New York Fashion Week is all about who is walking the runways, but supermodel Hilary Rhoda just made it about walking. Rhoda is participating in Fitbit's first celebrity challenge of the year to benefit the American Heart Association. "I’m competing against [fellow model] Erin Heatherton this week to see who can take the most steps this week and hoping I win!" Rhoda told us exclusively.
But as we learned when she graced our December 2014 cover, Rhoda is amazingly fit, so we're not surprised that her Fashion Week Fitbit data was off-the-charts, both in terms of her step count (around 20,000) and active minutes (190, well over two hours!) We caught up with her to learn more about the challenge, the cause and how she always keeps her cool.
SELF: We love a new toy—especially a good piece of wearable tech. What do you love most about your new toy—your Fitbit?
Hilary Rhoda: I’m wearing a Fitbit Charge HR, so I love being able to see my heart rate levels while I’m working out. In the past, I’ve tried wearing a heart rate monitors around my chest, but it was just so uncomfortable. My sports bra kept getting in the way! It was bad. But now with my Fitbit, my heart rate’s right on my wrist, so I can check in on my progress easily.
SELF: In keeping such a detailed record of your habits, have you made any changes to your daily routine now that the challenge has wrapped?
HR: I haven’t changed that much: Since I live in NYC, I walk everywhere—but wearing my Fitbit helps me ensure I get in at least the recommended 10,000 steps per day. Since I’m most obsessed with the heart rate function, I think I’ve started to walk at a brisker pace to see it rise. I feel lucky because I live in a city where I can walk everywhere—and that’s exactly what I do.
SELF: And what do you normally do to stay so active?
HR: I go to the gym every day for about two hours a day. For example, since I only did an hour at Tracy Anderson’s studio [on the day measured], I went to a SoulCycle class in the evening with my fiancé because an instructor we really love, Taye, was teaching.
SELF: Were there other unexpected things you did that you found resulted in additional active minutes?
HR: I actually just moved this week [Ed. note: Moving during NYFW? Impressive!], and my apartment has a big staircase in it, so I was unpacking boxes, carrying things up and down flights of stairs all day. I loved seeing that I was alternating between the fat burn and cardio zones on the Fitbit, which made the move feel like a workout by itself!
SELF: Did you switch up your workout to prep for Fashion Week?
HR: Nope! For me, everything stays the same year round: I’m a Tracy Anderson and SoulCycle devotee; but most importantly, I’m a big believer that maintaining a healthy lifestyle is a way of life—not just crunching for certain events or times of the year.
SELF: Right after you walked in the Prabal Gurung show last Friday, you flew to Stockholm. What are you techniques for keeping your step count high even when you’re on a trans-Atlantic flight?
HR: I really wish there were gyms in airports, it would make so much sense. Just like they have those expressSpas, having a gym in an airport terminal would be perfect because everyone needs a couple of hours to kill anyways before they sit on a plane for hours. Since airports are huge, and thus, good for walking, I try to get in my steps there. When I’m on a long flight, I actually try to sleep as much as possible because I’m often going to the studio straight from the airport to work.
SELF: Anything else you learned about yourself during the Fitbit challenge?
HR: It was fascinating to analyze my sleep patterns to see how it affected me the next day. But bottom line: I don’t like to leave the house without my Fitbit because it keeps me motivated!
