This Week’s Model: Karolina Kurkova

You already have your figure back! Did you have a lot of weight to lose? I didn’t gain much weight, and I think the secret was really staying active throughout my pregnancy. I did Pilates, a lot of weight training, I walked a lot and I traveled. I lived my life, you know? And I was eating really healthy, taking good supplements and vitamins, drinking green juices and just making sure I was putting the best stuff in my body. I didn’t eat much junk, and I was lucky I didn’t really crave it, either. So I’m all about listening to your body. But obviously you want to try to give it more natural foods, and fruits, good vitamins, fish oils, fiber. Lots of fiber when you’re pregnant!

So how did you get back in shape? I’ve been working a lot with Tracy Anderson at her studio. After I had my baby, I wanted to try something different. I didn’t want to be in the gym doing weights. And I like Tracy. She’s a working mom like me and she understands that, and understands a woman’s body. It’s been really fun. I’d done gymnastics and ballet earlier in my life, and she incorporates the barre, and you kind of hang there—it’s a bit of a mishmash of everything. A little ballet, a lot of dancing, funk cardio. As a woman, where else can you go and listen to fast music and really dance? Especially after you have a baby, it’s not like you have a lot of time to go dance! So it’s a great place to just go and be, and feel good, feel sexy and sweat.

Do you follow Tracy’s food regimen too? I haven’t tried the food delivery, but I’ve heard it’s good. I just try to eat really healthy. I always do my own thing. We still do a lot of fresh green fruit juices, and try to cook as much as we can so that everything’s light, delicious and gluten-free. We don’t really eat anything that’s white, or processed. And we try to buy things from little farms and local places to support those businesses. I’m a big believer in that.

Are you modeling less now? It sounds like you’re still keeping up a pretty intense schedule. I did take a few months off, to make sure we bonded and established a relationship as a family—not just me and the baby, but my husband, too. But now I’m back to work and it’s actually busier than ever. I’m having more fun, and it’s almost like I have a higher purpose now. I mean, I never did stuff just for me anyway. I’ve always kind of done it for everybody around me, to help people and make them happy. I don’t look at it like, “Oh, I’m doing it so I can buy a better bag or a new apartment.” But definitely, it’s challenging. How do you balance being a working woman, a good mom and a wife? It’s tough, but kind of exciting, too. It’s so easy to be stressed about it and put pressure on yourself. Like, “If I’m not there, I’m not a good mom.” I’m just really glad to be back to work, and I’m fortunate that sometimes when I have to go away for a few days, I can take my son. I want to incorporate him into my life as much as possible. And he’s getting used to being in different places and around new people. I think he likes it!

Check back next week for the latest installment of The Skinny. And see all our previous model Q&As here.