Raw chocolate, hydrotherapy, no alcohol and sunshine are the secrets to her youthful looks
The 43-year-old mother-of-three boasts an enviable bikini body and glowing complexion
She enjoys going on evening swims at waterfalls, climbing rocks and even jumping off cliffs
UNUSUAL BEAUTY HACK
‘I love to exfoliate my whole body with a mix I make from Epsom and sea salt at least once a week, I often add essential oils to this, coffee, seaweed, or cacao,’ she said.
I love to exfoliate my whole body with a mix I make from Epsom and sea salt at least once a week, I often add essential oils to this, coffee, seaweed, or cacao
‘Sometimes I’ll use damp sand at the beach then swim in the sea, and slather all over with coconut oil. Feels amazing.
‘I also embalm my face with real myrrh, and frankincense essential oils daily. You can easily add them into your favourite face oil, such as jojoba or rose hip oil, and apply anytime.
‘My approach to beauty is very much about pampering myself with nature, I’m a big Do-It-Yourself girl.
‘I also have a hot hair oil mask I like to use to keep my hair healthy and a decadent cacao superfood facial mask both of which I shared the recipes in my book.’
She said she doesn’t have cravings for unhealthy foods because she has a ‘rich nutrients diet’
The adventurous mother-of-three said she enjoys rock climbing and jumping off waterfalls
For dinner, she would usually have baked root vegetables, legumes or rice with a green salad with plenty of chopped herbs, including dandelion leaves, basil, coriander and parsley
GUILTY PLEASURE
‘It’s in my Portuguese heritage to love coffee,’ she said.
‘Only it’s very acidic, so I make sure if indulging that I drink a lot of extra water, fresh raw juices, and eat even more delicious green salads.
‘I like to add in medicinal mushrooms too, if I indulge which balances your adrenals. Hot spiced cacao is a wonderful alternative for when I get the craving but want to resist.’
NO CHEAT DAYS
Abigail said she never has a cheat day.
If you feel like you need a cheat day, try your hardest to resist and seek out a healthier way to satisfy your craving
‘Unless you count organic corn kernals popped in coconut oil,’ she said.
‘I might have that occasionally with my family and sprinkle turmeric, spices and savoury yeast flakes on top.
‘I honestly never have cravings for unhealthful foods as my diet is so rich in all the essential nutrients I need, plus, it’s been so long since I’ve eaten processed foods that I actually find them distasteful.
‘My advice to people would be that if you feel like you need a cheat day, try your hardest to resist and seek out a healthier way to satisfy your craving which is a lot easier these days with thousands of healthy recipes at our finger tips.’
After a workout or hot baths and showers, the mother would have an ‘invigorating cold blast’
In five years time, the mother said she hopes to see herself on the cover of Vogue magazine
UNWIND AFTER A LONG DAY
‘My favourite way to unwind at the moment is to walk across my yard barefoot, plucking fresh figs or native cherries from our tree,’ she said.
‘Breathing deeply and taking a few moments to be thankful for all that is beautiful and precious in my life.
‘I also love evening swims at our local waterfall when a full moon is on the rise.’
WHAT’S NEXT?
‘I’m going to share as much of my experience with others as I can,’ she said.
‘I’ve been blessed to arrive at a very fulfilled place as a woman and now I really want to share my health, beauty and happiness perspectives.
I’ve been blessed to arrive at a very fulfilled place as a woman and now I really want to share my health, beauty and happiness perspectives
‘I’d love to create a book filled with natural skin-beauty-body recipes and organic lifestyle inspiration.
‘I’m also planning to travel Europe with my husband, modelling in different cities is something that has been on my bucket list for a long time.
And in five years time, she sees herself on the cover of Vogue magazine.
‘You’re never too old to dream,’ Abigail added.
Below are the recipes as an extract from Model Chocolate by Abigail O’Neill, hard copy and e-book versions available here.