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.
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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)