Nina Agdal Marks 31st Birthday With a Look Back on Her Accomplished Career

Six-time SI Swimsuit model Nina Agdal turns 31 on March 26. She made her debut with the magazine in 2012 and was featured on the iconic 50th Anniversary cover alongside Lily Aldridge and Chrissy Teigen in 2014. Her most recent appearance was in 2017 after posing in Mexico.

Agdal recently modeled for Josie Clough, who made history when she and Laretta Houston became the first female SI Swimsuit photographers to snap a cover, both in 2019. Clough captured Camille Kostek in Kangaroo Island, Australia, while Houston photographed Tyra Banks in Great Exuma, Bahamas.

View the whole Wester Australia photo shoot with Josie Clough here. 

We caught up with the model, who made her Instagram debut with boyfriend Logan Paul earlier this year, on all things modeling and SI Swimsuit. She also reflected on the past decade and teased what’s next for her fitness and lifestyle brand, The Agdal Method. 

SI Swimsuit memories

Agdal says it’s difficult to pick just one photo or feature as her favorite. She enjoyed and appreciated each photographer and getting to travel to various exotic locations with the franchise.

She recalls her 2016 photo shoot in Zanzibar with Ruven Afanador as a memorable one.

“I did one shot on a wooden boat in Zanzibar with Ruben that I absolutely love,” she explains. “It’s just so colorful and vibrant and I remember taking that exact shot in that exact moment. The wind was blowing perfectly in my hair and I was just so thankful to be there.”

Agdal shares that the being featured in the magazine and getting to work with the Swim team truly changed her life and career forever.

“Sports Illustrated Swimsuit and MJ Day [editor in chief] were the ones to put my name on the map and that helped me pursue my modeling career in a way that wouldn’t have been possible without them,” she says. “Some of my best memories are from the early, early mornings and shoot days with the SI crew.”

Agdal gushes that her 50th Anniversary SI Swimsuit Issue cover will “forever be in the top three moments” of her career.

Preparing for photo shoots

Agdal lives a generally healthy lifestyle. She admits that she doesn’t change much in her routine ahead of a bikini or lingerie photo shoot. Some things she has noticed that make her feel and look her best are drinking tons of water, cutting back on sweet treats and getting quality sleep in the days leading up.

“I truly believe living balanced is the way to go,” she says. “I’ll also try and incorporate some extra time for self-care, such as a facial, sauna, cold plunge, or sound bath. I do that mostly to just feel good and grounded mentally, which is just as important to me as my physical being.”

She got into cold plunging after she began dating Paul, a social media personality and professional wrestler. Whenever the two are in Puerto Rico, she plunges every day for 5-to-8 minutes in 39 degree water.

“It helps with recovery and is a great mental challenge,” she adds. “I always stick to my morning routine, which includes my dose of Athletic Greens and my customized combination of vitamins, followed by my decaf latte. I stopped drinking caffeine to not spike my anxiety and have definitely seen a difference.”

The Agdal Method

Agdal created The Agdal Method in March 2020 after spending years trying to figure out the best way to exercise. She has alway been active and enjoyed incorporating movement into her daily life. She tried every workout class and then decided to combine her favorite aspects of each to create one daily full-body workout.

“Instead of spending hours in the gym, I now do 30 to 45 minutes of a flow and feel the strongest and best I have ever felt,” she says. “I always try to switch it up, whether it’s creating new moves or new combinations so every workout is different and fun. It depends how my body is feeling that day. If you do the workouts with me, you’ll see there’s room for improvisation. I feel as if it flows better that way versus having a scripted set of reps you need to get done.”

Agdal took a break from working on the app after a back injury and is finally getting back into the swing of things. She’s in the process of relaunching the brand on a new platform that is more user friendly and accessible.

“I definitely would love to utilize my health coaching certificate more so I’m also looking into how we can branch into more mental health focused tips and tricks,” she continues. “I also want to provide even more insight to what my nutrition looks like and hopefully inspire more people to get in the kitchen and have some fun. Cooking and eating should be fun!”

Looking back on her 20s

Agdal admits there’s a lot she’s learned in the past decade and would have loved to know before.

“I wish I had been more aware of the fact that my job is not my identity. As a young girl in the modeling industry, it’s really easy to get caught up in bad cycles of physically and mentally feeling objectified,” she says. “I would have been better at saying ‘no’ and putting my foot down even to the big guns. It’s easy to be influenced when you’re young and vulnerable and even though I have a decently strong-willed personality, I still agreed to doing some things I now wish I hadn’t.”

She adds that she wishes she had treated her body with more kindness instead of seeing workouts as a “punishment” and food as a “reward.”

“I would have prioritized health over looks and reminded myself that beauty is being the best possible version of yourself inside and out,” she finishes.

What’s Next

Agdal says she can’t believe she’s in her 30s. Over the next year, she wants to step out of her comfort zone and try things that she is afraid of in both her personal and professional life.

“I definitely want to make sure I hold myself accountable and keep growing, learning and expanding,” she shares. “I think sometimes it’s easy to feel stuck and scary to start something new, but most of the time that’s when you have to challenge yourself. I would love to start a family within the next decade, too. Who knows what will happen, but I am so excited to see how it all unfolds.”

View the whole Wester Australia photo shoot with Josie Clough here.

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