Brooke Burke Talks Fitness And Her New Longevity Superfood Powder Line - Exclusive Interview

If you know fitness, then you know Brooke Burke. The "Dancing with the Stars" winner is a familiar face in the television and exercise industry as Burke now has her own fitness app, "Brooke Burke Body." The platform features Burke herself in workout videos that promote health & wellness, as the fitness personality also has her own podcast named "Intimate Knowledge." Burke has made her way in the health space one workout at a time, as she continues to promote her fitness journey digitally.

In an exclusive interview, Burke told The List all about her new Longevity Superfood Powder line and what a typical day of eating looks like for her. The powder line features Cacao and Cafe Mocha flavors to improve your mental and physical health. As the products are all wheat, dairy and gluten free, Burke revealed she puts the plant-based superfood in her morning shakes. The "She's Got the Look" host did a deep dive into her daily fitness routine and even gave advice on how to fit in exercises that work for your schedule. Burke is changing the health and wellness space as we know it.

Can we start with an overview of what your new powder line, Longevity Superfood Powder, entails?

This is the first collaboration that I've done with my app, which is BB Body. [We] and Longevity teamed up to launch a superfood blend, which is a powder that I put in my daily shakes. It has everything that you need for energy, recovery, and focus. It has a lot of young, high-integrity ingredients like cacao, goji berry, matcha, [and] yerba mate. It's got some probiotics in there [with] some natural proteins.

It's really delicious. They have not compromised flavor. It's giving my body all of the properties that I need. I make a shake for myself and for my family, my kids on the way to school. It's satisfying, and I know that it's fueling my body with everything important. It tastes great.

That's the most important thing, right? What would you recommend mixing with the cacao blend?

We're going to have a list of recipes to share. Every day, I do an organic, unsweetened almond milk, a half a banana, frozen banana, [and] a handful of ice. I put cinnamon in mine. I use two big scoops of the powder because I like to get as much as I can. Some people do it with just nut milk. Some people do it with water; it's that delicious. I like to give myself all those other things. I also put a spoon of almond butter in there. That's my daily recipe.

Do you do that with the café mocha blend as well?

Either one. I can do the café mocha. I also do the cacao. That's my favorite. This holiday season, we're going to be launching a chocolate mint. That's really nice with frozen cherries and nut milks. There are so many different possibilities in mixing with the flavors. It's high in antioxidants and energy, which is really important for my daily routine.

When do you think the chocolate mint flavor might launch?

That's already in the works, so let's say that'll be our holiday launch.

I'm going to switch gears and talk about breakfast foods, which I know you use your blends for that as well. What is your go-to breakfast and why?

I never eat breakfast because I intermittent fast. I break my fast with a morning shake. The reason I do that is for time. I also do it so that I get everything I need in a three-minute meal. In fact, I can make breakfast for my kids on the way to school in less than a minute, literally, by doubling up in the blender. It's really about efficiency and nutrition.

I've been intermittent fasting for about five years, which is the best nutrition method I've ever experimented with. My first meal is usually a post-workout shake. My kids have a superfood smoothie in the morning before school, and then I know they can focus and be satisfied and not get hangry as well.

That's actually funny that you mentioned intermittent fasting, because that was my next question. That's a mindset and routine that you still follow. How do you find that it helps you throughout the day?

I'm satisfied. Most people are afraid of it because it's different, and it's a different philosophy than we were trained for. I used to eat five meals a day. I never skipped breakfast. It's an experiment. It's great for gut health. It's an amazing opportunity to let your body recover in your rested window, and my eight-hour eating window is very high in fat. It's fueling my brain, my skin, my hair, my energy, and feeding my body with quality food. It also, to make it a little bit more fun, it gives me a bit more freedom in my eating window. Because you have such little time to eat, it can be a bit more decadent.

It's good for the body. Overall, it's good for the brain and good for the body.

It's interesting because America always says breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

I don't even have time for that.

Say someone is looking to improve their eating habits without being completely restrictive. What would your tips be for them?

Eat the colors of the rainbow. Keep it healthy, crunchy, and natural. There isn't a restaurant in the world where I couldn't find a mindful meal. It's really about portion control. Shopping mindfully, cooking at home, and utilizing leftovers are great for economic reasons and time savings.

If you don't go hungry, you make smarter choices. Get prepared. Meal prep is a big thing. I have so many recipes on my website — not on the app, but on brookeburke.com, that have five-minute meals and mindful meals, meals utilizing leftovers, easy to make meals, even if you're not a chef. Great ways to feed your family.

I feel like it's hard, especially as a mom, to think of meals for yourself, but also your children. It's tough to be creative. Is there anything that you incorporate into your morning routine to improve your mental health that you could share?

I've been forcing myself to stay in bed five minutes extra in the morning and do some mindful meditation, sometimes to music. Sometimes, it's a moment for me to just check in with myself and get centered, to set up my day. That's been a real game-changer for me. I never had time to do that pre-COVID, but now, I've made it a daily practice.

I also knock my workouts out in the morning. Because we have the app, it's easy to get it done at home. Yoga is a big part of my wellness practice as well. It's as much for the mind as it is the body. That's the whole shift that we've gone through at Brooke Burke Body; it's now Brooke Burke Body and Soul. It's very mindful, equally as much as, maybe more than, the physical.

Could you walk me through your daily fitness routine, whatever works for you?

I teach classes. I'm always producing content, so that keeps me honest. I like to do body sculpting, yoga-inspired flow. I am a big believer in stretching. I stretch and recover throughout my workouts. I work out to the burn. If I'm in a class or teaching a class, it's a total mind/body experience. It's about an hour. If I wanted to just do some target toning, honestly, I could do a booty workout in 10 minutes. I could do an ab workout closer to five.

I love infrared saunas. I try to hop into a sauna, if time allows, after my workout. Some days, I'll do a yoga flow and not worry about body sculpting. I do a lot of sound bath meditations that I actually teach. That's really good for the spirit, for the mind.

I enjoy it because I'm able to mix it up. On the app, you can pick and choose whenever you want: equipment, no equipment. You've got 10 minutes, you've got 30 minutes. Do you want to break a sweat and do cardio? Do you want to just body sculpt? That's an important part of fitness, finding something that speaks to your needs and something you can enjoy.

Say you have a full day, and you only have time for a quick 20-minute workout. What would you do?

If I only had time for a quick 20-minute workout, I would grab a total body sculpting burn, which could be anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes. That's going to work head to toe. You're going to get a warmup. You're going to get a little bit of cardio. You're going to do compound moves, which means incorporating multiple body parts, so you get a quicker workout that's more effective. I'm really about time efficiency and sweating smart and getting what you need. Using multiple body parts at the same time saves you time. I love that.

I feel like it's a common misconception that you have to be in the gym for two hours at a time to get your results.

I don't even have an hour on most days. Time is the greatest excuse. We have to take that out of the equation and take care of ourselves. If we don't, the other side of that is what's really scary. Not trying something new or starting the program — the scary part is not working out.

Exactly. "No, I need to exercise throughout the day." Otherwise, mentally, it can be a little tough to get through the work day.

We're creating energy as well. That's a big concept on my app, the mindful heart of fitness. We're creating energy. We're building curves, which is where we're headed — less concentration on how much we weigh on the scale, more about how we feel inside. Can we create natural energy, and can we develop a lifestyle that is sustainable that we can stick to? That's why I love Longevity. It gives me energy, gives me fuel. Being able to create a digital space at home and work out with someone, it's a quarter a day. It's affordable, and it's time-efficient. That matters.

You're obviously a mentor for women who are looking to get into the gym and exercise and all that. Do you have any advice for women intimidated by the gym or just exercising in general?

It's such a big issue, and I totally get that. Women want a safe space to work out. Creating a safe space within yourself begins there. By that, I mean having your own self-confidence. You could throw your headphones in and get really focused on a program and bring it back to center and make it about you and not anybody else.

If the gym isn't your jam, creating a home gym is super easy. All you need are some light hand weights. You need a yoga mat. Stay hydrated. Find a program, whether it's mine or somebody else's. There's so much free content out there. My app is practically free. On YouTube, you can find a workout that speaks to you, at home, so that you develop strength and coordination and self-confidence.

As far as gyms go, find a class that you love. I do a live Zoom class every Friday at 9:00 AM at my house with women all over the world, not just the United States. I have women from Italy joining in and Australia. It's an hour workout. It's an intimate group. You can have your camera on or off. We do a Q&A after class. You get to ask questions. And it's kind of semi-private because, if you turn your camera on, I can see you, then I can make adjustments. We know how expensive private trainers are these days. It's a private, at-home opportunity with me. I'm really growing that business.

That's a great opportunity. You're saving driving time, gym Memberships, germs, and all that stuff.

"Hot girl walks" have been circulating the internet for months now. What is your opinion on this trend for staying active?

There's something to be said about community and togetherness. I teach a lot of classes, and my community consists of a lot of my girlfriends. I totally think fresh air, getting out there, moving, connecting, creating some stimulating dialogue during that time makes it enjoyable. You're also accountable when you make a commitment to friends. We don't show up for ourselves often enough, but we sure show up for our friends.

Do you have a go-to snack to keep up your energy throughout the day?

I'm not a big snacker. The nice thing about Longevity is, if I have a sweet tooth, if I need an afternoon pick-me-up, sometimes I'll do a coffee and an almond milk and the chocolate mint and shake it up in a shaker. Let's say I'm not at home, and I don't have access to a blender. It's really satisfying. You can make one that tastes like chocolate milk. I do that for me and my kids.

I love cucumbers with sesame seeds and lemon and olive oil. Super easy. Maybe a handful, a medley of raw nuts and an apple would be a really good snack. One thing that I found too, in preparing and getting organized, is that if you have those easy grab-and-go snacks, even for back to school or in the car — I'm in the car a lot with my kids — those are really great choices. It keeps you from getting hangry.

Besides your new superfood powder line, do you have any other upcoming projects that you would like to share?

There's one more thing that might make sense since we're talking wellness. There's one supplement that I take. I've actually been taking it for five years. It's a supplement for your cells. I take it every day. I actually doubled the dose. It's called Tru Niagen. It helps improve your NAD levels. I feel like that's a big thing that's trending right now. I really believe in the value of NAD. This is easy though. You can order it online. This is a supplement for your cells. I do that every day.

Our inner dialogue and our self-talk is super important. I'm starting to incorporate a lot of mantras in my workout; actually making women say certain things and use their breath and chant positive mantras in the middle of the workout, which retrains the brain. I'm doing a whole program based around that, and I love it. It's important. Our self-talk is a real thing that's very powerful.

Check out the Longevity website to learn more about Burke's new superfood powders or head to Brooke Burke's website to take ZOOM classes with Brooke herself.

This interview has been edited for clarity.