Christie Brinkley is reflecting on her health as she approaches her 67th year around the sun.
“In 8 days, it’s going to be Groundhogs Day! And I’ll be turning 50 for the 17th time! lol!” Brinkley began an Instagram post earlier this week. “I love birthdays! I just don’t like the numbers so I pretty much ignore them, I never felt as old as the number anyway …until this year.”
The supermodel, who broke her right arm while competing on “Dancing With the Stars” in 2019, was also plagued with a painful frozen shoulder making it difficult to exercise.
“I couldn’t do downward dogs, planks, push ups, and at the other end my hip was getting worse with each passing year and long bike rides left me limping… I started to feel limited! Restricted! Dare I say… old!” Brinkley wrote.
Then, in COVID-19 lockdown, Brinkley, like many others, found herself reaching for comfort foods.
“With quarantine came banana breads and the inevitable extra pounds,” Brinkley shared. “I must add I felt overwhelmed by the number of injuries I was dealing with… but I realized I just needed to start with one thing and keep moving forward…”
Brinkley’s first step was undergoing hip replacement surgery in November for injuries she sustained in a near-fatal helicopter crash 26 years ago.
“I am overjoyed to be able to move my body again,” Brinkley wrote. “I am getting stronger every day, and I like to think I’m ready for anything… a hike, a swim dive, paddle, ride, ski, and even a big piece of birthday cake! Hey I can work it off!”
In 2018, Brinkley explained that she has celebrated "every birthday," since her 1994 crash that occurred in Telluride, Colorado.
"I really thought I was dying,” she told TODAY Style. “When I made it through that, I really have looked at every single day of my life as a gift.”