Elizabeth Nguyen rose to the top of the 15,000 gorgeous women who entered the latest Maxim Cover Girl competition, winning the crown, the cover, and the $25,000 prize money. She is a figure skater, who does gymnastics, ballet, tennis, and she even ran for track and field. She is a five-time U.S. national competitor and earned the title of U.S. Figure Skating (USFS) Double Gold Medalist in both the USFS Free Skate and USFS Moves in the Field Tests. According to Elizabeth “I only did 3 years of college majoring in biochemistry aiming towards the profession of a dermatologist or a pharmacist! I had to put my education on hold due to traveling and opportunities in modeling & acting. I still plan to continue my education one day!”
She is officially the first Asian American to win the Maxim Cover Girl contest 2020. She is also Miss Balboa Island 2020 in the Miss Orange County Regionals.
Women Fitness President Ms. Namita Nayyar catches up with Elizabeth Nguyen, twice Gold Medalist U.S. Figure Skating and Maxim Cover Glamour Model here she talks about her fitness routine, her diet, her beauty secrets and her success story.
Namita Nayyar:
You must have started your career in modeling at a very young age. As at the age of 20 years you won the “Maxim Cover Girl” January/February 2020. This propelled your modeling career to the height where you have been at the top of the world of fashion and glamour modeling. Tell us more about this fairy tale journey?
Elizabeth Nguyen:
Wow, thank you so much but actually, I haven’t! I’ve recently got into modeling and before that, I was actually competing in beauty pageants. So all my life, I’ve been training and practicing all the time! And, right before pageantry, I was competing as a professional figure skater for the United States! My fairy tale story of being the Maxim Magazine Cover Girl started in the back seat of my Dad’s car, on the way to my daily figure skating practice. I was browsing on my phone and saw a sign up ad that read “Do you want to be the next Maxim Cover Girl?” Without much thought, I messily filled out all the info, barely completing the form, since we already arrived at the figure skating rink for my practice.
Then a few days later, I received a message in my inbox saying I was accepted and in the running to become the next Maxim Cover Girl! I honestly didn’t believe it at first because being a timid and extremely cautious person, I just ignored and didn’t tell anyone about the Maxim Competition. A few weeks later, people were casting in their votes, and I was advancing to the next rounds! So finally I had to break the news to my parents and family about the competition! And the rest is history!
Namita Nayyar:
You have been an accomplished athlete and five times US Figure Skating National competitor and earned the title of U.S. Figure Skating (USFS) Double Gold Medalist in both the USFS Free Skate and USFS Moves in the Field Tests. Elaborate on these achievements of yours and how you from the field of sports shifted to the professional career in modeling?
Elizabeth Nguyen:
Ever since I can remember, I was doing all types of things growing up so that’s how I got my extremely competitive and active nature. I started figure skating at the young age of 6 years old. I was doing all sorts of sports and activities at the time as well: gymnastics, ballet, tennis, swimming, track & field, playing the piano, and the violin. As I grew up, I had to focus only on one sport/activity if I wanted to progressively get better. It came down to either gymnastics or figure skating because I was the best at these. I finally chose figure skating because I honestly felt the most like myself, and I always had this feeling of freeness whenever I figure skated.
Several years passed, and I kept training and competing, winning medals at my competitions locally, regionally, sectional, and nationally. So that’s how I became a five-time US Figure Skating National competitor! I also received the Kennard Taylor Trophy award for the most outstanding performance of the competition. I later earned the title of U.S. Figure Skating (USFS) Double Gold
Medalist in both the USFS Free Skate and USFS Moves in the Field Tests. After figure skating, I got interested in another form of competing, and that’s how I got into pageantry! I later won and earned the title of Miss Balboa Island 2020. With pageantry, you get to dress up, and you have to take part in a lot of photoshoots, and that’s how modeling got introduced to me!
I absolutely love photo shoots, posing, and moving in front of the camera because it feels like I am creating and expressing art! It’s so cool and unique to think about it and of course, it’s so much fun! Modeling, shooting, and collaborating with brand names have always been a secret dream of mine, and I’m so glad to have actually made it a reality. And growing on my social media has made everything so much more memorable because I get to share my journey for everyone to see, and hopefully, I can inspire them on modeling, fashion, or simply just going after their own goals!
Full Interview is Continued on Next Page
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2021 Women Fitness
Namita Nayyar:
You are a world-leading media personality, model, and brand ambassador. How do you manage such a remarkable multi-dimensional lifestyle?
Elizabeth Nguyen:
Wow, thank you for that intro! If you say it like that, I might even wonder myself!! In all seriousness, I can manage this crazy lifestyle because I’m simply just taking it one day at a time. It all just happens. I’m definitely living and learning at the moment. What I love about my career is that you will never know what tomorrow will bring to you. You might book a modeling campaign for a well-known brand and have to take a last-minute flight to get to your location. Or you might get invited to be a brand ambassador at an important event that following weekend. So I definitely have to be prepared and have my “working game face” on all the time! For me, working, shooting, and collaborating with different brands is a huge passion of mine. So working definitely doesn’t feel like work and more like fun. Enjoying yourself in the process is definitely how I maintain this multi-dimensional lifestyle.
Namita Nayyar:
What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you may wish to share?
Elizabeth Nguyen:
I don’t have a specific workout routine at all! The only rule I follow is to simply just be as active as possible—and that can be going on daily walks with your dog, dancing, playing basketball, hiking, having some fun at the beach, cleaning your garden, or just simply anything. I believe doing different activities every day is the key to actually maintaining your routine. It challenges your body and brain to work for different muscle groups, and it makes “cardio” so much fun! It really doesn’t feel like “cardio” or working out at all so nothing feels forced, which is what I love about incorporating different activities!
I also make sure to stretch daily to keep up with the flexibility that I developed from figure skating. Lastly, maybe once in a while, I visit the rink for figure skating practice and to catch up with childhood friends. This way works for me, and I hope for others as well! Don’t over-stress about working out, and simply just enjoy doing activities you love!
Namita Nayyar:
Do you take a special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?
Elizabeth Nguyen:
Funny because no I don’t! Lots of people would assume I have a strict eating plan and workout routine but I simply just don’t like the rules and feel of any sort of restriction. For my diet, I give myself no rules except
1: everything in moderation. I don’t cut out any specific food group – carbs, protein, fats. I used to before and that’s when I was plant-based for over 6 years! I ate this way for my health and for the environment.
After around 3 years into this lifestyle, my health went downhill. I lost the majority of my hair, was extremely pale & cold all the time, felt weak, and my nails became too brittle to even open my own water bottle. I kept it going for another 3 years, but finally, my doctor told me to incorporate all types of food groups again due to being extremely malnourished. But don’t get me wrong, lots of people thrive eating plant-based, and the majority have actually healed their diseases and health problems.
For example, my friend healed her Hashimoto’s disease from eating plant-based! So eating plant-based does work for others, but it just wasn’t for me. My health and feeling my best are important to me since my active lifestyle of being an athlete and modeling requires me to. I eat everything and every food group in moderation, and that’s what works for me. And I do believe in all the amazing benefits of eating more plant-based, so I try to incorporate it whenever I can! My diet advice would be to do what works best for you! And also, I don’t eat “strictly healthy” at all because I just let myself eat whatever. I love to cook and bake, so the majority of my food is home-cooked and home-baked comfort foods that I enjoy. Anything home-cooked or home-baked that my mom and I make at home for the family is considered “healthy” to me.
Also, I do make a killer blueberry muffin bread recipe and a delicious chocolate chip cookie recipe that is to die for! And don’t forget to mention, my simple home-cooked is definitely crave-worthy! I might have to spill some recipes or think about creating a cookbook in the future!
Namita Nayyar:
You have glowing skin and gorgeous hair. Share with us your haircare and skincare routine.
Elizabeth Nguyen:
My skincare and hair care routine is quite simple and plain, to be honest! Believe it or not, I actually wasn’t born with flawless and smooth skin. I wasn’t blessed by the skin gods! I used to have terrible skin growing up due to my parents’ “acne genes.” Around the ages of 15-18 was when I noticed severe acne. I remember going to the drug stores daily to buy numerous amounts of countless products, but they all just made my skin worse. I absolutely felt hopeless! I would stay up all night researching products and watching videos of home remedies & skincare.
Nothing worked. A few years later, I visited a dermatologist and found out that less is actually more! I started to just rinse, cleanse, use sunscreen, and that was it! I don’t use any sort of acne-related products anymore because they are just too harsh for my skin. So my 2 biggest rules are to wash every morning and night and to use sunscreen. I can’t stress enough the importance of sunscreen; I use it at night and if I’m staying indoors all day.
I just believe sunscreen helps protect your skin from any damage, and it helps keep your skin looking extremely youthful and healthy in the long run. The sunscreen product that I always reach for is by EltaMD Skincare, and it offers a high SPF of 46. Another sunscreen I use is the Chanel UV Essential with a strong SPF 50. Both of these products are amazing and I like alternating between the two. To rinse my face of oils and any makeup I have on, I will use my beloved daily facial wipes by Olay. They make a wide range of wipes that offer different formulas for certain skin types. But for my sensitive skin, I choose the 5-in-1 wipes with grape seed extract—the one with the pink label! Lastly, of course, try to get plenty of sleep and stay hydrated.
For my hair care routine, it doesn’t look like how it used to back when I was plant-based. As I mentioned before, I lost the majority of my hair from being malnourished and from lacking certain food groups. But now, I just eat everything and try to incorporate carbs, proteins, and fats every time for the best hair growth. I have so many baby hairs now, so they are all still growing back, which is super exciting! The shampoo and conditioner that I use are by Pantene Pro-V. I choose the 5-1 formula that has a pro-vitamin B5 complex within it. This shampoo and conditioner is the secret to the strong smooth hair that I have now!
Namita Nayyar:
It is a dream come true for a model to appear for MAXIM. You rose to the top of the 15,000 gorgeous women who entered the Maxim Cover Girl competition, winning the crown, the cover, and the $25,000 prize money, and appeared on its January/February 2020 edition. Tell us more about your experience working with MAXIM.
Elizabeth Nguyen:
The Maxim team is amazing! Working with them is a true honor. The whole Maxim Magazine team is all so caring and extremely professional. Mr. Gilles Bensimon is such an incredible and spectacular photographer! He shot every photo of my Maxim Magazine January/February 2020 front cover and the photos in my 6-page spread. They all turned out breathtaking! He is just so incredibly talented, and he knows exactly how to capture the images through the use of imagery, fashion trends, lights, and angles. I couldn’t have asked for a better team!
After winning, I got to attend the annual Maxim Magazine Super Bowl Party, and I also made a special appearance to walk on the Maxim Red Carpet! These events were definitely the highlight of my year. I had a blast and can’t wait for what the future holds for me!
Namita Nayyar:
Advice and motivational words to the inspiring and budding fashion model girls, who all are your fans and shall like to know from you for their climb to the ladder of success in the field of modeling?
Elizabeth Nguyen:
First, I just love that I get to inspire so many girls and boys out there who are interested in modeling. It feels great! My advice would be to just do it! You will simply never know until you try! Modeling is definitely a tough industry to get into, but it is not impossible!
Here’s another piece of advice: Don’t compare yourself. Please don’t. You are more than superficially edited pictures you see through social media.
Everyone is uniquely different for a reason. Everyone has their own struggles to deal with, and everyone has their own goals to reach for. Flaws are beautiful, so embrace them! I know it’s not easy, but try to use your flaws to your advantage and stand out!
Lastly, being confident in yourself is the most important piece of advice I can give you. Owning and accepting every move—whether it’s good or bad—will help you understand yourself better, and this will definitely get you closer to your modeling goals!
Namita Nayyar:
You have done bold photo shoots with MAXIM and few others. How you are so body confident and advice to your compatriots?
Elizabeth Nguyen:
First of all, I am not going to deny that the photoshoots were bold! I’m extremely body confident because I see modeling as an art—a way of expressing yourself through images and embracing fashion with the beauty of human flaws. In my opinion, modeling is definitely another way of self-communication, using your eyes and different body positions to create various expressions and moods. There’s so much meaning behind each and every photo that it tells its own story.
I love analyzing each photo’s story, knowing a lot of hard work and effort was put into it. I’m definitely my most confident when I’m modeling or on a runway because I honestly feel like a different person! Loving yourself, accepting your flaws, and having body confidence will help the photographer capture the images effortlessly, making them look natural. It’s strange to say, I’m definitely more confident when I’m modeling than when I am going about in my daily life!
Namita Nayyar:
What do you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and the message for its visitors?
Elizabeth Nguyen:
Firstly, thank you Womenfitness.net for choosing me for this fun interview! I didn’t know I had so much bottled in me to share! To all the visitors, Womenfitness.net is such an inspirational site to gain motivation for you. You get to read all of these hardworking celebrity and athlete stories, and hopefully, you can incorporate some beauty secrets into your routine as well! Womenfitness.net is filled with tons of health and wellness articles and interviews, so please check them out!
Namita Nayyar:
Today social media plays a vital role in putting your message across to your followers and fans. What is your message for the 148k followers on Instagram?
Elizabeth Nguyen:
First of all, I would like to say, I will always be the same old me no matter how many or how few followers I have. So do not worry, I will always remember you all! In addition, to all my followers on Instagram, thank you so much for tagging along with me! I still sometimes wonder why you all continue to follow me?! But I know that as long as I continue to inspire you through my Instagram posts or stories, I still stay like that very happy girl!
Also, please remember that I am just like you. We are all human beings, and we all have our own hardships. I’m just lucky to have the opportunity to share my personal journey through social media with you, hoping to motivate and entertain you all! I absolutely enjoy sharing my beauty secrets, daily routine, work-life, and even sharing my “food porn” Instagram stories with you! So thank you for that, and I’m grateful for each and every one of you!
Elizabeth Nguyen Social Media Presence
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/elizabethnguyen_official
This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied, or hosted in part or full anywhere without express permission.
All Written Content Copyright © 2021 Women Fitness