January may be the month of resolutions, but if yours is a healthier lifestyle, fitness expert Brooke Burke, founder of Brooke Burke Body, says that rather than jump-starting a routine that might gradually taper off (as resolutions often do), focus on something less intense but with long-term potential. “I always tell people to set reasonable goals,” says Burke. “Nothing happens overnight. We live in a grind culture, but because of that, we often don’t listen to our bodies. The best thing you can do for yourself is slow down and find something that speaks to you, whether it’s a class, an app or even a retreat. That’s how you start elevating your game in a way that lasts.”
Born in Connecticut and raised in Arizona, Burke’s career began as a model and TV personality, hosting the E! travel series “Wild On” and appearing on shows like “Monk” and “Melissa & Joey.” “Growing up in the business, I worked out and I worked hard, but I didn’t have a nutrition or lifestyle plan that was sustainable.”
These days, in a time when it seems everyone’s on Ozempic, Burke insists nutrition still has to play a critical role. “Look, [Ozempic] can be a game-changer,” she says. “But you’ve got to work with a credible professional and you’ve got to create a nutrition plan to fuel your body properly. There’s absolutely no quick fix that’s going to last. And ours is such a quick-fix country — that’s why we see so many people walking around looking cracked-out. They’re just not eating.”
The word “diet” isn’t in her vocabulary, but most days, barring an event or a night out for dinner, she tries to eat her last meal by 8 p.m., then starts her morning with a whole freshly blended lemon: squeezed lemon juice, skin, seeds, pulp and all. “People call me the lemon lady,” she jokes. “I’ll also have two cups of coffee with half and half or cream.” Following a morning workout, she breaks her fast with a smoothie of her own superfood blend.
Beyond that, she doesn’t restrict herself. “I eat meat, I enjoy red wine. I don’t skimp out on flavor. I love to cook, and I eat a lot of protein, a lot of good fats and a lot of delicious spices. I’m really into Mediterranean cuisine.”
As her entertainment career progressed in the 2000s — she won the seventh season of “Dancing With the Stars” in 2008, then co-hosted the show from 2010 to 2013 — Burke was one of the first celebrities to pivot her platform to health and wellness. In 2017, she launched the Brooke Burke Body fitness app. What set it apart from others on the market, Forbes reviewed, were shorter, targeted routines that demanded less time but delivered impactful results.
Today, the Brooke Burke Body brand includes a range of fitness and mindfulness classes, livestreams, recipes, digital retreats, private coaching and a community where members can share progress and setbacks and receive encouragement and support. “It started as a fitness app, but it’s grown into an intentional wellness platform,” she notes proudly. “I’m really committed to creating a campus of education that lets you be a detective of your own body and helps you continue to learn, stay curious and ask questions. What works for me may not work for you, and it may not work for someone else.”
Photos by Sarah Orbanić
In addition to eschewing a one-size-fits-all approach to wellness, she doesn’t believe in over-glamorizing the process. “Because of social media, we live in a filtered world. People don’t even look like themselves. It’s why I like to wake up and do livestreams from the kitchen. It’s real life and real talk.”
To that end, and despite looking like the picture of sun-kissed health, Burke has openly shared her ongoing medical challenges throughout the years. She had been living with Hashimoto’s disease, an immune disorder that attacks the thyroid gland, when, in 2012, she received a thyroid cancer diagnosis. After undergoing a thyroidectomy, she was later declared cancer-free. She has also suffered from Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), a chronic condition that inflames the digestive tract. In an Instagram post that went viral in 2023, Burke posted two identical side-by-side photos of herself in leggings and a workout top, showing off a toned, taught mid-section. On one side, she posted the words “Happiness, Confidence, Abs, Healthy, Celebrity.” On the other, the words “Poker Face, Fragile, 4 Babies, 3 Autoimmune Diseases, Real Woman.” In the caption, she wrote: “What you see, what you don’t. Get to know the woman behind the scenes.”
It wasn’t about garnering sympathy, Burke explains. The vulnerability was about empowering others. “I want to humanize the façade and advocate for women’s health. Battling different autoimmune diseases is something I used to not talk about, but once I allowed people into my private life, I realized how many of us are going through things. One person sharing things breeds another.”
In recent years, another topic she’s addressed publicly and passionately is menopause, especially as it relates to the changing needs of the female body. Above all, Burke, 53, stresses, “We have to have compassion for ourselves. Quite honestly, it could be the greatest phase of our lives, but because our bodies are constantly changing, we have to learn to change with them. You have to have a great relationship with your doctor. And also realize that you’re going to have to meet your body differently, speak to your body differently, love your body differently. Our bodies are forever changing as women, so we have to change with them.
“Fat, body mass index, all of that shifts, so we have to train ourselves to adapt,” she continues. “For me, I think women need more weight training through menopause for lean muscle and healthy bones, so I’m using more weights now because I’m in my 50s.”
She’s always mixing up her workouts and trying new modalities. “I’ve got to do it just to keep my attention span in check,” she explains. “Lately, I’ve been experimenting with red light therapy, so I have a new program I think will be live by January called the Deep Heat series — and it’s deep abdominal core workouts to help combat belly fat. I also have programs for butt-lifting, body sculpting and yoga. I’m really into target-toning.”
Several times a year, she also hosts intimate, in-person retreats in warm-weather locations like Arizona and Costa Rica. Her favorite part is the chance to reboot and forge real-life connections with fans and followers. “It’s transformative. We do yoga, we do journal workshops, we do discovery workshops and we basically check out of life and tap into our inner body language. We do things we often don’t have time to do because life moves so fast. It’s almost like updating your inner software. I often find that women will spend more on lunch and rosé and that’s crazy to me. Spend it on investing in yourself. Another thing I keep hearing is ‘someday.’ Well, ‘someday’ is not a day of the week. Do it now.”
A big day of her own is also in the works. Burke, who shares two daughters with ex-husband Garth Fisher and a daughter and son with ex-husband David Charvet, is engaged to real estate developer Scott Rigsby, also a father of two. After getting engaged in 2021, they’re eyeing a 2025 wedding. “We have so much on our plate right now, we’re raising six children. Putting yourself first is challenging, but we’re hoping to do it this year. By the time this issue comes out, we’ll hopefully be well into wedding planning.”
