How Steph Claire Smith stays fit, healthy and successful

To her 1.5 million social media followers, Steph Claire Smith is a beacon of health and fitness – and her approach is refreshingly simple.

Steph Claire Smith has always loved being active.

“I focus on fitness goals, not physical goals, and when I challenge myself and beat a personal best, there’s nothing more empowering,” says the author, business owner and influencer.

The 26-year-old co-founder of online health and fitness program Keep It Cleaner varies her workouts, most recently taking up meditation and yoga.

“I move my body in any way I can, every day,” says Steph.

“That’s not to say every single day is an intense workout, sometimes it’s simply a walk to the park with my dog Ari or a short yoga flow, but I love mixing my routine up.

“Generally speaking, I do one to three yoga flows per week, one to two runs a week, one strength workout and one HIIT workout a week.”

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Steph Claire Smith on healthy eating

Steph also stresses the importance of developing a healthy relationship with food.

“It’s important to remember you don’t have to deprive yourself to be healthy,” she says.

“Eat as many whole foods as you can. I think if you’re going to follow any kind of diet, the most sustainable one is the 80:20 diet.”

Steph adopted a similar balanced approach ahead of her wedding to long-time partner Josh Miller in November.

“I love staying active and eating well, but I also love cheese, wine and chocolates,” she says.

“Josh loves me for me, so I didn’t feel the need to change in any way for the wedding.”

“My confidence has never been better than it is right now because I don’t base my self- love, appreciation and value on the way I look.”

Steph Claire Smith’s day on a plate

Breakfast 

“Vegemite and avocado on gluten-free toast with a protein smoothie.”

Lunch 

“Gluten-free toast with poached eggs, if I hadn’t already had that for brekkie, or a chicken salad.”

Dinner

“Meat and vegies. To be honest, dinner changes all the time. I love cooking dinner, throwing things together and creating new recipes for the program.”

Dessert

“Dark chocolate and popcorn almost every night or frozen fruit and yoghurt.”

Steph Claire Smith on being a role model in the digital age

The Melburnian likes to be transparent on social media, reminding her largely young and impressionable followers that she too has her bad days.

“I enjoy sharing the raw moments because it’s relatable,” she says. “If one post about feeling unmotivated, bloated or just feeling down makes someone else out there feel less alone and better about themselves, then that’s awesome.”

Social media is flooded with polished and unrealistic content, she says: “Let’s encourage women to appreciate their bodies for what they can do, and not what they look like.”

• Ditch the diet: How to love your body, just the way it is

Steph Claire Smith on business success

That honest and real approach has seen Keep It Cleaner, the online health and fitness program Steph co-founded with fellow model and friend Laura Henshaw, flourish.

There are even plans this year for further overseas expansion.

“Laura and I started the business about five years ago, but back then we didn’t see it as a business, it was just a passion project of ours,” Steph says. “We never, ever dreamed of it going this well.”

And Steph is showing no signs of slowing down.

She already has two other businesses under her belt – sunglasses label Soda Shades and swimwear venture Midnight Co – and is an ambassador for Australian self-tanning brand Bondi Sands.

“My self-tanning tips would be to make sure you have exfoliated and shaved the day prior to applying your tan,” she says.

“And moisturise a lot to keep your tan going once it has developed.”

Written by Charlotte Brundrett. Photos by Tina Smigielski.