She’s living the All-American dream: A stunning model who moved to the States with a to-die-for body, married a football superstar, gave birth to a gorgeous boy and girl and dotes on her older stepson. Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady are arguably America’s sweethearts, their life in suburban Boston the stuff of domestic dreams for people all over the country.
But one thing that’s not exactly familiar to housewives across America has just been made abundantly clear in Gisele’s newly released book: her routine. Unless, of course, those regular American mothers also retire daily to a place called ‘the Sanctuary’, swill their mouths with coconut oil for up to 15 minutes, stretch, meditate, go to photo shoots and give their kids a nightly foot massage with aromatherapy oils.
That’s just a normal day in the life of Gisele, 38, the statuesque beauty who’s laid out an eye-opening lifestyle in her memoir Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life.
It starts between 5 and 6am, when she’s awakened by ‘ocean’ sounds on her phone.
‘It’s a soothing way to begin my day. The sound of the water and the breaking waves fills me with a deep sense of peace,’ the native Brazilian gushes. ‘Also, I don’t leap out of bed unless the kids wake me up before the water sounds begin. Instead I like to relax into the process of waking up, as if I’m tiptoeing into warm water.’
Gisele Bundchen, 38, the supermodel wife of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, has just published new book Lessons: My Path to a Meaningful Life – which details her daily routine, workout regime, diet and meditation schedule
She and Brady are parents to son Benny, 8, and daughter Vivi, 5, as well as the athlete’s older son, Jack, from a previous relationship with actress Bridget Moynahan
Gisele writes her day starts between 5am and 6am, when she rises to ‘ocean’ sounds on her phone; she then spends up to 15 minutes swilling coconut oil in her mouth in a process known as ‘pulling’
Next, she writes, Gisele fetches ‘a bottle of coconut oil from the bathroom, so I can do oil pulling.’
If you’re not familiar with that, the book will educate you.
‘It’s the ancient Ayurvedic technique of swishing oil in your mouth to clean out all the guck and to detoxify teeth and gums. It’s supposed to be good for your overall gut health, too. I put one teaspoon of oil in my mouth and swish it around for ten or fifteen minutes. You can use many different kinds of oil – sesame, olive, sunflower – but I use organic coconut oil because I like the flavor.
‘I continue oil pulling as I’m getting dressed, and I’m still swishing as I head downstairs to let the dogs out; then I spit.’
‘After letting the dogs back in, I meditate. I light a candle, get into lotus position, and close my eyes. It doesn’t really matter if you cross your legs. What matters is sitting tall with your spine straight so energy can flow. Before having children, I would go on retreats where I would sit in silence for a weekend or longer. Now, as I mentioned, because of my busy life I meditate every morning usually for just five minutes.’
It helps, she writes, to restore her ‘inner balance’ and give her a ‘deep state of awareness.’ And next she works out, listening to YouTube videos – she’s fascinated by ancient Egypt and Greece, it turns out – and sometimes doing rehab for her shoulders and knees, which have suffered from the famously athletic model’s active pursuits.
‘After meditating and working out, I drink a glass of lukewarm water, about eight ounces, with half a slice of lemon squeezed into it. It helps flush out the digestive system,’ she writes. ‘As I sip my lemon water, I’m busy making my children’s breakfasts and school lunches.
‘I believe strongly in the old saying “Let food be thy medicine,” and I take nutrition seriously,’ she writes. Benny, 8, and Vivi, 5, get ‘hummus or lentil soup or leftover rice and beans.’
Gisele will add ‘diced cucumber, avocado, or chickpeas to the rice to liven it up. Or some days I’ll make burritos, Benny’s favorite, with a few sprinkles of cheese on top. Then I fill up the kids’ water bottles, along with a few drops of my husband’s electrolytes. I always try to create as little trash or waste as possible, especially in the form of plastic bottles and bags. My goal is to live as lightly as possible,’ writes Gisele, who also owns a luxury home with her husband in Montana’s exclusive Yellowstone Club, which was well documented in Tom vs Time – and which is among the most exclusive enclaves in America.
She also makes the children ‘gluten-free toast with almond butter and honey, or eggs with sliced avocado, or a bowl of cut-up apples and berries with coconut yogurt.’
She does, in fairness, insist the children learn to do chores, and she boasts about ‘leaving rooms as tidy as I found them.’
Her own breakfast can involve finishing her children’s leftovers and/or ‘a glass of green juice with celery, cucumbers, half a red or green apple, turmeric, ginger, lemon juice, and sometimes kale or beets, or I have avocado toast.’
Then she takes the children to school, fits in a workout if she wasn’t able to do it earlier, showers – and is then ‘truly ready to start my day.’
‘I usually don’t wear makeup if I am working from home, but if I go out I like to wear at least some lip balm, a light mascara, and a little bit of concealer, and in my bag you will always find concealer and tinted lip balm,’ she writes.
‘Do I sometimes enjoy wearing makeup? Absolutely,’ the international supermodel adds. ‘It’s a fantastic tool. If I look half-asleep, or I have circles under my eyes or a pimple on my face, or I want to make my eyes pop, concealer and mascara are best friends. Makeup is fun. It’s the only way my eyes will ever look large, or at least not small.’
Lest readers be worried, though, she assures them: ‘I don’t think about wearing makeup as an obligation.’
Gisele, a native of Brazil, married Brady in 2009; the model writes: ‘It’s up to all of us to capture time, to give it meaning, and to be present and appreciative for every moment we’re alive’
Gisele, pictured in the web television series Tom vs Time, lives outside of Boston with Brady and their family, in addition to enjoying a property in Montana’s exclusive Yellowstone Club – which featured heavily in the program
Gisele says her children perform daily chores, and she emphasizes cleaning; she likes to leave ‘rooms as tidy as I found them’
Gisele writes in the book that she enjoys taking her children to school herself; each night, she gives ‘them each a quick foot massage using aromatherapy oils, of which I have an entire pharmacy. Five minutes of foot rubbing really calms them down, and makes us feel close’
She writes in the book: ‘I believe strongly in the old saying “Let food be thy medicine,” and I take nutrition seriously; she also promotes healthy eating on Instagram
Before having children, I would go on retreats where I would sit in silence for a weekend or longer. Now, as I mentioned, because of my busy life I meditate every morning usually for just five minutes’
She soon continues: ‘But back to my day. After my early-morning routine, I feel energized, my mind is clear, and I’m ready to sit at my laptop and focus 100 percent on being productive. I keep a separate space a short distance across the lawn from our house. I call it the Sanctuary.
‘I love it. It’s clean and quiet and sparsely decorated, with plants, crystals, high ceilings, and lots of light. I spend most of the day there answering emails and phone calls and having meetings.’
‘Often in the mornings I am in close contact with my twin sister, Pati, and Fafi, discussing business, evaluating new opportunities, approving material for clients, answering interview questions, or working on environmental projects. Today, most of the companies I work with are in Brazil, and I consistently express my concerns about our environment, and the need to create products and practices that are sustainable for the earth.’
She adds: ‘Although I’ve been working in my industry for a long time, it wasn’t until recently that I learned that the fashion industry, especially fast fashion, is one of the biggest polluters on the earth, and that most clothes end up in landfills.
‘I am now using my voice and contacts to bring attention to this problem, and to develop solutions to make the business of fashion more sustainable.’
She barely has enough time to do all of it too, it seems: ‘My days are extremely full – and never quite long enough. I really wish each day could be forty-eight hours long!’
She’s so busy, in fact, that she keeps the ringer of her cell phone turned off during the day, she writes.
‘Of course I check it regularly to see if Tom or someone from my kids’ school has called, but in general anyone who knows me knows I dislike talking on the phone.’
After the Sanctuary, it’s back to the house – for a healthy lunch, of course: ‘usually a fresh salad or a big bowl of soup.’
‘Lunch is also when I get a handle on whatever issues may have come up that morning with the children, babysitters, house stuff and so forth.’
Then it’s back to the Sanctuary, the crystals and the high ceilings.
‘I drink water all day long, as well as lots of tea,’ she writes. ‘My favorites are lemongrass, chamomile, and mint, ideally made with fresh chamomile and mint leaves from my own little garden. But it all depends on how I’m feeling. If I’m getting sick, for example, I’ll drink fennel tea, or prepare a honey-lemon-ginger concoction on the stove. Otherwise I always drink my tea straight, without honey or sugar.’
The babysitter picks Benny and Viv up from school and brings them home, and they’re shown responsibility again before dinner, helping to set the table. She and Tom discuss their days and the kids, she writes, and the family often FaceTimes Jack, his son from a previous relationship with Bridget Moynahan. (Gisele and Tom were dating for two months when the supermodel found out his ex, Moynahan, was expecting his child.)
Gisele writes: ‘I drink water all day long, as well as lots of tea. My favorites are lemongrass, chamomile, and mint, ideally made with fresh chamomile and mint leaves from my own little garden. But it all depends on how I’m feeling. If I’m getting sick, for example, I’ll drink fennel tea, or prepare a honey-lemon-ginger concoction on the stove. Otherwise I always drink my tea straight, without honey or sugar’
Gisele describes her children’s bedtime ritual and writes: ‘The last thing I do before saying good night is to remind them to pray to their guardian angel. I often wait outside their rooms, listening to them saying their prayers, and it melts my heart every time’
The model writes that ‘making a big deal out of little moments matters a lot to me. Stretching my body the moment I wake up. Being conscious of my breath. Lighting a candle. Meditating. Singing with my kids on our way to school. ‘More than anything, these moments are about appreciation. My goal is to be present. To feel and experience my life deeply’
Gisele writes: ‘I always try to create as little trash or waste as possible, especially in the form of plastic bottles and bags. My goal is to live as lightly as possible’
Bundchen’s new book was published today, October 2; she writes that she aims to ‘live a full and meaningful life with the awareness of what’s happening around me – and to inspire my children to live that way, too’
Benny and Vivi watch cartoons after dinner, while Gisele and Tom enjoy alone time to talk, ‘sometimes over another cup of chamomile tea.’
The model writes: ‘When I think about my daily schedule, I realize that almost every moment of the day feels like a ritual and I really want to create a series of special small moments. It’s up to all of us to capture time, to give it meaning, and to be present and appreciative for every moment we’re alive.
‘This is why making a big deal out of little moments matters a lot to me. Stretching my body the moment I wake up. Being conscious of my breath. Lighting a candle. Meditating. Singing with my kids on our way to school.
‘More than anything, these moments are about appreciation. My goal is to be present. To feel and experience my life deeply, even if what I’m feeling overwhelms me or sometimes makes me burst into tears (which I do now and then). To live a full and meaningful life with the awareness of what’s happening around me – and to inspire my children to live that way, too.
‘Bedtime is another ritual. When Tom his home, he kisses the kids good night and sometimes he tells them a story. At bedtime, I love reading out loud to each child. Then I do something I ‘ve done since Benny and Vivi were infants: I give them each a quick foot massage using aromatherapy oils, of which I have an entire pharmacy. Five minutes of foot rubbing really calms them down, and makes us feel close.
‘The last thing I do before saying good night is to remind them to pray to their guardian angel. I often wait outside their rooms, listening to them saying their prayers, and it melts my heart every time.’
Tom usually goes to bed by 9pm, she writes, whereas she can stay up as late as 10, though she showers before going to bed ‘especially if they used lots of product and my hair looks crazy.’ (It’s not exactly clear who ‘they’ are.’
‘I need at least seven hours of sleep, eight if I can get it,’ she writes. ‘Thankfully I’ve never had any trouble falling asleep. I’m usually exhausted at night, and as soon as I put my head on the pillow, I am gone.’
And so ends a typical day in the life of the wife of America’s favorite quarterback, only to begin again in the early-morning hours with another rake of health-consciousness, exercise, mindfulness and even makeup – though of course, as the supermodel emphasizes, it’s not an obligation.