Helena Christensen in Bathing Suit Celebrates Xmas Birthday 

Happy Birthday, Helena Christensen! The Danish supermodel turned 53 on Christmas Day, celebrating her annual trip around the sun in a flirty swimsuit. “Even though I was born on Christmas Day I unfortunately can’t walk on water,” she captioned a video of herself climbing off a boat and into the ocean. How does she manage to keep herself so fantastically fit? Read on to see 7 ways Helena Christensen stays in shape and the photos that prove they work—and to get beach-ready yourself, don't miss these essential 30 Best-Ever Celebrity Bathing Suit Photos!

1. She Prioritizes Sleep

"I feel absolutely the best when I have had good sleep,” Christensen revealed to Harper’s Bazaar UK about one of her health tips. “That’s my number one priority. I actually think it is the number one priority for most people. It just changes your entire day - when you haven't had enough sleep and also when you have."

2. Try Lots of Different Workouts

Christnesen is super creative when it comes to exercise, dabbling in lots of different workouts. One of her go-tos? Pole dancing. “It is the hardest physical activity I have ever done in my life and I have so much awe and respect for pole dancers. It's like virtual ballet to me, so the perception of it as seedy doesn't even annoy me; it goes right over the top of my head. To people who think like that, I want to say, 'well, you just go try it,” she told Bazaar. She also enjoys boxing. "For me, working out is about instant gratification; I want to see changes if I’m going to put the effort in! My thing is boxing - I like to feel strong. Boxing might seem like a male-orientated sport but there are as many women where I go and that is a very authentic, sweaty club. It’s a little gym in New York, where they train a lot of the champions, and my trainer’s name is Jason Lee. I don't want to reveal its name, though, as then all the models will come and I'll be like, 'get out of my club!' I want to be there with the real gritty people."

3. She Sprints

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One of Christensen’s tricks to revving her metabolism is doing short, fast sprints. “Sprint, don't run, because that immediately sparks your metabolism and stuns your body by engaging your muscle groups in a very explosive way,” she told Bazaar. “I can't run for 40 minutes at the same pace, listening to music. I will do 20 minutes and then I'm dying. I don't do the long, methodical routines of swimming 40 laps either. I want to be in the ocean fighting waves, not being in the pool staring at the clock and only seven minutes has passed when I'm already exhausted."

4. She Exercises Outdoors

Christensen also exercises outside. "I think it's important to shake it up and do as many different forms of workout as possible, but also to incorporate nature into them," she told the Daily Mail. "Swim in the ocean, swim in rivers, swim in lakes. Hiking, trekking, chopping wood – it's the best way of working out, because it doesn't really feel like a workout. It feels like you're alive."

5. She Does Yoga

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Christensen is a devoted yogi. "It took me years to get into yoga because I wasn't into the whole spiritual thing. I didn't want to go to a class and have to chant, though I know it helps so many people. I finally found a place where we get right into it, and I end up leaving completely re-energised and totally sweaty,” she told Bazaar.

6. She Doesn’t Diet

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Christensen doesn’t believe in diets. "I’m not the kind of person who will limit myself to any kind of food,” she told Allure. “I could not live without bread and pasta. I eat real butter and drink whole milk. And I’m obsessed with Japanese food and Moroccan stews. So when I think about working out, yes, it’s good for the mind — but it’s also because I eat a hell of a lot of food."

7. Meditate

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"I can’t just sit still and think of a mantra or repeat a thought or a word. But there are other ways of finding your stillness,” she told Allure about her approach to meditation. “Sometimes I do it by organizing or cleaning. I recently took up piano again, and that is a very good way of being in a calm zone by myself and using my mind differently. That’s my form of meditation. The key is to find what works for you."