Amazing Wellness January/February 2019

what i take | favorite natural products
JACLYN SMITH
The TV icon, designer, and doting grandma
stays strong—and cancer-free—with
exercise and nutrition By Chris Mann
She inspired generations as one
of ABC’s karate-chopping Charlie’s
Angels in the 1970s, introduced
affordable ladies’ fashions in the
1980s, and empowered women as a
breast cancer survivor in the 2000s.
But now, actress and entrepreneur
Jaclyn Smith strikes a healthy
balance in part by chasing after
her cherubic granddaughter.
“That’s the joy. That’s sort of the
departure that keeps me really in
the moment,” Smith, a glowing 73,
says of playing with baby Bea. “And
I have so much fun. I do realize
with two-year-olds you need to
be in good shape—your
knees, your back, everything—because
they’re
everywhere. There’s
something exciting
about it that makes me
say, ‘Hey, I better work
out because I’ve got to
run after her.’ And I do.
So she’s a plus.”
Bea is also the inspiration for
Smith’s Kmart and Sears infant
clothing line, Spencer—designed
by Smith’s daughter, Spencer
Margaret Richmond. And her multigenerational
love extends even to
Smith’s sanctuary: her bedroom.
“I have my mother’s desk up there
and Bea’s picture hanging above
it. It is a place of calm. Everybody
needs their own little place where
people knock before entering. I
think part of wellness is taking a
little time for yourself.”
healthy tip!
“Everybody needs
their own place where
people knock before
entering. I think part of
wellness is taking a little
time for yourself.”
What steps have you taken
to stay cancer-free?
I eat lots of raw fruits and vegetables,
and organic meats. I exercise. They
have said that when you do aerobic
exercise at least three times a week, you cut
down the incidence of breast cancer. Just getting
older with each passing decade, your chances
of getting breast cancer go up. But we know so
much about it today that with early detection
[you can be] cancer-free after treatment. I
traveled for about three years with a foundation
called Strength in Knowing, speaking to women
about the risk factors, and many women are
in denial or they’re not proactive. Or at a
certain point they say, “You don’t need
a mammogram.” Well, that’s silly.
My mother got breast cancer at
90. She was thriving at 90. She
did a lumpectomy. She didn’t
do radiation. She was fine. She
didn’t pass away from cancer. So
I think that women should get
their mammogram. I also believe
in pap smears. Being proactive is key.
And, again, it’s important to balance your
life, and take a lot of the stress away.
What types of workouts help you
keep up with your granddaughter?
I do circuit training with weights, and I do
Pilates. Two years after my breast cancer
diagnosis I went on Arimadex, which caused
some bone loss—so weight-bearing exercise
to build strong bones is very important,
especially as you get older. Pilates really
centers on your core, and a strong core protects
your back. I’ve had a microdiscectomy in my
Chris Mann is a celebrity wellness and fitness writer, natural health brand storyteller, entertainment author and journalist, and digital-content producer (Wellseeing.TV).
back, so I realize the importance of a
strong core. Planks are great core moves, but
they’re boring and tedious, so I incorporate
those in with the Pilates machine in a different
way. I work out with a trainer, and she’s very
creative with how she puts them in. She
incorporates planks so that I might lift one
arm, and then the other arm. My mind is
occupied, and it isn’t like, okay, we’re just in
this one position.
Which supplements and natural beauty
products support your wellness?
Definitely vitamin D. It’s good for the bones. It
prevents cancer and can help with depression.
We think we get enough from being in the
sun, but we’re covering ourselves in sunblock,
so we really don’t get enough vitamin D. I
also take vitamin C. There is controversy over
too much calcium for women. I think it can
affect the heart, but I take no more than 500
mg a day, and I don’t always do that. I think
psyllium husk is good because it gives you
fiber. I do a B complex. Green drinks are full
of vitamins and are a lovely way to go, too. I
try to do a spoonful of apple cider vinegar in
water to control inflammation; it’s supposed
to help with arthritis and acid reflux. Also,
I believe in conditioning your hair and your
body. Coconut oil is amazing. Grapeseed oil
is incredible for the face. Both can be healing.
They’re great on your legs, your feet, your
hands, your hair—everywhere.
PHOTO BY CHARLES BUSH
18 WINTER 2019 | AMAZING WELLNESS