Mens Health

© Sean Laurenz  

Goran Jurenec makes money from his looks – simple. If he doesn’t keep in shape, it affects his bottom line.

He doesn’t just follow a healthy lifestyle because he wants to (which he does), he does it to keep the money coming in. He studies the latest in fitness and health research to keep himself at the top of the modelling game. You probably don’t have to strut along any catwalks, regularly anyway, but you do want to follow a healthy lifestyle. Read on for Jurenec’s hard-earned (and exhaustively-tested) fitness and health truths.

Don’t skip all the good tasting foods

Eating healthily doesn’t mean you need to eat food that tastes like cardboard, it’s about balance. “The fact that I love food makes it easy to choose,” says Jurenec. “I like burgers, pizza and Thai food with coconut milk, but when I really need to take care of my nutritional needs, then I always choose grilled fish (like salmon or tuna or, alternatively, calamari) with grilled vegetables.” Jurenec also makes sure that he has enough energy before workouts with pre-training snacks, and then eats again after training within 30 minutes. “As a pre- or post-workout meal, I prefer to have one piece of fruit and a small protein shake,” he says. “But if I am craving something salty, I will make an omelette with five egg whites and
one whole egg!”

Injury is the real enemy of fitness

Jurenec can’t afford to miss his workouts, so he ensures he does everything to avoid any serious injuries. “My fitness goals are to stay healthy and in shape my whole life, to prevent injuries and disease and to be cover-ready still in 30 year’s time!” says Jurenec. “It’s really hard to train when you’re injured or have serious muscle stiffness, so I always warm up with jogging or skipping ropes and warm down properly with stretching.” Jurenec also ensures he does plenty of cross-training to continually provide new muscle challenges. “I recommend skipping rope work, core
exercises, running, plyometrics, interval training and lastly, my favourite, thai boxing,” says Jurenec.