Roosmarijn de Kok Explains How To Cut Through The BS & Find a Wellness Routine That Works For You
Take a look at Roosmarijn de Kok’s Instagram, and you’ll immediately regret not sticking to your New Year’s Resolution.
A quick browse through Roos’ feed provides a slideshow of wellness: Roos cooking with some herbs that she grew herself in her NYC apartment, Roos perched atop two weightlifting benches performing an intense booty workout, Roos seductively perched in a bubble bath with the caption, “water restores my energy.”
Chances are, you also would like to restore your energy, you just don’t know where to start.
Should you start meditating in your bedroom and pretend you’re alongside Roos at five-star luxury resort Faena? Should you finally do something about your slow to grow hair and nails and scoop up Perfectil, the multivitamin Roos was seen posing with in early February?
Instead of continuing to stalk Roos’s ‘gram, we decided to talk to the Victoria’s Secret model herself.
Roosmarijn chatted with us about how she found her wellness routine and some of her favorite workouts for her body and mind. She even walked us through her beauty routine—including all the products.
Keep reading to get one step closer to making 2019 your healthiest year ever!
Roosmarijn de Kok using herbs from her at-home garden created with Back to the Roots
Your Instagram bio says, “make your mind the most beautiful thing about you,” what does that mean to you?
Being beautiful on the outside will fade at some point, but you have your thoughts, your heart, mind, and soul forever.
What are some practices and products you incorporate into your life/routine to support this mantra?
Meditating, reflecting, and learning about yourself. Reading inspiring books, studying Kabbalah, practicing being mindful—but most importantly, surrounding yourself with the right people.
Can walk us through your beauty and wellness routine? What are some things you do daily?
First thing I do is brush my teeth with my Quip toothbrush. After that, I wash my face with a mild cleanser (May Lindstrom Honey Mud Gentle Cleanser), followed by a toner (Lotion p50 v “1970” Toner). Depending on how dry my skin feels, I will use a couple of drops of my personally made face oil. Then, I will drink 16oz of fresh celery juice to rehydrate myself. It has a lot of electrolytes and on top of that is very detoxifying—great for your digestion and clear skin! I always make sure I take a lot of supplements as well because I think they are a great addition to get more nutrients in your body. I take Perfectil for my nails. They used to always break, but now they are finally growing out stronger than ever! I also take vitamin D3 in the winter months, as we don’t get enough sun usually. Also a mix of adaptogens that includes amla, rhodiola, ashwagandha, shatavari, and reishi.
Wellness is such a hot topic right now, and it can be hard to cut through the noise and figure out what parts of it can help you and your routine, can you talk to us about how you settled into the wellness routine you have now?
I would say just be patient whenever you try new things because nothing will change you overnight. Also don’t forget the fact that everyone is different, so one thing that works for one person may not work for another.
How long have you had this routine?
I love to grow and evolve, so I’m always looking for new things to add or change, but I think it’s important to have a core foundation. I would say for the last three years I have been on this journey, as I started discovering and learning about wellness, for it being my responsibility to take care of my body—especially [due to me] being a model.
Can you tell us what you were doing differently before?
I wasn’t conscious about what I would put in my body or how I would take care of it, including my mind.
Did you ever go through phases where you tried something that other people seemed to like, but that really didn’t work for you?
Heavy weight training! Even though I love how you feel when you’re done, it made me so hungry I wouldn’t be able to ever stop eating. On top of that, it would make me bulky, which I can’t be because of my job as a model.
A little birdie told us you rotate between around 7 different types of exercise, can you tell us about how you got into this?
Different exercises are great for different things. I haven’t found something yet that works great for a full body/mind workout unfortunately. I love my trainers Joe Holder, Kirk Myers, and Rhys Athayde because no one can ever push me like they do. After a while they become your family and it’s just so nice to have that connection. I love yoga for my mind, pilates/SLT for abs, P.volve is great to get a good booty workout. I like Megan Roup‘s classes because it’s just a really fun way to workout with dance cardio. Last but not least, there is this place called Inscape I love to go to for meditation and soundbaths.
Your body is your brand, so it makes sense you dedicate the time and effort necessary to keep yourself at peak performance. Can you give any tips for the average reader who may not have as much time and money to dedicate to fitness?
Of course, there are simple little steps that can make such a difference! Drink a lot of water, make sure you make at least 10,000 steps a day, and definitely sleep enough! Sleep is so important. I currently sleep on a smart mattress from this company called Eight Sleep and it tracks your sleeping all night so you can see how [to] get the best rest your body needs.
You’re from Holland, how do the Dutch approach wellness differently from Americans?
Its definitely not as big as it is in America, but dutch people are pretty healthy in general. We basically bike everywhere. I used to bike two hours a day to go to my high school, so that was my exercise. Our diet was also pretty balanced with veggies, potatoes, and meat or chicken or fish. I also think portion control has a lot to do with it. I would say an American portion size is double from a dutch portion size.
Have you incorporated some things from Holland into your wellness routine?
I still love to bike. I have this amazing bike in NYC from a dutch company called Van Moof. I bike everywhere unless it’s too cold in the winter. Besides [it being] the fastest way to get around, it also just makes me really happy and reminds me of home.
