Lisa Snowdon enjoys eating her Bellvita in the morning and on the go
Tell us about what you're doing with Belvita?
We're campaigning for better mornings with Belvita, we just want people to make the most of their mornings and put a smile on their face. There is this really rubbish statistic were only one in five people wake up happy, and that's like twice a week, so I figure that means that people are only happy on the weekends, and that seems pretty rubbish to me.
Workers are going to be experiencing random acts of kindness in London and Manchester, what could someone do for you to cheer you up in the morning?
There are loads of things, but a random act of kindness that would really be amazing would be if someone at the supermarket let you in front of them when you only have a few items and they have a trolley full. That kind of thing would be amazing, you know, being considerate of other people, putting other people before you.
Why is it important to you to have a healthy breakfast?
Because it sets you up for the day, I think people get really preoccupied with their lives and you can sometimes get on a vicious cycle where you just start neglecting yourself. You're working really long hours, you're not getting enough sleep, you wake up in the morning and you're running late and you don't have breakfast. I just think that it's a really bad way to start the day.
It puts you in a bad mood, you can't focus or function, it's just really important that you start your day with a good balanced breakfast. It makes complete sense to me that you would have a balances breakfast; so you would have your protein, your carbohydrate and some of your five-a-day thrown into the mix to start your day and keep your metabolism going, your brain going and it just perks you up.
Other than Belvita, what sort of things do you like to have for breakfast?
I make a fresh vegetable juice in the morning, so I make beetroot, celery, cucumber, carrot, apple, pear, ginger - mix a fresh vegetable juice. I obviously have my Belvita, which come in loads of different flavours, which are really good to be snacking on, you know, just have them in your handbag for when you're running out the door, and then you've always got something with you. I also like snacking on nuts, poppy seeds and then I have boiled eggs, I'm obessed with boiled eggs, they're low fat, high protein. So it's like a mixture of stuff, I think that variety is the spice of life and I think it's good to keep it interesting. Most importantly it is important to have a balanced breakfast, it sets you up for the rest of the day and you feel content, you feel happy and ready for the day rather than hasseled by it.
This week I've been eating the Forest Fruits flavour, which are your favourite flavours?
They're so yummy aren't they?! I like the muesli one, I like the yoghurt crunch. I eat different flavours for different moods. They keep coming out with new yummy flavours and combinations so it's quite fun.
You're obviously in great shape, do you follow a strict diet?
Not strict so much, I think that it's good to have everything in moderation. I don't like to restrict myself too much because if I do I crave stuff that I shouldn't have. So I just think that having a little bit of what you fancy does you good.
I do workout, so I can pretty much... Well, I can't eat what I like, but I do workout so I can be a little more relaxed about what I eat and not so much worried about everything because life's too short and food is important. And I love going out for dinners and yummy lunches.
If I need to be strict, say if I'm doing a bikini shoot for Marks & Spencers I probably won't eat as much bread and cheese. It's just about being conscious, but also being realistic and having a good, healthy attititude to food rather than thinking it's the enemy.
What's your favourite food treat that you really like to enjoy and savour?
It changes depending on my mood. I do love savoury stuff. At the moment I'm kind of obsessed about going and having tacos, things like that are a real treat for me.
You were saying that you workout, what kinds of things do you do?
I workout with a trainer, I do stuff at the gym, I do lunges, squats, push-ups and sit-ups and all sorts of things like that, but I do them on the stability ball and the medicine ball, kettlebells and TRX, a mixture of different things. A bit of yoga when I can, stretching, all of that sort of stuff. I'm quite active, I walk a lot. I think it's good to give your body different challenges and switch it up sometimes. But the consistency of doing exercise every week is really good.
You recently turned 40, was it a big thing for you?
It wasn't, I feel like I was totally prepared for it. It's so weird this industry, as soon as I turned 30 people were already talking about it, so I feel like I had so many years to prepare for it, so when it came around, it didn't actually feel any different.
Plus, I had the most epic Birthday party, so by the time my birthday came around it was all about the party rather than my age. Honestly, I love my life and I've never really had a hang-up about age so I've just embraced it. My only regret is that it's taken me this long to have a party, I might have one every year.
Do you find that your style has changed much with your age?
No, not really. You know I'm not dressing ridiculously young, I love fashion and I love experimenting. I'd hate to put restrictions on myself, obviously there are sensible things that you do; like if you've got legs on show you cover up your chest, then if you've got your cleavage out, you legs aren't - those kind of golden rules I think that you need to follow them, especially as you get a little bit older, otherwise it looks a bit tacky. Other than that I just kind of embrace it all. I love fashion, playing around and dressing up.
Is there anything that you wouldn't wear now?
Hotpants. But for the last 20 years I wouldn't have worn hotpants. What else? Dungarees. Things like the undercut, you know that kind of hairstyle (a section of the head is shaved), but I love girls who experiment like that and I think that they look really cool. If I was 20 years younger I might do a little undercut, but not now.
You obviously get up really early, do you have any beauty tips for hiding dark circles?
I get up at about 4.45, so it's pretty early. It's a not-so-secret Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat, it's pretty standard for any woman's beauty bag. Eye drops, eyelash curlers, and to just try and get as much sleep as I can, when I can. But then you've got to have a life as well, so it's about balance really.
Do you wear much makeup to work, because obviously not many people are going to see you?
No, I don't you know. People always make the assumption that because I'm on the radio no one sees me, but we have cameras in the studio to broadcast it around the country and then there is a big huge screen in reception also, so people see that, and we're always filming for the website and most days we have guests too. So, I leave the house without any make-up on, but throughout the morning the makeup goes on. First the concealer, then a little bit of an eyelash curl then, mascara, then liner and then the blusher. Dave keeps looking at me and asks whether I've done something; over the morning my face is made up so I look all fresh. I look very different to when I've arrived to when I leave.
You've worked in the modelling industry for years, what tips have you picked up over the years?
I've worked with some amazing make-up artists so I got to see the professionals at work. Just little tips, like how to pluck your eyebrows, how to apply mascara properly, simple things like that. Curling your lashes in between each coat of mascara, giving them a little curl mid-way through the day to open the eyes up again.
Which products do you swear by?
MAC lipglosses, Dr Pericone Eye Plasma, Bobbi Brown cream blushes, Touche Eclat, good mascara like Avon or Christian Dior, I like this product, I think it's Claudaline it's a grape water spritz, you spray it all over your face and it really wakes you up and gives your skin a boost, it's great to use at any time of the day.
Lisa Snowdon has joined forces with Belvita Breakfast Biscuits to campaign for better mornings. To find out how you can have a better morning visit Facebook.com/belvitaUK Belvita Breakfast Biscuits are a great way to start the day and give you the energy for the whole morning. * Proven in six clinical trials when eaten as part of a balanced breakfast i.e with a latte and apple
Femalefirst Taryn Davies