Wonder Woman Star Connie Nielsen Shares Swimsuit Photo of "Happiness"
DC star Connie Nielsen loves nothing more than spending quality time with her friends and family. Nielsen, who plays Hippolyta in Wonder Woman, shared social media highlights from a family getaway at the beach, including a great shot of her posing on a boat in a wetsuit against a beautiful ocean background. "Spring Break happiness," she captioned the post. "Enjoy this beautiful place!" a fan commented. Nielsen is 58 and absolutely stunning—here's how she does it.
Healthy Fats
Nielsen eats plenty of healthy fats. "For breakfast, I eat organic food with high fat content, such as whole milk yogurt, nuts, seeds, fresh fruit and a scrambled egg," she says. "I cook it in organic grape seed oil for its high omega content. I drink a cappuccino for its dose of milk and the coffee for its taste, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. At lunch, I might eat smoked salmon with a slice of Mozzarella di Bufala, made from the milk of domestic water buffalo, along with avocado.
Low-Carb Vegetables
Nielsen enjoys plenty of low-carb vegetables as part of her diet. "I snack throughout the day on fruit, nuts and seeds, smoked mackerel that's also high in omegas, on cheese, and these amazing gluten-free crackers called Skinny Crisps," she says. "I am cutting down on carbs and have noticed I feel better when not eating bread. For dinner I have at least four or five different vegetables of all colors: purple, orange, green and red. I eat as many colors as possible, including carrots, broccolini, asparagus, cauliflower, kale and more. I eat them raw or steamed and then drizzled with crude virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. I also cook lots of artichokes and dip them in this mean sauce I make and then grill a piece of chicken or fish. Once a month I eat a grass-fed filet or leg of lamb."
Running and Biking
Nielsen loves spending time outdoors as much as possible. "I run an hour a day as often as I can get away with it," she says. "I also work out in the hotel rooms I often live in when working, and have developed a routine I have been using almost unchanged over the last 30 years. I love to SoulCycle, do yoga and to hike in the glorious No-Cal hills and mountains. Sundays we go for bike rides with my kids under the Golden Gate Bridge. Fort Point there is beautiful and the view from its top floor is unparalleled. I think music and beautiful vistas of nature during workouts give serenity to your soul, and the workouts themselves deliver all the endorphins you need to overcome the stresses of our lives."
She's a Fighter
Nielsen has never been afraid to stand up for herself. "Even when I was 15, I've always been this fighter," she says. "I remember a producer saying, 'You know what? There's something slightly insolent about you.' And I wasn't being obnoxious, but I was not afraid of him and I don't kowtow to power. I'm Danish in that way, and I've always been a feminist. I don't know how to be different. I don't know how to be someone else."
Stronger After Menopause
Nielsen embraces the changes that came after menopause. "I started menopause at 53, when I was in the middle of shooting Wonder Woman," she says. "I was stunned by the experience of my own body starting to behave in completely unforeseen ways – but also by the realization that it can be a second coming of age. Women become unbelievable during this time. It's a passage of shedding things from yourself that are unnecessary, and it's a sharpening of your focus and who you are, down to its essence. It's extraordinarily exciting. Women are coming out of the other end of it even stronger, even more ready to do battle for important things in their lives. I feel it's so incredibly interesting and important, and I think that women are dying to have more conversations about it."
